Thread 41 Corona Cohort - Autumn Adventures of our Adult Children

[CinnamonOrangeCremeBrulee]

This is a support thread for our young adults post GCSEs 2020, regardless of their educational setting, and their results ( or life updates for those who went into work or have had results earlier). It is respectfully requested that all are supportive and helpful to each other. If you want to start a debate, e.g state vs private, uni vs employment please don't within this thread.

Some of us have been here since first thread back in yr10, some will be new. Everyone has been friendly and helpful in the past. Everyone is welcome. It is hoped this will continue. We were previously on the secondary board and then further education, now we shall be here in 'Parents of Adult Children' gulp

Our DS/DD may continue down various pathways ( employment, apprenticeships, higher ed). Be warned there might be lots of 'Uni Freshers' chat this time of year. My experience is that everyone is welcomed wherever, whatever their child is doing we have some in work, gap years , apprenticeships etc too. Lots of contributors with different experiences and always sympathy and support to be had !

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In Bristol all the student aged DCs seem to work for an events staffing company which is super flexible - they put the available shifts up and you can choose the ones you want. May be worth checking out whether your DC can do similar thing. Once you are on the books they can access jobs for years whether they are home.

The theatre dd worked for in London she had to work over christmas. She was allowed to book the week before or the week after christmas off, but not both. So she drove up on christmas eve after the matinee had finished and had the week after christmas off.

Ds was given the opportunity to apply for a great, flexible job at a venue in Leeds as the dd of a friend works there but I'm not convinced he has sent the form off despite nagging. He seems to think he can get freelance work and to be fair so far he has got some work for an amateur theatre group and also he is being payed to accompany some theatre students at the open day this weekend. PLus he has a band gig next week.

@Monkey2001 does that agency cover just Bristol or is it the surrounding areas too? I’m thinking about DS when he is back next summer. Thanks 🙂

@Volterra thewaitinggameltd.co.uk/

Thank you very much @Monkey2001 🙂

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn did you ever find out for sure? If not, in the accommodation portal it tells you Period of Residence. As DD is in Rutland hers is 22/09 - 17/12, 15/01 - 01/04, 30/04 - 24/06

Forgot to say - it;'s in the offer of accommodation page

@Heifer

DS's accommodation portal says this;

Period of Residence
Period 1
22/09/2022 to 17/12/2022
Period 2
17/12/2022 to 15/01/2023
Period 3
15/01/2023 to 30/04/2023
Period 4
30/04/2023 to 24/06/2023

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn he can stay in halls in the holidays then.

Dd has to pack everything up! But she’s already planning to leave as much as possible in friends’ rooms elsewhere - assuming they’re not also staying to work!

This is annoying though...

The catering will be provided for 31 weeks during term time if your Licence Period is 31 weeks and for 35 weeks if your Licence Period is 39 weeks (the four weeks in which catering is not provided comprise the winter vacation period).

I knew it was 35 weeks but thought it might be two weeks at Christmas and a week each in the other breaks.

@crazycrofter that's how I read it, he's on a 39 week licence.

Yes, that’s a bit annoying as the facilities in halls aren’t really good enough for proper cooking.

Exactly, but on the days he works he gets fed at work so that's something! 😂

With the supermarket Christmas jobs do you get any say in the shifts? DD is planning to apply but we have booked a couple of theatre trips on 10th and 29th Dec. DS is applying to a school holiday club whose football camps he used to attend when he was younger, he has his BTEC sport and a Young Leader qualification from Scouts.

I think dd got allocated her shifts but was able to swap with others if she needed to.

She’s just messaged to say she’s got an in person interview on Monday morning 😩 At least she has no lectures on Mondays and we’re only an hour and a quarter away, so I’ve said I’ll pick her up Sunday night.

@crazycrofter good luck to your DD.

@EerilyDevilled I work in a supermarket (or rather a co op) I don't get any say in shifts. I know now that I'm working Boxing Day this year 😞 but if she took a job on and said at the start that she wasn't available those dates, I'm sure it would be fine.

I used to work in retail and the Christmas temps were always hired on the proviso that they could work the late night opening hours, Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day etc.
If they provide at interview, any dates they cannot work, then the employer can decide whether to still take on or not.
If they are a chain then there might be an opportunity to transfer between home store and uni store. We had lots of students to that and also DS was offered that recently with the pub he was working in but he didn’t want to take it as he wanted to settle into uni first

DD can stay in room until mid-June, which is a relief. She only has a short Christmas break and for some of that we're away as a family, so isn't looking for a job.

Her "homework" takes as long as her classes. They're given a title to illustrate with a particular style or technique... apparently the big difference between "fine art" and "design" is whether you get free rein in what you produce. (Illustration is definitely the latter, you're always working for someone, supporting an idea.)

Task: illustrate the phrase "My Cat Named Sam" using ink and spot printed colour.

Very impressed by all the DC seeking Christmas jobs. I shall give DS a nudge as he would happily wait until he is home to start looking.

I’ve given up trying to get DD to get a job over Xmas. I very much expect her to get something in the summer, and maybe she’ll get a taste for money that doesn’t come from us or have to be paid back … but this Xmas and Easter I’m not going to nag.

Ds's 8 hour day is not incorrect! He now has a 17 hour week.

@Fiddlersgreen DS is convinced he can do the swap with our local shop as he says he knows people who did it last year. Surely it depends on if they have people going home from the other shop?

@PhotoDad I am very much enjoying your DDs images, I did Art A level and miss it so much. DS2 has just started his Art gcse and I am desperately trying not to get overly involved but it is soooooooooo hard for me to not take over. Luckily PAOTY has started again today so I have taken myself off to get my fix and leave DS to his work.

@PhotoDad I too enjoy your DDs work- it really makes me smile! 😊
I really like how she sketches out ‘the scene’ and then ‘draws you in’ with her extra detail in certain places!

@JustHereWithMyPopcorn it will certainly depend on whether the shop needs staff at the times he is around.
Hopefully they will be happy to make room for someone who comes from another store and knows the processes etc, doesn’t need training