This study of school-based work experience programs examines the placements, experience, and attitudes of participating pupils from two secondary schools, focusing on the influence of class and gender expectations. All fourth year pupils in Strathclyde Region (Scotland) were offered a week of work experience with an employer. The study examines the placement allocations of three samples of young people. The first sample contained 2,644 pupils, whose placements were analyzed by gender and category. The second sample contained 147 pupils from two schools, a high percentage of whom came from unwaged or low-earning families. The placements were analyzed and interviews were conducted with the teachers who acted as tutors and the employers who provided placements. The third sample contained 39 pupils randomly selected from the second sample, who were interviewed before and after going on placement. The study also reports on perceptions of gender roles, peer pressure, role of school staff, influence of parents, and fears and expectations about placement. Contains two notes and 26 references. (BT)