Exam certificates

It might tell you people are telling the truth though. All those people who nudge their grades up one or two points. Still seems a bit unnecessary after 30+ years, but if it were the difference between getting a job o'r not, it's fine by me.

I'm in my 40s and in the 7 jobs I have had since finishing my A-Levels, I have never once had to show my certificates! I'd find it odd to be asked, although judging from these responses clearly it's very normal for lots of jobs. I think I might vaguely know where my GCSE certificates are, but not sure about the A-Levels.

I am so shocked that so many people have their certificates! Mine are long lost and I’m only 32. It might be because I’ve worked in jobs that have solely relies on my experience as my GCSEs and A Levels mean pretty much nothing compared to my actual work experience and what I’ve learned on the job but I am now thinking I should get replacements just in case.

I had to send mine from 1999 in for the first time ever last year to start an apprenticeship

I've just changed jobs and for the first time ever I've been asked to show all my certificates. I did my O levels in 1980! I can't find any of them, even my degree certificate. I think they might have been at my parents' house and got lost/thrown when they downsized. Anyway, work don't seem too bothered and just said to submit copies for my file if they turn up.

I left school in 1976, numerous house moves, god knows what happened to them! Never been asked to show them for any job I’ve held.

I am 50 and yes, I have my certificates and yes, I have been asked to show them recently (eg when I applied for an administrative job in a school). Needing to prove you have GCSE English & Maths is pretty standard in most desk jobs, I would have thought?

I’m 40 and recently needed to show degree equivalence. I had some Level 6 qualification certificates and my A level certificates. I couldn’t find my GCSE certificates but found a print out from the school confirming my grades, which was accepted.

It was tucked in my National Record of Achievement - they did bang on about keeping it! 😂

After 30 years working do you really think GCSEs taken at 16 are going to tell anyone anything interesting?
GCSE geography? Biology? Seriously?
your employment history will be far more telling.

I would argue that after 30 years, your GCSEs and a-levels are frankly not going to tell anyone anything compared to what you have done in those intervening 30 years.

I had to dig deep into my parents filing when I applied for a job at 54! I was quite pleased to find I'd done my English Lang O level early 😀

I was contacted by a school friend a few years ago asking if I could check my certificates and let her know the exam boards for our GCSE's (from the 90's). She had the same problem and had to pay to get new ones. I have kept mine safe for this very reason. The first thing we did with my sons was scan them all so we have soft copies as well.

When one company I was working for wanted to make people redundant they double checked everyone's qualifications by phoning up the universities they attended.

The joke was everyone they put in the first redundancy pool they found had told the truth about their background but those who they weren't going to were "hard to trace".

So first round they had to pay everyone off and give us a lot. Second round they didn't. I knew there was a second round as a colleague they didn't get rid off in the first round phoned to check he was getting a fair amount.

I have never been asked for mine (left school in 89, graduated in 94, so long time ago) and genuinely have no clue where they'd be. Possibly my parents' attic or worse, my attic (bat and mouse shit hell). I must be very naive, although I never had high status jobs before becoming self employed 20 years ago. I've asked a few friends if they had to produce theirs over the years and the consensus is "not been asked for 20 years, if at all". Clearly we've all been lucky as almost none of us could place them...

I will make sure my dds keep theirs super carefully!

I have all my certs from the 1980s onwards. I reordered them into a new folder recently, as I managed to lose a sparkly new DBS cert within 2 weeks of receiving it - now also found and filed. I have usually been asked for my degree certificates for jobs, but I have also been asked for maths and English GCSEs, even though I wouldn't have been allowed to do my degrees without them. I was most recently asked for maths & English GCSEs about 4 years ago, for a work-based qualification. (I'm now 52.)

I was surprised in my new job, (I'm a month in,) they didn't ask for any certificates - except my first aider at work one, which is voluntary anyway. There were a couple of people sacked from my last job for claiming qualifications they didn't have - IT, not teaching.

I have all my original certificates except one of my degree certificates as it was sent to a relatives address. Oddly I have a photocopy of it.

However when my university qualifications have ever needed to be checked, employers have checked with the university directly. This is because degree certificates are easy to forge.

No one has ever checked my Maths and/or English GCSEs due to my A levels than now my degrees.

No idea where they are and never needed them either. I (was) in management.

@imnotthatkindofmum 😁

That's ok. I knew from your first post that it wasn't a teaching role because of your surprise. It it had been teaching you'd be well used to dragging out your O level certificates from the early 1980s...😂

They are not BU.

They can ask for any proof of quals that they want.

Do you really want to pass up this job first the sake of £100?

I understand your role isn't teaching, btw.

But surely it's reasonable that employers want to check that the dentist/doctor/nurse/plumber or whatever actually HAS got some qualification or passed the training course they are claiming to have done?

I'd have thought whatever role you were applying for - if you have put down the exams/qualifications you have on your application form, then you expect to have to produce evidence of this, whatever job you are doing.

We had to show our degree certs from 75&85 when adopting. Not because you need a degree to adopt but to show we were being honest about our claims.

Nope never. I have to prove my professional qualification but it’s on a googleable public register, so I’ve never shown anyone paper proof of that either.