LC Exchange Guide+School Toolkit - Flipbook - Page 13
The following are suggestions to help students find a starting point:
Friends
Students should use friends, or family friends, as a starting point. It might be a reciprocal
experience where the Irish student does work experience abroad and the exchange student
does work experience in Ireland, or the friends abroad might be willing to host the Irish
student and help them find work experience.
Family
Family members are also a great starting point. If the family speaks the student’s mother
tongue rather than the TL, it will not be as beneficial, however the student will still be
immersed in the TL in the workplace, and it is still an achievement to do work experience
abroad.
Contacts
Students should use the contacts they have made through the school exchange. Their
exchange partner might be willing to do a work experience exchange, or even host the
student and help them find work experience. Some parents may have contacts abroad
through their work, it is always worth exploring all possibilities.
Second homes
Some students might be fortunate enough to have a second home abroad, and although
they might not speak the Target Language when they are there with their family, work
experience would provide the opportunity to immerse themselves into both the language
and the workplace.
MEPs
A teacher in the survey noted that two students from Sligo did work experience in Brussels
which was organised by their MEP Marian Harkin. Ireland has thirteen MEPs, their contact
details are here http://www.europarl.europa.eu/ireland/en/your-meps
Own initiative
Teachers in our survey stated that they had students who had taken their own initiative.
Students from Wexford worked in Eurodisney, Paris, they applied for the jobs online.
Students from Lucan arranged to travel and to work in France themselves.
Eurodesk should be recommended to students. Eurodesk is a European Commission
information network aimed at young people and youth organisations. National and regional
coordinators share information to help young people learn about mobility opportunities in
Europe including studying, working and volunteering abroad. For further information see:
http://www.eurodesk.ie
Students could contact the relevant Chamber of Commerce in Ireland, or the relevant
Enterprise Ireland office abroad, for a list of companies abroad with Irish connections.
• Germany: https://www.german-irish.ie/en/
• Austria: https://www.advantageaustria.org/ie/Startseite.en.html
• France: http://www.franceireland.ie
• Spain: http://www.isea.ie
• Italy: https://www.facebook.com/italchamindIE
• Japan: https://ija.ie
• Arab‑Irish Chamber of Commerce http://www.aicc.ie
• Enterprise Ireland: https://www.enterprise-ireland.com/en/Export-Assistance/
International-Office-Network-Services-and-Contacts/
How-to Manual for School Exchanges
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