Went with my daughter to her school's career fair for classes 11 and 12. Fourteen stalls, all private universities, each with a brochure, a scholarship test and a lucky draw. Not one session on what people actually do at work. I'm a vice principal at another school and understand why these get hosted. I'd still like to know if any school here runs something more useful, and what it looks like.
ours had stalls in class 8. class 8. son came home with three pens and a keychain
Class 8 seems early for this. Our son's school held one for class 9 last year, and what stayed with him was a short talk by a paramedic, not the stalls. I'd rather they waited and did it properly.
My daughter's school did one evening with alumni instead: five former students, ten minutes each on what an ordinary week in their job looks like, then questions. She remembered more from the one in logistics than from any brochure. It costs the school almost nothing, so it's a fair thing to suggest.
From the school side, the stalls pay for the event, and the universities expect student contact details in return. That's the trade. We tried mixing the two, stalls in the hall and alumni talks in classrooms, and attendance at the talks was poor unless they were in timetable hours. If your school will give up two periods, the alumni format works.
The contact details are what I'd ask about. Two of those universities started calling us within a week of ours, and our daughter wasn't even in class 11. Worth checking what your school shared, and whether parents can opt out next time.
Keep going
More from the parents who were here.