Help! DD hates A levels, are apprenticeships an option? Or what else?

[TabbyStar]

DD is in year 12 at sixth form, and although she did well at GCSEs, she isn't very "academic" and feels her A levels (social sciences / humanities) are pointless, she's struggling with essays, and getting quite distressed. She had similar issues with revision for GCSEs and I tend to agree with her that just battling through isn't good for her mental health at the moment.

She has had a customer-facing job for a year, and really enjoys it and gets on well there, so she really just wants to work, we've looked into the possibility of an apprenticeship, but there seems to have been bad press about some of them, so I'm not sure whether these would benefit her any more than just getting a job and perhaps spending some time volunteering. She does have some employment options.

We've considered going to college to do a BTEC next year, though she's not keen to drop down a year or to do more classroom based learning. Other possibility is just to do an access to HE course at some point in the future if she does need a qualification to go to uni. If she went to uni she'd do something vocational.

Anyone else been in this situation? Or have any suggestions about what we could consider? We're going to make some phone calls next week but it's a bit bewildering! TIA.

Some great suggestions here, thanks.

I'll check out about funding if she wanted to restart A levels - that hadn't occurred to me as I've known people repeat a year, but that's been after year 13. I'll check out about AS levels too - I thought they'd gone.

We have looked at possible uni courses online but contacting them directly is also a good idea.

She already has two jobs and she can up the hours on both so no issue about working / earning in the short term - these are really the reason I'm perhaps more relaxed about her leaving education for the moment as I know she gets on well with these. Once she's learned to drive she can also get work at a weddings / conferences venue, where an apprenticeship may also be possible - the issue about crap apprenticeships available post-GCSE worries me a bit, but if she's no issue getting work without them maybe this is a red herring.

I have been in a similar position. Our son struggled with his A levels - he found his chosen humanities courses dull but he did keep attending. He gradually found a way forward at the start of year 13 (when he had matured).To be honest my view would be that not attending her A levels is not acceptable and she needs to finish year 12 (whilst she plans rather than jumps into her next move). I think her options will be working full time or finding a different full time college course. I do not think you will find an appropriate apprenticeship at this stage. Your daughter has two years remaining of free education. Once she turns 19 she will have to pay/get a student loan for anything further study e.g Access. As suggested by a pp she needs to have a realistic look at her options.

When is her birthday? It may be possible tp have an extra year of funding and go down a Btec route ?

There's no follow up - especially not in the area that I am in. I run a project that works with (as well as others) young people who are NEET or in danger of becoming so. What area are you in OP? There should be some help out there for her.

Oh and my DH dropped out at the same time as your daughter - he took an apprenticeship and is now 35 and earning a very good wage. He earns slightly more than me and I did the whole HE thing. He now takes on the apprentices himself. As long as she is prepared to work and knows she had to it doesn't have to be a disaster

Her birthday is next month, I think if she leaves A levels, going back to anything classroom-based in the next year or so is probably unlikely, but we need to know what the options are before making a final decision; if we had to pay for an access course at some point in the future it wouldn't be a disaster, though obviously I could think of other things to do with the money!

We have projects for NEET young people around us, we might see what they have to offer, but she will be working and I think she knows what she'd do in the short term, it's more a question of longer term progression, but I'd hope that with some life experience she'll be clearer what she really wants to do.

It's good to hear about people who've succeeded in other ways than the traditional A levels / uni that perhaps most people expect of her.

Greyhound my DB messed up his A levels (does one E count as a pass?!) but worked his way up and has earned double the salary that I ever have with my Master's! He's like DD, bright and hard working, but just not interested in the academic side of things.

It has to be said that missing lessons and failing to attempt to engage doesn't tally with her being determined and hard working.

Go to the National apprenticeship service website, and see if there are any apprenticeships she's interested in.

And when dds school let her stay on for an extra year with revised subjects, they only did because she'd been so diligent and her attendance was excellent. So that may not be an option for your dd. Perhaps working for 18 months might sort her head out.

She's determined and hard working in her jobs Trewser, she's just more practical than theoretical. She's been doing some 12 hour days over Christmas, with one job during the day and another in the evening. I've seen her at work, she's organised, calm when things are rushed, popular with customers, and has been given more responsibility than the others of her age. At college she's struggled with essays and then been too scared to go to lessons, though it's also not helped that she often seems to have lessons cancelled and it's a nearly two-hour round trip so going in for what's going to be an hour seems a waste of time. We've tried to deal with it through student support but it's not really making much difference. Why would any of us carry on doing something we felt was pointless and made us unhappy when there are better alternatives?

A two hour round trip sounds mad.

Working in a cafe when you are 35 isn't as much fun.

Sorry, I'm only going on because she's clever and must be academic if she got all 7s 8s and 9s at gcse. It seems like a terrible waste. I dont believe apprenticeships at 16+ level are in any way better than a post 16 academic qualification and then uni or post a level apprenticeship.

Perhaps working for 18 months might sort her head out.

Tbh I think her head is sorted out, she's tried what others expected of her and it's not for her, and now she's suggesting an alternative, I just want to be aware of the various things we need to consider, and this thread has given me some really useful information.

Ha ha. Yes that's what everyone else says about the GCSEs, she's tried to fit into that box though and she hates it. She probably won't be working in a cafe when she's 35 (unless she owns it, I have my own business and I think she's quite open to that as a possibility) - you just don't need a degree for everything - and if she does find she needs a degree she can get one rather than doing the wrong thing out of others expectations.

Two-hour round trip is fairly normal here for college, town into the nearest city including a bit of a walk both ends.

www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/event-assistant/

You can search for any apprenticeship standards on here

www.gov.uk/guidance/search-for-apprenticeship-standards

Sorry I misread and thought you meant 2 hours each way.

I don't know many teens who work their way up to a good salary without at least A levels. The 16+apprenticeships near us look dire. The 18+ ones are far better but you need As.

Actually I do know one boy who left at 16 and went into the family business which was then sold for a lot of money 4 years later and now he's a millionaire

The demands of A level study can be a shock to even the brightest GCSE students. Also the move to college from school can bring problems - more independence, study periods, more opportunities to miss classes. A friends daughter gave up her A levels at Christmas in year 12 to work in a cafe - 3 years later she is still working in the cafe and her school friends are in Uni. It is important to see both sides of the situation because giving up her A levels (even when you are all dissatisfied with her college) is a big step.

Hays Travel run some hood apprenticeship schemes. Not event management, but I know they used to take people with just GCSEs.

Do you mean you will end up employing her? When you say she's open to the possibility?

Honestly I think you are both making a massive mistake. Doing a degree as a mature student is hard. You have to be even more self motivated to succeed.

I think a good apprenticeship is worth it's wait in gold. I know it a very low pay (but should be looked on as a course with experience rather than a job as such) Out of my bunch two have done apprenticeships, one is 24 and just bought her first house and the other did an apprentiship in nursery and has then gone on to get a degree in childcare. So I have seen only good results from apprentiships. Yes they are hard slog for low pay but they do pay off and their are so many different varieties. Good luck I'd say if you could get an idea of where she wants to go and look from there

That's good to hear Life, I also bought my house before I finished my degree, though obviously in very different times! We might have some options around apprenticeships through her existing connections.

I'm fairly relaxed about how to progress as it's not necessarily normal amongst my friends and family to go to university either at all or via the traditional linear route, so we've got lots of role models.

If it were just about her education then finishing A levels may be the best option, but it's about balancing other factors such as her mental health and feelings of self-efficacy and confidence, and my ability to undertake the level of support she's currently needing.