National Church OF England Academy
Virtual work experience
Virtual work experience offers high-quality interactive experiences with leading organisations. Opportunities include Springpod, Speakers for Schools, and Forage programmes that students can complete online with certificates.
Virtual Work Experience Providers for UK Secondary Students
Below is a list of platforms and organisations offering virtual work experience suitable for UK secondary school students (approximately ages 11–16). The table provides an overview of each provider’s focus, cost, and age suitability, followed by brief summaries with more details.
|
Provider |
Website |
Industry Focus |
Free or Paid |
Suitable Ages |
|
Springpod |
Multiple sectors (law, healthcare, engineering, etc.) |
Free |
13–18 (school/college) |
|
|
Speakers for Schools (Futures) |
Multiple sectors (various employers) |
Free |
Secondary & college (e.g. 14–19) |
|
|
The Forage |
Multiple sectors (100+ global companies) |
Free |
Teens (no experience needed) |
|
|
Barclays LifeSkills |
Business, Banking, Digital (general careers) |
Free |
~11–19 (wide range) |
|
|
Amazon Future Engineer (VWEX) |
Technology, e-commerce (roles at Amazon) |
Free |
14–18 |
|
|
Young Professionals UK |
Multiple sectors (insight events with employers) |
Free (mostly) |
Secondary & sixth form (13–18) |
|
|
Observe GP (RCGP) |
Healthcare (General Practice) |
Free |
16+ (UK only |
|
|
BSMS Virtual Work Exp. (Medicine) |
Healthcare (Medicine & NHS roles) |
Free |
16+ (aspiring medics) |
|
|
The WOW Show |
Multiple sectors (career video “episodes”) |
Free |
All secondary ages |
|
|
BBC Bitesize Careers |
Multiple sectors (career profiles & guides) |
Free |
All secondary ages |
|
|
icanbea… |
Multiple sectors (virtual tours of workplaces) |
Free |
All secondary ages |
