Work professionals, bring students on a job shadow!

Help students find their way

Summarizing the results of PISA 2018 in Estonia, it is safe to say that compared to the 2015 PISA survey, the share of students who do not have an idea of their possible future occupation has increased (from 15% to 21%). You could say "So what? There's time." In reality, ignorance creates insecurity in young people entering independent lives and gives birth to random choices based on a limited perception of the possibilities of the world of work.

In the process of job shadowing, young people learn a lot about themselves and what they find interesting. We help students reach their potential, make informed choices and reach for their dreams!

Become more aware of your choices

The job shadow prepares at least 10 questions about your work and specialty. Sample questions will be sent to you by email. By explaining your work activities, goals, and challenges to others, they can also become clearer for you or become aware in some new way.

There have also been situations during job shadowing where the student's questions make the employee or entrepreneur think in a new direction. Young people have fresh eyes and may notice something that goes unnoticed by those inside.

Make a real-life impact

It may be that we've already bored you with this talk, but the kids are really looking for their own way. They are trying to understand themselves in order to set their goals and pursue goals. And can you imagine it when the search for a young person brings him or her into your company or your field after school? Think about how cool that would be!

You could have a real-life impact and change the direction of someone's life for the better. Thanks to you, there could be a new future innovator in your field. Thanks to you, someone may start their career in your company. Feel free to pat yourself on the back as you leave sneaky hints to your boss – so much can come from one job shadow!

What does job shadowing look like?

Job shadowing is a one-on-one meeting with a student in grades 7-12, or a young person who may be taking a short break from school. Job shadowing can take place in two ways:

1. If the meeting takes place face-to-face, the student could be introduced to the whole working day (4-8h)." It is important that the student sees different aspects of work, e.g. the working environment, gets an idea of the pace of work, gets acquainted with colleagues, sees work tasks, etc. It can also be done, for example, as one of the makers in his field told us about his experience: "our job shadowing day began with a shadow on a yoga mat and ended when we went to pick up the children".

2. If the meeting takes place virtually, then it lasts 45 minutes. For the meeting, the student will prepare 10 questions that they will ask you during the interview.

The labour shadowing day initiative is led by Junior Achievement Estonia and the organising work is supported by the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund.

Some questions students are interested in:

1. What is your normal working day like?
2. What do you like/dislike most about your job?
3. What is the hardest part of your job?
4. What is the biggest challenge you have faced at your job so far?
5. What are the opportunities for development and promotion in this work?
6. Is there anything you could have learned more to be ready for the job?
7. What are the skills needed to do this job?
8. Is there anything about this job that most people don't know?
9. If you could choose again, would you choose the same occupation/field of work?
10. What kind of education is needed to work in this position /field? Which schools have you graduated from?
11. What schools/specialties would you recommend to be successful in your position/field?

Are you ready to take a job shadow? Let us know!