Work Experience.
Pen to Print is Barking & Dagenham’s Arts Council England (ACE), Library National Portfolio Organisation (NPO).
Established by the library service the Pen to Print programme has been working in Barking & Dagenham since 2014 funded by Barking & Dagenham and Arts Council England. Becoming an ACE National Portfolio Organisation in 2018, we have just commenced our second period of NPO funding 2023 to 2026. As part of the library offer in our Community Hubs, Pen to Print is an established network of free writer support.
Offering advice guidance and collaboration with authors of all backgrounds and experience our priorities are writers from communities currently underrepresented in the wider publishing industry. Having established a regional network of writers we now reach audiences both nationally and internationally. To support this ambition we offer a multi-faceted free programme of activities, events, classes and workshops.
We welcome everyone to connect and collaborate with Pen to Print, Barking & Dagenham and our partners.
Work Experience with Pen to Print
Pen to Print encourages everyone in developing a career in the publishing industry and offers you the chance to learn how with us. One of the ways we can support is offering people who study in Barking & Dagenham work experience placements. These are often organised through your school, college or university.
Unfortunately, due to Barking & Dagenham policies we are unable to offer Work Experience placements for those who study outside of the borough.
If you are looking for a placement with Pen to Print to discover how the team support people into careers in the publishing industry we would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or would like to arrange a placement please contact us by emailing: pentoprint@lbbd.gov.uk .
Read the experiences of our past Work Experience students
My name is Syeda and I am a student currently studying for my A-Levels at sixth form. After finishing sixth form, I have hopes of doing an English Literature degree at university. Therefore, I wanted to gain work experience in an English-related field so that I can gain an insight into what kind of career options will be available to me after finishing my degree. After speaking with my English teacher, she advised that I should have a look at Pen to Print, as they organising the trip to Trewern for the Hay Literary Festival that I will be going on. Even though they are based in the Dagenham Library, which is my local library, I had not heard of Pen to Print, other than the fact that they are organising this trip. So I had a look at their website and I was interested to find out about what they have to offer to the public, including the various different competitions available for everyone to enter.
After doing my research, I was very eager to contact Pen to Print. I contacted Lena asking whether they would be able to facilitate a week’s worth of work experience for me to complete. I was happy to hear this arrangement would be able to take place and that I would be able to spend time at Pen to Print. We arranged a time to meet before I started my work experience so that I could get to learn a little bit more about the programme.
During my meeting with Lena and Lisa, I told them more about myself and my future plans and explained to them what I hoped to learn during my time at Pen to Print. They told me about what the Pen to Print aims are. I thought it was amazing as they offer support to people wanting to get into creative writing who otherwise would not have had the chance. What I found particularly interesting was the work that goes into facilitating The Book Challenge. People can have the chance to actually get their book published, after having a year’s worth of mentoring with a published author. If their story is selected as one of the top 10 in the competition. I also mentioned that I would be attending the trip to Trewern for the Hay Literary Festival, which is why I was so eager to gain a placement at Pen to Print. I thought it would be good to gain an insight as to how this programme works before going on this trip. Before I left, I was given a copy of this month’s issue of the Write On! Magazine and a couple of books, including Sweethearts of Ilford Lane, for me to read which I thought was really nice of them! After this meeting, I was even more excited to start my work experience.
On my first day of work experience at Pen to Print, Lisa gave me a health and safety tour of the library. As well as this, during this tour, Lisa informed me of the Dewey system used to classify books within libraries – something that I did not know about before. My first task of the day was to learn how to use Canva, software that is used to create all sorts of things, including social media posts, posters and logo designs. While I thought the software was pretty cool, I quickly realised that designing posters and other pieces was not my forte, but I was glad to have learnt about Canva, as it is something that I will be able to use in the future. Another task that I completed was sorting out and putting stickers on books that needed to be added to the collection of books at the library. During this task, I was able to have a look at more of the books that won The Book Challenge, which I thought was quite cool.
On Tuesday, I was given the chance to be a part of their weekly team meetings where I was given an insight as to how they run through their agendas and how the team is in contact with everyone to give feedback on the events of the week. I also learnt about how they organise events and the work that goes on behind the scenes to facilitate these events. From this meeting, I was also given another task. I was asked to complete research to find sources of support (including contact details) to put on the Pen to Print website as a port of call for people who may be triggered by any of the pieces published by Pen to Print, including on their website and in their magazines. I thought this was quite beneficial for me as I learnt more about the support systems available for the people who need them.
During the week, I also helped with the preparation for the relaunch of the Dagenham Children’s Library. I laminated the posters that Esther had designed so that we were able to put them up around the library. I also cut out templates of leaves that will be used by the children to write stories on during the event with the leaves then being used as part of a display.
On Thursday, I attended one of the Hear My Voice creative writing workshops facilitated by Pen to Print and run by Farzana Hakim, the author of Sweethearts of Ilford Lane – a book that I read and left a review on after I was gifted a copy. Overall, I really enjoyed the workshop since it was thought-provoking and interesting. I had not done a creative writing task like this since my early years of secondary school, so it was nice to spend time simply writing a piece using the prompts provided. I also loved how everyone attending the workshop was so supportive of each other, which gave me the confidence to read out my own piece (which I was not initially intended to do).
I was also given an insight into how the Write On! Magazines are produced and the work that is done by volunteers to ensure that each issue keeps up with the current affairs. I found that the inclusion of pieces that have been submitted by the public was a good concept as it shows that Pen to Print is celebrating the work of local people. Overall, I was surprised at how professional the magazine looked and it is something that I would like to volunteer to help produce in the future.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my work experience, and I would like to thank the whole team at Pen to Print for welcoming me and for making my time with them enjoyable! I will definitely be looking out for more of the workshops that they offer as well as the results of the various different competitions that they run. And who knows, maybe I will enter more of their competitions in the future!
This wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been with Lisa and Lena; we travelled to Trewern for Hay Festival in 2022. This year, a friend who I had also travelled with suggested that I consult them for Work Experience and managed to get me into contact so that we could discuss the idea further.
And now, here I am!
I’ve been working in their office and doing most of the grunt work they haven’t been wanting to do (of course, I’m just kidding). It’s been a really great experience, and I’ve learnt quite a lot in my time with Pen To Print. I’ve even been offered an opportunity to submit some of my writing to them, which I’ll definitely be considering! It should help in building a portfolio for myself so that I can find a job in the writing industry that much easier.
If I’m being honest, this experience wasn’t what I was expecting. But the industry is such a mystery to me that I can’t say I had solid expectations at all. Regardless, I’m quite pleased that I had this time to demystify the career path I’m wanting and open my eyes to new options that I hadn’t considered before.
On the more practical side of things, I think I’ve learnt how to operate things and work in an office environment, so I can see this new wisdom coming in handy. As it turns out, I can really persevere and work hard on whatever I put my mind to, even going beyond what’s asked of me (AND I’m a professional bookcase organiser! How many people do you know who can claim that much?). My perseverance isn’t limited to just my passions, all I need to do is put in a little extra care.
Less practically, I’ve taught myself how to organise more efficiently and find methods of work that suit me best. I see now that I can quickly adapt to the situations and tasks I face, it’s only through working with Lisa, Lena and Habib that I’ve discovered this flexible part of myself.
I really do mean it when I say that I found Work Experience with Pen to Print incredibly valuable; not a moment of my time was wasted here, I partly wish that I could continue working with them (though, that might also be because it’s been a great week away from school, but don’t let my teachers know).
If you’re a young person like me, and you don’t see the value in Work Experience if you’re not being paid for it, then trust me when I say that the experience and wisdom you attain
is payment enough! I know for sure that I’ll take everything I’ve learnt here and put it into good use for my future. I can’t thank Pen to Print enough for giving me this opportunity.
Joshua
P.S. Lisa caught me working on some of my artwork between tasks, so I’ve been forced, against my will, to put up an example. Please send help!
Hi, my name is Amira. I’m in Year 10 and have just completed a week’s worth of work experience at Pen to Print. I discovered Pen to Print through some posters about their competitions in school. After entering their Speech and Drama Festival with a monologue, I realised I wanted to know more about them and decided to contact them for work experience.
Throughout my week of working with Pen to Print, I’ve done a range of tasks, from filing magazines to responding to customer queries. My favourite tasks, however, were when I had to use a website for designing to create various things.
Ironically, I found the most challenging task was to update an information page for the Dagenham Library. This centered around transport and required me to do research on topics I’ve never had to think about before. I decided to break everything down and focus on each individual piece of information needed rather than try to find all of it at once.
Though it was only for a short while, my time at Pen to Print has inspired me to start writing in multiple ways by showing me the success of others, the different types of writing and educating me on all the things required to write professionally. I loved learning about everything that happens behind the scenes.
I can’t say I knew what I was expecting, but if I did, my expectations would have been exceeded. The Pen to Print team never failed to make me feel welcome, and were so kind, caring and supportive. I wouldn’t have chosen a different place to do my work experience at!
This week, I learned many new skills, such as laminating posters, creating a yearly calendar, and designing business cards, calendars and posters. My work experience was very enjoyable and interesting because I got to try things I had never done before. Every day, I learned something new, which made the week exciting.
One of the most unexpected and valuable experiences was visiting a workshop titled Hear My Voice for women writers. During this workshop everyone had the opportunity to share their story. It was an online and in-person (hybrid) workshop, which showed me how well organised the Pen to Print team is. Taking part helped me understand how Pen to Print works and what its main goals are. Even though there weren’t many people there, the workshop was very interesting. I could see why people enjoy coming back to Pen to Print, and it was great to learn more about it.
I worked a lot on the computer, which was actually my favourite part of the job. I became more comfortable using different programs and platforms, which helped me complete my tasks better.
One of the most enjoyable tasks was designing business cards. It was fun to be creative and learn new design skills. I really like to draw and create, so this task was great for me.
Another enjoyable part of my experience was working with the Pen to Print team. Everyone was friendly, supportive, and always ready to help. They made me feel welcome and made my experience even better.
Overall, my work experience was very valuable. I learned new skills, gained confidence, and got to see how a real workplace operates. This week has motivated me to continue learning and improving.