Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Mature study and retraining

Talk to other Mumsnetters who are considering a career change or are mature students.

HNC (level 4) social care part time - over 1 year or 2?

2 replies

LikeAnOldFriend · 14/07/2022 17:58

Just wondered if anyone had any experience / advice on studying for an HNC/ level 4 qualification?

I haven't studied officially since finishing my degree (in English, unrelated) in 2009, but started working in social care when I had my kids.

Now need to meet my SSSC requirements and get my SVQ or HNC within next 2 years. (Sorry realised that's all very Scottish, it's the equivalent of NVQ3 or Level 4 qualification/HNC and required to meet registration as care practitioner within 5 years of starting.

I love studying and would kind of like to do more academic than vocational (though both are done using my work as placement) so going for HNC.

Have the option to do it at 2 colleges, both part time but one is over 1 year and one 2 years.

Has anyone done an HNC on part time teaching over either 1 or 2 years? (Ideally social care but any really!) I'm totally unsure what would be the better pace?

2 years seems a huge commitment but wouldn't want to put too much pressure on doing it in 1, I work 20ish hours a week round kids, have them most of Monday-Friday and volunteer with a committee that's quite time consuming too.

Thanks so much for any insight!

OP posts:
Cornishmumofone · 14/07/2022 18:21

I did a P/T HNC over 2 years. It was 1-8pm every Wednesday. I was working F/T as a teacher and found that I spent a lot of free time on it. (It was in graphic design).

Doing it over 2 years gives you thinking time.

LikeAnOldFriend · 14/07/2022 18:32

Cornishmumofone · 14/07/2022 18:21

I did a P/T HNC over 2 years. It was 1-8pm every Wednesday. I was working F/T as a teacher and found that I spent a lot of free time on it. (It was in graphic design).

Doing it over 2 years gives you thinking time.

Thank you! I did wonder that, I do kind of like the idea of doing it slowly and steadily and having more time to spend on it, I was just a bit daunted by doing it for longer.

One course is self-study with 8 workshops throughout the year for tuition (the 1 year one) and one is 1 evening a week 5pm-8pm over the 2 years - plus both you do approx 16 hours a week of placement or work which is fine as I do that anyway.

I'm kind of tempted to go with 2 years and the pull of having weekly teaching. It is a bigger commitment all round but might be more input and more time.

Thank you!!

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread