Thread 50 - Covid GCSE Cohort - New Year of Adulting

[OrangeSpicedBun]

2024 here we are... our young people are still getting used to adulting and we're still doing that adulting thing ...it's tough !

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). 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 advice to be had.
Previous thread
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/parents_of_adult_children/4922401-thread-49-covid-gcse-cohort-the-nights-are-drawing-in?page=10

Oh @2024Newnames of course you must post here. What an awful time you’ve had. I’m so sorry.
Sorry to all the others who are dealing with illness or other worries. It’s all fairly quiet here. Dd is home and enjoying seeing ‘home friends’ and fitting in the odd bit of essay writing and DS is revising for GCSEs.

So sorry to hear about the job @2024Newnames and please don't worry about monopolising the thread, many of us have done so at various times and we are all here for each other.

I am so sorry to read your news @2024Newnames. I don’t have any words so sending lots of hugs and positive vibes for your DS

I'm sorry to hear about your DS @2024Newnames . Please don't feel as though you are monopolising.

So sorry to hear about the loss of your Dsis @2024Newnames and now the sucky news re your DS job. Please don't think you're monopolising, this is a safe place to vent when we can't always do so in RL. Please take good care of yourselves at this stressful time

Thank you

Taking over thread NewNames? Not at All! Please keep posting and we can support, come up for new ideas for ds, once he's had a chance to wallow.

Wallowing is all part of the healing process!

Hands 🙌 up anyone who hasn't monopolised thread? And for those that haven't yet get yourself on the naughty step, then form an orderly queue and we'll get you sorted!

Really sorry about the job @2024Newnames that's really disappointing for him. But there will be one out there for him, what is he interested in doing?

Thinking of all of the people struggling for one reason or another atm x

Hope your DS manages to get over the disappointment @2024Newnames . I'm sure there is something waiting for him.

Ugh! @2024Newnames what crap news! Life really just sucks sometimes. Give him time to mourn & recalibrate. The right job for him is out there & he will find it. Look after yourself too, indulge yourself a little - No housework, listen to some relaxing music, just take time out for yourself for a while if you can, we’re all thinking of you.

Just caught up so late to the sympathy for your experiences @2024Newnames but nonetheless heartfelt - what a time you are having. Please keep sharing, this thread is a wonderful place to express things you can’t always IRL and I am constantly amazed and comforted by the kindness and support seen on here. My sister (similar age) has had a number of serious health challenges over the past five years which leave me on tenterhooks every time she mentions any tiny symptom. I can’t imagine your pain and my heart goes out to you. The latest blow for your DS must feel like getting knocked down every time you get up. I hope he feels better soon - he deserves some light in his tunnel, as do you, and I’m sure it will come but that’s hard to see right now.

No real updates here. DS is spending Easter break between us and the girlfriend’s place Up North. He tried for one of the Notts internships which he got with ease last year but didn’t get this year and doesn’t know why. He’s phoned and emailed to ask for feedback so as to get something from the process but is being ghosted so far. The internships are with local SMEs and for students from disadvantaged backgrounds (which he isn’t) or a declared disability (which he is, albeit mild) but think it’s a lottery about how many apply and how many opportunities they have available. But he got it easily last year so is aggrieved not to have it this year, not least because he seems to adopt a one-application-at-a-time philosophy to job hunts which means he may not find anything till he’s about 28. We are trying to turn that philosophy around.

Thanks all again 🙏

Haven’t posted in a while but popping in to say @2024Newnames sorry to hear of your news about your DSis and DS. My DD withdrew in the first couple of weeks of year 2 and she had a knock back from the first job she applied for and can relate to feeling totally gutted for her. However she got the third job she applied for and hasn’t looked back. It's fixed term until the end of August at which point she may go to a different uni (2 unconditional offers and one pending) or look for another job.

What a lovely update @PuddingtonPuddington. I am so pleased she has got on well, that’s great to hear. I am sure it will work out eventually, it’s just raw right now. It’s comforting to hear a good news story in a similar situation.

DS's house has just lost al its internet (he isn't there but as usual others are messaging him to sort it all out.)

They have been on a bills included package all year - but turns out this didn't include WiFi. Seems like the landlord has just realised and cut it off.

Do you mean he’s changed the password @Piggywaspushed so they can’t access it? Or cancelled the contract with the supplier? Either way, has he let them know? That’s very strange.

The wifi was never meant to be included so the guess is previous tenants perhaps had an 18 month contract. It is odd though. Virgin Media were apparently no help. All the hubs etc are theirs.

It's classic landlord stuff. It's meant to be bills included but the lads kept getting bills for utilities.

It seems you can hire wifi via some dongle thing so I think that's what they are doing but I have my doubts...

@Piggywaspushed if he is still with the horrible people, I would say the dongle or cheap SIM only data heavy package for a couple of months is the way to go. Much easier than locking into a new contract when they will only be there for a couple of months.

Yes,I guess so. SIM only would only be for phone, right?

You can get data only Sim cards and a router that takes a SIM card. This is what I use at work for multiple locations with no fixed broadband!

That's what we did when we last moved house and were without broadband for about 8 weeks. It's not worth signing up to a contract and then trying to pass it on to the new tenants.