How many GCSEs did your home educated children do?

[Bluemoon49]

Took DD out of school when she was 12, she did 5 gcses in English lang/lit, humanities, science and maths. She is now 19 and doing A levels but now feels that she should have done more gcses and a wider range of subjects as most kids have 10/11 subjects at gcse. She is worried it will disadvantage her when she applies for jobs, especially with the science; it was only a single award combined, not focusing on any one of the three in detail. Also she's got no history, geography or languages, which a lot of kids have.

Just wondered how many gcses other home educated children did, and in what subjects? Should we be worried about her being disadvantaged when it comes to competing against other people for jobs?

Hmmm that's tricky. Sorry I'm a secondary teacher not a home educator, so have no personal experience. So she's not applying to uni? I think it depends on the job really. What type of career is she looking for? Could she do an evening course or something for a language perhaps? A-levels are much more important in my view, but I guess prospective employers may be a bit confused/concerned when the GCSE list is so short. I think if the particular application form doesn't have a space to include the fact that she was home educated then she should address that in her covering letter. If someone was just skim reading applications they might see the short list and wrongly assume she failed the other 5 or was withdrawn because she would have failed if she had entered. Those are just my 3am tired thoughts!

After A'levels I never put GCSEs on my CV. So I don't think she will be at all disadvantaged.

With mine we will be doing what he needs to get into the next stage of education. Plus looking to pad out cv with stuff that demonstrates other skills practical/social.

We have easy access to gcses in our area compared to many and help with funding. 5-8 is the norm of those who go down that route from the people I know.

So long as she gets her a levels I don't think the GCSEs matter much on a cv.

How did she do Humanities then if she's got no Geography or History or any languages? What other Humanities subjects are there at GCSE?

If she is going to university I wouldn't worry at all, degree and the personal skills she can demonstrate will be the things that matter.

If applying for work now a cover letter explaining that she was home educated and some of the non qualifications skills that has given her. She needs to be confident to sell the things that make her different.
She can always do more GCSEs now if she wants and feels that she needs them.

I doubt it will matter at all. People don't tend to put GCSEs on CVs if they have higher qualifications. She has English and maths, which are sometimes requested. If the prospective employer wants evidence she has interest and basic knowledge in a particular area (e.g. if they specifically say GCSE in MFL is a requirement) then she may need to assure them in some other way that she has the necessary knowledge. One of the companies I worked for sometimes employed people with no qualifications at all if they had the relevant experience. If we wanted to ensure they could write a basic business letter, for instance, we just asked them to produce one on the spot.

I'm a foreigner, so I have no GCSEs. I haven't bothered to explain this on CVs, but just put my more advanced qualifications. No one has ever even asked me about GCSEs.

The single award science might rule her out for a number of things, but if she's not looking to go down that sort of science/tech route or primary teaching it's unlikely to be an issue.

Addicted - she did one gcse called 'Humanities'. It is a broad mixture of history, geography, R.E and citizenship/sociology but doesn't focus on any one in particular.

She has offer for uni this year but we're thinking about after that when she's looking to get into a career. She is interested in competitive careers like publishing and events management. Rafals do you usually need double award science for primary teaching? Because she was thinking about teaching as possible career for some point in future.

I thought it had to be double award. Having just looked it up it seems to be C in a science subject.

That's a minimum requirement though, and she'll probably be competing for places against candidates that mostly have double so she may have to push her other strengths. Although if the teaching crisis has spread to primary it probably won't matter.

Way back when I did my a levels in my music class there was a previously hike educated lad who only had maths & English GCSE's. However he had studied other subjects to a high level just didn't take the actual GCSE due to expense & admin issues.

For example he had music practical & theory qualifications & had studied a language, humanities & science.

My ds did eight GCSEs (actually IGCSEs) - Maths, English Language, three sciences, History and Business Studies. He's now at sixth form doing Maths, and starting Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry in September. (long story - he has SN and this was a gradual start after seven years of HE).

Not sure how it will pan out for him after college. He doesn't know what he wants to do next (uni/apprenticeship/work) so there are no plans. BUT that's a bridge we'll cross when the time is right. I'm just glad he had the opportunity to be HEd because he'd have had a heck of a lot fewer GCSEs to his name if he'd stayed in school. The subjects he's taken have reflected his interests and given his SN it would have been pointless to press him to do others if he couldn't engage with them. We are where we are and we'll take it from there.

I was very proud of my 10 GCSEs grades A-C but no-one ever looked at them once I had A-levels. Most jobs or courses that require them want 5 including English and Maths. Now I have a degree and no-one could care less about my A-levels, which were critical at the time. The best thing for your daughter to do would be to get some practical experience in the area she wants to work in, and ask the people on the placement what they think. If they think she needs more, that can be done :)

I'd better add I went to school, but just making the point that each step is just a leg up to the next one, and employers usually only care about the last step, plus any extras - work experience, additional qualifications etc, as well as the sort of person you are and whether you'll fit into the work place.

Depends on the career she chooses and the career path she takes. So, for example, her single pass for science may one day matter if she takes a humantities-based degree but later wants to take a job where some degree of scientific knowledge is required. e.g. say someone moving from standard journalism into scientific reporting, or from editing into a popular science journal, or (this has happened where I work) applying for a marketing job in an environmental charity.

But unless she knows she wants to do something like that, I wouldn't worry now.

I wasn't home educated but for various reasons only ever did 2 GCSEs and a BTec First (like 4 GCSEs but not really) in performing arts. I also only have two A Levels and 1 AS. I went to a top ten uni and now work in high level professional services with a very intense selection process. No one puts GCSEs once they have a degree. Five GCSEs will be fine, unless she wants to apply for Oxbridge who are stricter about GCSEs?