Learn Dutch: Ik wilde daar voor de ervaring werken. - I wanted to work there for the experience.

Yes, wilde is the simple past tense of willen for singular subjects (ik, jij, hij/zij/het). You will also frequently hear Dutch people say wou in casual speech, but wilde is the standard, safer choice for both writing and speaking.

Why is werken placed at the very end of the sentence?

Because this sentence uses a modal verb (wilde). When you use a modal verb in a normal main clause, it takes the standard second position, and the main action verb (here, werken) gets pushed all the way to the end in its full dictionary form.

Could I use er instead of daar in this sentence?

Yes, you could perfectly say Ik wilde er voor de ervaring werken. Using daar instead of er simply adds emphasis, pointing out that you wanted to work in that specific place rather than just somewhere generally.

Does voor translate exactly to "for" in voor de ervaring?

Yes! While prepositions in Dutch can often be unpredictable, in this sentence voor matches the English "for" perfectly to express a reason or purpose: voor de ervaring (for the experience).