Can you tell an internship from a work shadow? And what’s the best filling to have on a sandwich placement?

The National Council for Work Experience describes the variety of work experience opportunities as:

Sandwich placements: Assessed paid work which is part of a student’s course. It is often of one year’s duration.

Work-based project: A specific piece of assessed work for a course, undertaken at an employer’s premises.

Work placement: A period of work experience, which can be paid or unpaid, and is part of a course of study. This can be arranged through your university with an employer or by yourself and is for an agreed period of time.

Voluntary work: Any type of work undertaken for no payment, usually outside of your course and in your spare time.

Part-time work: Paid or unpaid work undertaken during term-time.

Work shadowing: Where a student observes a member of staff working in an organisation, and so gains an understanding of what a particular job entails.

Internships: A phrase that is increasingly used by large companies and refers to a placement within their organisation.

Vacation work: This could be paid part-time or temporary work for students or full time work for graduates looking to enhance their CVs or improve job prospects.