Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Graduating in the summer... what next?

54 replies

Cranmer · 19/03/2023 19:20

Just being nosey really!!

DD is about to graduate in the summer. At the moment she is seriously considering a gap year and has made no attempt to apply for jobs, post grad study etc.

What are other people's DC doing:
Graduate job
Non-graduate job
Masters/post graduate study
Gap year
Other???

OP posts:
aibutohavethisusername · 19/03/2023 21:43

Hoping to teach English in South Korea for a year.

OrangeBlossom28 · 19/03/2023 21:49

My DD has a School Direct PGCE place to teach Geography starting in September.

Boosterquery · 19/03/2023 22:18

DS is planning to move back home and get a job, but is not thinking in terms of graduate jobs for his first year after graduating.

Snozzlemaid · 19/03/2023 22:26

Dd is coming home and working for a year or so, where she's worked during the last couple of summers.
She's not entirely sure what she wants to do long term so will do that to earn some money and then maybe travel for a bit while she looks to see what is next for her.

MarchingFrogs · 19/03/2023 23:26

DD graduates from Birmingham this summer. She has applied for various fairly disparate things e.g I've just realised that I've got to do the video interview for the Prison Service by tomorrow evening, but I'm not sure I'm going to bother (she didn't) / X will have a spare room in her house in Norwich in September, I might just move there for the year and see if I can get a lifeguard job again for a while. Etc. She knows that she can always come back here for a bit, but I suspect that she wouldn't want to hang around for too long. I've long since given up trying to keep up with what she may or may not be doing and now just wait for her to do whatever it turns out to be.

We are quite convenient for commuting into London, though, which is what I did until DS2 (the youngest) was 9, so using us as a base for doing 'whatever' there is always a possibility.

JJ8765 · 19/03/2023 23:35

6 months temp work to save up to travel. DS was a covid fresher and few of his group seem ready to go into graduate jobs and frankly I don’t blame them as they only really had half the uni experience they expected. I’m relieved as it’s a cheaper plan than a Masters.

44and63 · 19/03/2023 23:36

Masters

Original poster
Cranmer · 20/03/2023 18:37

Some interesting next steps. Is your DC @aibutohavethisusername going out with a company to teach English in S. Korea?

It will be interesting to hear how your DD gets on with School Direct @OrangeBlossom28.

I agree, @JJ8765, very few of DD's friends are going into graduate jobs.

OP posts:
OrangeBlossom28 · 20/03/2023 19:18

@Cranmer The school is the high school she attended so they know her already. The whole interview process was conducted as if she was unknown to them. She also has a place at our local uni for the PGCE but wanted to know where her placements would be hence School Direct.

aibutohavethisusername · 20/03/2023 19:26

@Cranmer yeah she is going with a company and doing the TEFL course there before starting the teaching.

QuintanaRoo · 20/03/2023 19:27

Dd is off to CampAmerica. 🤷‍♀️

MarquessofPembroke · 20/03/2023 19:28

I'm amazed at all these graduates who have no ambition and just want to doss about!

Whentheygolow · 20/03/2023 19:34

Masters

aibutohavethisusername · 20/03/2023 19:57

MarquessofPembroke · 20/03/2023 19:28

I'm amazed at all these graduates who have no ambition and just want to doss about!

Maybe think about what these students have been through and why they may possibly need ‘down time’.

ffs

Snozzlemaid · 20/03/2023 20:19

I've not seen anyone comment they are going to 'doss around'
Just because they're not rushing straight to a graduate job doesn't mean they lack ambition.

Original poster
Cranmer · 20/03/2023 21:04

You are a long time working! Having time to travel, volunteer and expand your horizons is invaluable. I don't call this lacking ambition... although DD has no interest in chasing money - her peers have been taking about investment bank Spring weeks and corporate law internships since day 1 of her degree. She wants to work with people and make a difference. She has a volunteer position within our community which changes lives. I admire her for stepping up and doing this.

OP posts:
MarquessofPembroke · 20/03/2023 21:13

Maybe think about what these students have been through and why they may possibly need ‘down time’

3 years at university with long vacations.

Boosterquery · 20/03/2023 21:19

MarquessofPembroke · 20/03/2023 19:28

I'm amazed at all these graduates who have no ambition and just want to doss about!

Somewhat ironic to accuse other people of dossing about when you yourself can apparently find nothing better to do with your time than critique other people's life choices on Mumsnet!

aibutohavethisusername · 20/03/2023 21:20

MarquessofPembroke · 20/03/2023 21:13

Maybe think about what these students have been through and why they may possibly need ‘down time’

3 years at university with long vacations.

Being at Uni during Covid times hasn’t exactly been that great for them all.

Snozzlemaid · 20/03/2023 22:30

MarquessofPembroke · 20/03/2023 21:13

Maybe think about what these students have been through and why they may possibly need ‘down time’

3 years at university with long vacations.

Long holidays throughout which most work not 'dossing' around

MarquessofPembroke · 21/03/2023 09:00

Somewhat ironic to accuse other people of dossing about when you yourself can apparently find nothing better to do with your time than critique other people's life choices on Mumsnet!

Don't be daft.
It only takes a few minutes to browse on MN. I work and will expect DD to crack on with her career once she's finished uni. That's what she's going there for.

MatildaJayne · 21/03/2023 13:28

Ignoring the windup merchant, DS will try to get a TA or other school job after his teaching internship to make sure that doing a PGCE is the right decision for him. He'll only turn 21 after he graduates and had a shocking first year during strict lockdowns in the NW. He's never really managed to get a good social life going, he needed that first year of joining clubs and societies to find his tribe. He's worked hard at both his degree and trying to make friends and I think a year of growing up a bit will benefit him as a teacher.

Boosterquery · 21/03/2023 20:26

MatildaJayne · 21/03/2023 13:28

Ignoring the windup merchant, DS will try to get a TA or other school job after his teaching internship to make sure that doing a PGCE is the right decision for him. He'll only turn 21 after he graduates and had a shocking first year during strict lockdowns in the NW. He's never really managed to get a good social life going, he needed that first year of joining clubs and societies to find his tribe. He's worked hard at both his degree and trying to make friends and I think a year of growing up a bit will benefit him as a teacher.

Sounds like a very sensible plan. Good to get more experience of dealing with children in a classroom situation before it becomes his job to plan all the lessons. I can think of several people I know with successful teaching careers who first trained as teachers in their thirties, so there's no way I'd worry about taking one extra year before starting a PGCE.

Motheranddaughter · 21/03/2023 20:33

Mine is having a gap year and I am all for it
We will continue to pay her allowance which will allow her to stay on in Uni town
They will be working for a long time

MumofSpud · 21/03/2023 20:44

MatildaJayne · 21/03/2023 13:28

Ignoring the windup merchant, DS will try to get a TA or other school job after his teaching internship to make sure that doing a PGCE is the right decision for him. He'll only turn 21 after he graduates and had a shocking first year during strict lockdowns in the NW. He's never really managed to get a good social life going, he needed that first year of joining clubs and societies to find his tribe. He's worked hard at both his degree and trying to make friends and I think a year of growing up a bit will benefit him as a teacher.

Great idea!
You can really tell the teachers who did this!