EBME Forums Forums Maintenance Technical Assistance Voluntary Work?

Hello All, I had a strange phone call from someone who has a degree in bio-medical engineering (passed his degree in Germany but wants to work in the UK) and is looking for somewhere to get some work experience last week, anyone else had volunteers? It’s my suspicious nature that I could end up with egg on my face if I entertained something like this, as I have always believed there is no such thing as a free cup of coffee.

Darth Welder

I have had many such "enquiries" over the years. I always advise that there's no need to work for nowt just to get a foot in the door, so to speak. Not only does the novelty very soon wear off, but techs just devalue themselves and end up getting treated like [censored]. In short, it's not a good place to be.

Far better for them just to lodge details with the well-known agencies. The agents will complain about "only taking folk with experience" and all the rest, but sooner or later a booking will turn up. It may be "just" PM (or some such thing) at first, but from that point it's up to the tech, is it not?

My approach is to offer the best advice I can (it doesn't cost anything after all), and then let the guys get on with it. If they don't want to follow it up, then that's up to them. No "hand holding" here, I'm afraid.

What I fail to understand with that one, Darth, is why anyone who doesn't have to would want to work in the UK?

Meanwhile ... there is such a thing as working for nowt (I know, 'coz I've done it often enough). But not for "work experience", I'll admit (that is, it was done deliberately, with "eyes open" and under no illusions about free lunches, cups of coffee ... or anything else except sincere gratitude). And not for the NHS either. And I have yet to find a Hospital League of Friends willing to take me on!

If the volunteer is given an opportunity to learn some worthwhile skills, as in an internship, and a department is willing to offer such a position .. then, I say go for it.

The volunteer gets a chance to get some experience and, perhaps, a foot in the door. It's an opportunity to sell themselves and it adds to their CV

What they mustn't do is waste their time volunteering and getting no experience - that doesn't do them any favours,at all,when it comes to future job interviews.

Cheers
Mark

And the guys who are genuinely looking for work, will they be overlooked?

And what about Darth's "egg on face" scenario ... which (we may imagine) could play something like this:-

After being helped out and found a place on the team to a point where he is beginning to be useful, the guy is then off like a shot to a paid (permanent, or more appealing) position once he becomes "marketable"!

We used to take work experience people doung ONC's from the local tech, one day a week for 20 weeks. Although they were given technical experience, they really gained experience in what us old ones take for granted e.g. timekeeping, presentation, communication skills etc. I think they even gained a work experience module as well.

We are always looking for new volunteers

Though probably not what he (or we) is looking for.

No, probably not. Most of the folk I hear from in this regard are of a type that I would describe as "chancers". Either that, or those begging for assistance in getting into the UK workplace (not that that is too difficult a proposition, from what I hear ... or indeed, see).

Hello All, I like the idea of doing work placements from the local college. I have to agree with Geoff about "chancers" we had an incident a few years ago with someone who tried to get his brother a job! I don't want to get into details but if you can speak English or read a service manual then you are not getting a job :-) Graham’s point about timekeeping, presentation & communication skills is one I totally agree with, if you don’t have them then you will find it difficult in our type of work.

Darth Welder 

These days it is a case of "No job without experience and no experience without a job".So the only way to get experience and enhance your CV is to work for free.
Many people are having to do this in all foelds of work and it is now spreading to our world.
You have to ballance the work you get from an intern with the effort you have to put in at the beginning. It is better to make it more formal and get them to commit to work for a certain amount of time, but if they do go off you only have their conscience to put pressure on them to stay - no wages to hold back.
Robert