This is a rather long read but I'd like to think (or hope) it's going to help potential readers out there, or at least interest my blog visitors! So if you're kindly taking the time to read this lengthy post then make yourself a nice drink and get comfortable!
Personal Advice For School Leavers
So you've finished school and not just for the summer; literally forever and there's no going back. You may or may not be experiencing a mixture of emotions during this period of time. Some people have already figured out what they want to do before they have taken their exams!
There are many options available for what to do education wise when you have left school:
- Sixth Form College's- there are individual campuses and those that are actually part of many mainstream secondary schools - you may prefer to continue school/enrol to a Sixth Form college and endure the uniform and A-Levels. A-Levels are separate subjects you study for approximately 2 years. Many of the subjects studied are generic academic topics such as English and Mathematics but you may prefer to take a more creative route such as Music or Art studies All A-Levels are individual SINGLE subject; that means you will be required to study hard for a variety of unrelated topics in order to pass the FINAL exams during the end of the academic year.
- Regular Campuses - College's that offer BTEC subjects as well as A-Level courses. Business and Technology Education Council courses are where you study one specific subject; completing lots of coursework and often practical work to attain a final grade. The levels vary and are often the equivalent to academic exam grades such as GCSE'S and A-Levels. Some courses result in an National Vocation Qualification which are work based courses. For example, if you want to become a hairdresser, you'll gain an NVQ grade to prove you have the necessary skills to work in that sector of jobs. I'm no educational services expert but there's so much options available, whether you're elderly or young! To find out more, check out your LOCAL college's official website or ring their student services if you can get hold of their number!
PROS:
MOST college's DO NOT require a uniform!
It is common for some college's to have relaxed timetables - meaning you'll get a day off or hardly any lessons at all. However, don't assume this will be the case if you join college as in my experience, the first year is usually the hardest. Due to needing time for revision, the timetable may be less "full" during your final year. I did a BTEC course and during my final year I was only in two or three days a week - however that compensates for the fact I needed lots of free time to complete my practical work then go home to write long assignments!
You'll meet new (and old) people. If the college you're attending is located near to your Secondary School, it is highly likely you'll enroll with some familiar faces. You may even bump into people you went to Primary School with! Obviously, you won't know everyone and that may benefit in terms of beginnings of new friendships!
Your knowledge will increase if you pay close attention to a topic you've chose to study.
Hard work can be very rewarding.
Career prospects are greatly increased with A-Levels/Final Grades added to your Curriculum Vitae (CV).
Provided you pass your exams or complete your course, you're guaranteed enough UCAS points which essentially means a place in a University. If you want to know about UCAS points click here.
Lastly, the MEMORIES. Good and bad, you will experience some life changes during your time at college! These will help shape you into the person to grow up to be!
CONS
Sixth Formers will probably be expected to attend Monday-Friday. Some courses that are NOT A-level subjects don't require full time attendance but is still a full time course as you're expected to make use of the time you're not in a classroom.
If you choose to attend a sixth form that's part of your own secondary school, you may have to continue wearing uniform and see the same faces - this can be a good or bad thing, particularly when it comes to teachers. Sometimes a fresh start does the brain good but it would make sense to stay if your close school friends have chosen the same fate and you're happy with the topics the teachers cover.
It's fairly common to experience large gaps in between lessons. An awkward schedule is to be expected on a college timetable; mainly because the teachers have other classes to consider as well as yours. It's not always convenient. For example, you may not live close enough to go home for a few hours or perhaps there's no local towns near enough to go grab some lunch. However, you MUST use your spare time productively and make sure you get at least ONE hours study a day. This is TWO (or more depending if you wish to take on another course) years of your life you wont get back(and if you mess up, it wont be easy to get back into) so make the most of it!
College funding is a bit of a pain. Back when I attended college I was able to claim "Education Maintenance Allowance" however this was abolished by the time I'd left. You ARE entitled to travel funding and if you're coming from a low income household (under £25.000 a year) you may be rightfully entitled to make a claim to make ends meet whilst you're studying. Many college's employ student finance staff to help you with any enquiries you may have, so don't be afraid to ask for help! I personally needed my money due to the fact I came from a single parent family on a relatively low wage. Without the support, I couldn't have afforded to attend.
It's legal to get a part time job whilst you're attending college. Since getting financial support is becoming more challenging, you may choose to look for work to afford to eat, travel and actually have a life asides revising. Some people also want to learn how to drive and fund for a car around the average "college" age range. Personally, I DO NOT advise you do this for several reasons. I completed retail work trials whilst I was at college but I'm thankful I didn't get any permanent paid work. Many jobs a college student is qualified to get require working shifts and long ones at that. Yes, I understand it's money but I firmly believe if you're going to commit to a full time course then you need to sacrifice some of your spare time in order to be fully committed to your studies. That's NOT to say your grades will slip if you get a job - some jobs are willing to be kinder to students and consider lower hours than an employee who isn't in education. I will warn you though, it's hard enough to get a job as it is and the same goes for finding friendly and understanding employers! Plus, you want to avoid failing your course and struggling to find work afterwards due to lack of time being spent preparing for your exams!
I had some great and unfortunately some memories I'd rather forget at college but the good memories DEFINITELY outweighed the bad by far! College changed me for the better and I truly began to find myself and discovered what I was and wasn't good at. I remember the banter and the instant gratification from receiving the top grade for my course - most importantly, I have qualifications! Whilst employers these days tend to look for experience, it's hard to gain work experience without an education of some sort. There's courses that accommodate for everyone.
What if you're not keen on the idea of full time education?
Education isn't for everyone. This doesn't mean that those who would rather earn money don't have any brains! You may discover many of your older family members worked straight from school whether they got good GCSE's or not. Years ago it was a lot easier to walk in and out of a job. Once you're employed, it becomes easier to secure a job elsewhere due to having an efficient amount of experience on your CV - that still stands for this decade but not for everyone as I've realised it's about who you know and a matter of good luck!
Maybe you want some higher level qualifications, but don't fancy the idea of of sitting at a desk in a classroom for most of the week? This is where Apprenticeships come in.
The Apprenticeship scheme was invented to help young people secure employment whilst gaining qualifications in the subject you're working in. It's for those aged 16-24 and involves working 4 out of 5 days a week whilst the other day is spent in college. Sometimes, many employers who have been government funded choose to train you solely on the job. They last for approximately 18 months.
PROS:
- There's a wide range of jobs out there that are willing to take on an employee as an apprenticeship, including hairdressing and engineering.
- You won't have to worry about lack of practical working experience, should you choose to move on from a company you're working for.
- It is a paid full time position which may suit many people.
- You'll get experience in something you personally want to do and gain a qualification in it!
- Meeting new people, developing working professional relationships and learning new skills everyday.
- If you want to leave your apprenticeship, you won't/shouldn't be charged
CONS:
- An average apprenticeship salary is very low. £2.65 (2014) an hour for 35-40 hours a week may not be beneficial to those who are over 21 (in particular) and are legally entitled to around £6.50 an hour.
- It's rare to find a part time apprenticeship - £2.65 an hour wouldn't be so bad if the hours weren't so long.
- Depending on the Employer, there's no guarantee you'll be secured a permanent position once you complete your training. Financially, companies are in difficult times and may not be able to afford to pay you minimum wage rate.
- Tax pay will be taken out of your already low wages.
If you want to discover more about apprenticeships click the link here.
I hope this post will help at least one person and may I take the time to say good luck to those who are pursuing new and exciting endeavors in their life!
Shez! :D
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