Work Experience FAQ's

Choosing a work experience week abroad can be an extremely rewarding experience, but we know it can be a scary prospect. To help put you at ease, we have answered some of the most frequently asked questions from previous students below.

If you still have a question then please ask one of our trip planners a question, they are always on hand to help you.

Students

Who can go?

Our work experience trips are open to 16-18 year olds studying a foreign language at AS/A2 level or similar. If you’re a teacher wanting to take a class of students, we can arrange a tailor made trip for your group organising transport, accommodation and work placements for each of your students.

Can I go on my own?

Every year we have many students who travel on their own and they soon make new friends. Before you travel you will be able to contact other students on your trip via an event on our Facebook page so you can get to know each other before you go. Our group leaders are also trained in getting students to integrate and mix. On the Sunday when the group arrive, they organise an activity as an ice- breaker, so students can begin to meet each other and get to know the group leaders.

Can I travel with my friends?

If you select the same trip as your friends then we will always endeavour to place you all in the same city. Please remember to tell us that you are travelling with friends when booking. We will give you a booking code once you have enrolled on a trip, which you can pass to your friends to ensure they are on the same trip.

How many other students will be going?

This varies considerably from one trip to another; as few as 9 or 10 to as many as 45 could be in the same city as you! They come from all over the country so you will have the opportunity to make lots of interesting new friends as well as to learn a lot about a different culture and improve your language skills.

Which city will I go to?

This does not get announced until 6-10 weeks before the trip is due to depart. Destinations have included Salamanca, Segovia (Spain), Ravenna (Italy), Lille, Rouen, Bordeaux, Tours (France by coach or air), Aachen, Köln, Koblenz (Germany by coach or air).

How do you decide where I will be going?

A number of factors are taken into consideration when we pick which city you will visit. Firstly how many students have booked and if there is availability in an appropriate hotel and restaurant for the week of the trip. Secondly for coach trips we need to plan a coach route which would be suitable for as many students as possible (usually going down either the M1 or M6 corridor). For air trips, availability of seats is also an important factor.

How much spending money will I need?

We suggest about £200, bearing in mind students have to buy their own lunch every day and evening meals on four nights. If students want to join in with all the activities and buy presents for their friends at home etc, maybe a bit more.

Placements

How do you decide where I will work?

All of our work placement allocations are based on your profile and the availability of placements. This means we are unable to tell students where they will be working until we have more details on them and their preferences.

All students are required to complete an application form and will be asked to select eight work categories (in order of preference) indicating the type of work experience they are interest in. Students will normally be given a placement from these eight choices (unless an application form is received too late for us to action them).

Students will also be asked to write a letter to their prospective employer in the language of the destination country. All of the information given on the application form and in the letter is taken into consideration when we choose your placement, as is the level of your language skills as outlined by your teacher on the booking form.

What sort of work will I be doing?

Examples of typical placements are shops, restaurants, cafés, hotels and kindergartens.

It is important to note that the main aim of the work experience trip is to improve students' linguistic abilities. When choosing their categories, students should take this into account and select categories where they feel that they will get the most language practice and experience.

Your placement will be selected by our expert team and we are sure you will enjoy your time no matter the placement.

View examples of possible placements

How many days will I work?

Students will normally spend 5 days* at their work placement.

*N.B due to Bank Holidays, Monday closure or other constraints some students may work less than five days. In these instances additional opportunities for recreation, discovering the local area etc. are usually provided.

Do students work together?

We try not to put students in the same work placement, as it encourages them to speak English, or for 1 student to rely on the other. If the placement is big enough to distance the students, it is sometimes possible.

How far are the placements from the hotel?

They are normally a 10 – 15 minute walk, occasionally there may be one or two which require public transport to get there, but this is always detailed in advance to the student. Placements which are a little bit further out only tend to be specialised ones, e.g. horse riding school, airport etc.

Booking & Payments

When is the deadline?

The final deadline for booking is:

End of November for trips running in February and at Easter
End of March for trips running in July
End of May for trips running in October

The deadlines are negotiable; late applications may sometimes be accepted so it is worth checking availability with the Work Experience department, but book early to avoid disappointment. Please note late bookings may be subject to a surcharge.

Early Bird Discount
Bookings received before the below deadlines will qualify for a £30 Early Bird discount.

End of October for trips running in February and Easter of the following calendar year
End of February for trips running in July
End of March for trips running in October

What’s included in the trip?

View our Value & Affordability page to see what is included when you book with us.

How much is the deposit?

Deposits for coach trips are £75 and £175 for flight trips. Please note that all deposits are non-refundable. A booking is not secure until we have received the deposit.

When are balance payments due?

These should be returned to the office as soon as possible. Payment deadlines are approximately 12 weeks prior to departure. Exact deadlines can be found on all payment acknowledgement letters. Please note final newsletters cannot be released to students until they have paid the final balance for their trip.

When are application forms due?

These should be completed and submitted online with 2 paper copies returned to the office, with passport sized photos attached, as soon as possible. Application Forms are required ideally 10 weeks prior to departure. Please note final newsletters cannot be released to students until they have returned the paper copies of their application forms to the office.

Travel & Accommodation

Where will I stay?

Hotel/Youth Hostel: students are usually accommodated in hotels (2/3 star) in Spain and Italy, and 2 star hotels or youth hostels in France & Germany. Where we use Youth Hostel accommodation it is of a very high standard, normally with 2 - 4 students to a room.

Host Family: The Host Family option is only available in France at the moment and during October half term. It involves students staying with French families, in order to further immerse in the language and culture.

How will I travel?

Coach Option: Coach transportation to the various locations is normally provided via pick-ups at motorway services in England along the M1/M6/M4 corridors. Where groups of more than 10 are involved we may be able to offer school pick-ups.

Air Option: Normally flights will be from one of the London airports and students are responsible for making their own travel arrangements to the appropriate UK airport. Return transfers between the airport and resort are included in the package. Flight prices include taxes, 1 item of hold luggage and Air Passenger Duty. They will either depart Saturday or Sunday for 8 days dependant on flight schedules. Please note Halsbury Travel will notify you of which departure day once flights are booked.

Are meals provided?

The students are accommodated on a 3 nights half board and 4 nights bed and breakfast basis. Breakfast is provided everyday and evening meals are provided just on 3 evenings, either at the hotel or at a local restaurant (evening only). For students staying with a French host family they are accommodated on a half board basis for all 7 nights.

Can friends share rooms?

The rooming is organised on the way to the destination by the group leaders. They will have a list of the rooms available, i.e. number of twins, triples etc, and will let the students choose who they want to share with.

Can two students stay with the same host family?

Students on the host family trip can opt to share with somebody or be housed individually dependant on their preference. If they wish to, they can also tell us which friend they want to share with and we will endeavour to organise this for the students, subject to availability.

How do we find our host families?

We have been working with partner language schools and family stay organisations for many years now. All families used are visited and vetted prior to first use and most families have been hosting time and time again for many years with well known satisfaction ratings from past students. Families are regularly visited and vetted by our family stay coordinators. In line with best practice all students have 24 hour contact numbers with local family stay organiser supervisors and our staff.

Supervision

Who supervises the trip?

Halsbury send Adult Supervisors in the ratio of approximately 1-15 (usually language teachers or native speakers) to accompany the group and offer guidance & support where needed. The students' own teachers are not required to accompany the trip or take part in any way. Students apply directly to Halsbury and are the responsibility of Halsbury Staff.

What is the code of conduct deposit?

In order to assist and support Group Leaders we ask all students and parents/guardians to sign a Code of Conduct form and send a refundable damage/behaviour deposit of £50 to the office before departure. The cheque remains filed away in the office, and is not cashed. Providing the Code of Conduct has been adhered to, it is then returned to the students 4 weeks after the return of the trip.

Download our code of conduct here.

Health & Safety/Insurance

Are employers and hotels compliant with health and safety regulations?

All employers are visited by our staff and premises are inspected for Health & Safety and compliance with local insurance, fire and employment regulations.

What does the travel/medical insurance cover?

Fully comprehensive travel and medical insurance is included in the cost of the trip and covers participants for cancellation, property loss etc, subject to the policy limitations (a full copy of the policy wording is sent to all applicants upon booking or can be viewed here).

We recommend that students take an EHIC (European Health Insurance Card), which allows you to access state-provided healthcare in all European Economic Area (EEA) countries and Switzerland at a reduced cost or sometimes free of charge. It is free and you can apply online at www.ehic.org.uk.

Group Trips

Do we have to send an accompanying teacher?

No, we send accompanying Halsbury staff on the trip, but you can send a teacher in addition if you would prefer.

What type of accommodation is available?

This is dependant on the country, hotels in Italy and Spain, hotels or hostels in Germany, hotels, hostels or host families in France.

Are there any free teacher places?

We can incorporate teacher places into the trip price for the students as requested.

Does the school pay Halsbury directly or do the students?

Either way is possible, it depends on what procedure is easiest for the organising teacher. Invoices can be raised on request to schools accounts departments.

Can the school coordinate the payments and paperwork?

If you prefer we can send everything to you directly to hand out, or alternatively send you a copy of everything the students receive.

Can Halsbury deal with the students directly?

Yes. Part of this experience is to promote the independance of the student, therefore we encourage parents and teachers to allow the student to organise their own trip.