Work experience

Work experience

As a Trust, offering work experience opportunities is integral to helping inspire people and support pathways into healthcare careers. This also supports the Trusts plans for becoming an Anchor Institution. We want to provide enriched, meaningful placements that can help broach experiences of various roles within healthcare settings and provide great insight into a day in a life for these professions. 

What is work experience?

South London and Maudsley NHS Trust supports local young people who are the age of 16-18 and are interested in pursuing and working for the NHS, by offering a five day work experience placement in either a clinical or non-clinical work environment.

As a work experience student with us, you’ll gain invaluable hands-on experience in the NHS, especially in a mental health setting. You’ll learn about the work environment, job duties and essential skills for success. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to work on a project. We’ll also help you with job applications and CV writing to support your future job search.

Work experience is a great way to get ready for your future careers.  You’ll gain insight into what the job is really like, understand the demands of the career and find out if it is the right fit for you. It is also an opportunity to develop and demonstrate the values, attitudes and behaviours necessary to work in the NHS.

The Trust’s primary aim is to support applicants from local schools who meet the participation criteria. This includes students of which meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • Lives in one of the communities we serve and include Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham and Croydon (criteria must be met)
  • Current secondary school student, with priority to those not attending a private school (criteria must be met)
  • Receive free schools meals 
  • Students from lower income families 
  • Students from ethnic minorities 

We want our Trust to reflect the diversity of the population it serves, so we are looking for team players of all genders and backgrounds who are  eager to make a difference, who share our passion for helping people and are committed to striving for the highest standards of patient care. We actively encourage and welcome applications from Black, Asian and other underrepresented ethnically and culturally diverse groups.

​​​​​​​Careers untapped

Multiple NHS Trusts have created podcasts which explores some of the jobs you can do in the NHS that most people will never have heard of. The NHS is one of the largest employers in the world and there's a huge variety of jobs that you can do, with something to suit all interests and personalities https://nhs-careers-untapped.castos.com/?page=1