The thought of doing work experience scared me enough, but when my Dad said he could set me up with Warwick Emanuel PR who worked with his company, I felt very scared. I had no idea what public relations was or what kind of work they did. After doing some research I had a better idea but still not enough to settle my mind.
When I told my careers advisor in school, she was very impressed that I had found myself such a good placement and that I should not let the opportunity go to waste. After receiving the self placement form from my advisor, the next step was actually visiting the company to get it all signed and confirmed.
I was so nervous, I had no idea who these people were, if they took on work experience placements, and still no concrete idea what they actually did! Once I had got there, I met Elizabeth Warwick, one of the directors at WEPR. She was so friendly and welcoming which really settled my nerves. She gave me a tour of the building and introduced me to the staff (who were very friendly, but concentrating very hard). Elizabeth told me exactly what they do at WEPR, and what kind of work I was likely to be expected to do whilst on my work experience.
My nerves were quite calm after that, but I always had the thought in my mind, what if they don’t like me, or what if I mess up my work and hinder their business (I have a tendency to think the worst of a situation when I am scared).
Time had flown, and before I knew it, it was the Sunday before my work experience. The once forgotten nerves had returned with a vengeance. All I could think about was ‘what will I be doing, how will the staff react to me being there and will I have to make tea and coffee all day long?’
Waking up the next morning, I felt ready. I was determined to make a great first impression and to tackle every task given to me, no matter if it was making a whole gallon of coffee.
After walking very fast (due to my pet hate of being late for any occasion), I arrived 10 minutes early, walked through the front door and, heart in mouth, I rang the bell for attention.
I was greeted at the door with a big smile and a friendly welcome. I was given the safety induction, placed at an empty desk, and given the whole run down of PR. I was shown huge files of information on some of their clients and what work they have done for them.
My first day in the world of work was very overwhelming. I had written several press releases (though not very well as I had only discovered what a press release was that morning) and asked several times if I would like a cup of tea or coffee, which I gracefully declined (not being too fond of caffeine).
As the week continued, my experience of public relations went from the most basic of office tasks to helping with a casting for a film, and, truthfully even though inside I was like a cat stuck up a tree (i.e. petrified), I loved every single minute of it. Today is my last day at Warwick Emanuel PR & Film and I will really miss working here. At times the work was extreme but with such a positive environment around me, it felt like no matter what I did I would succeed! I would definitely recommend WEPR to anyone who wants an experience in public relations, and I wouldn’t change anything about my time here, it was amazing!

Work experience placement from Hawthorn High School Lauren Mclellan





