Thread 52 - Covid GCSE Cohort - Autumn 24 - Start of Uni Yr 3

[Oblomov24]

2024 Autumn, start of year 3 for those at Uni.

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.

51 Previous thread - 51.

Thanks for the new thread, @Oblomov24!

Thanks @Oblomov24

@Oblomov24 Thank you!

@Oblomov24 thanks

Photodad was asking. I think it's @icanbewhatiwant whose ds2 has gone to Aus for a year?

Thank you!

My two are now back form interrailing. Don't seem to have fallen out too often...

Budapest was their favourite place.

Thanks @Oblomov24 - can it really be thread 52!!

Glad the inter-railing was a success @piggy and they're back home now.

Two more weeks then DD back to Uni. Feeling less trepidation than this time last year but I know I'll be getting the blues soon enough as it's been a great summer.

Thanks @Oblomov24

Still 4 weeks till DS goes back but he is shifting back into uni mode. His summer job is winding down now the schools are going back (shorter opening hours) and he is planning a day trip back to use the uni library next week. He has also re-started his DSA mentoring. DD re-enrols at college next week and starts back proper the week after. She is planning to apply for uni but 50/50 whether she goes next year, she wants to take advantage of support and references from college while she's still there though. My school (governor) also starts back next week, I need to do a bit of paperwork. We are expecting Ofsted this term.

We have had a good summer, two family holidays and some day trips out together

Dd goes back to uni on 29th so still another month to go! She’s just back from Nottingham and going with ds to see their grandparents. Then it’s work/Cardiff/Morocco/our family holiday before uni starts.

Glad interrailing went well @Piggywaspushed . I think my ds would love it but he thinks train fares are extortionate (too used to travelling with no ticket here 😱). He’s driving to Switzerland after our holiday with friends to climb mountains.

@PhotoDad yes I both my older 2 are in Australia. Ds1 is travelling. He went to NZ for 11 months, then onto Australia in Dec 2023. He is loving it there, though really struggled to find work, ended up washing up for 5 months. He's now finished his job and spending his money travelling the east coast. He's thinking of moving on when his visa runs out. Ds2 is doing a year in Brisbane at UOQ. He's enjoying it too.

Thanks, @icanbewhatiwant! Did you use an agency to help with visas etc? I have found "BUNAC" which would also handle the first week's accommodation (for a fee) plus setting up bank account etc. DS is hoping to have a job lined up before he goes, but is happy to do bar work etc if that doesn't work out. (There are a couple of places near Sydney that invite applications from any qualified watersports instructors but it's a bit too early now for next winter. His plan is also to apply for something in the Med with Mark Warner and move from one hemisphere to the other, probably back in the UK in between for a bit.)

@PhotoDad ds1 used that same company when he went to New Zealand. He had a week in accommodation with them, he said he wouldn't use them again as didn't find them that helpful. But it was nice to know everything was done properly, so it is a good idea. Ds wanted to get a job quite quickly but didn't get any offers. He'd not done any bar work before, they only wanted those who had experience. So he travelled for a bit, then got a job washing up for 6 months. He also did WWOOFING in several places which he mostly enjoyed. He sorted his own visa when he moved on to Australia. Again he couldn't get work. He applied for lots of jobs, but didn't get any replies. He did find one in a cafe for a month, so he learned quite a bit in that month. But had to settle for washing up again after that, both the washing up jobs came with accommodation, so that was helpful. If your Ds has water-sports experience, that will be a big difference though. Ds didn't have any skills needed. Ds's washing up job was at a holiday resort in Western Australia, it was mostly water sports there and dolphin swimming. It came with accommodation. I should think somewhere like that would be ideal for your Ds.

Thanks, @icanbewhatiwant, that's really useful and I'll get him to look into WWOOF and Western Australia. He's a qualified windsurfing instructor (he coaches kids at his club and has competed for GB) and he also sails and surfs, so he's really hoping that he can turn that into something.

@PhotoDad yes that should be a completely different experience to my Ds who has no qualifications in anything useful. He has a biology degree, but that's not useful over there. Accommodation is expensive, but your Ds may get a job with accommodation.

That sounds perfect @PhotoDad , hope he manages to find work quickly. Ds considered it but he’s decided to work here first and save up to pay for several months travel. Has Ds2 started his course in Australia yet @icanbewhatiwant ?

@crazycrofter yes he started second week of July. So he didn't have much of a summer break. He will have his summer break at the end of November through to early feb. The uk students join the Australian's on their second semester. Then ds will do the third semester, break up for the summer, go back in feb for the first semester. Then back to the uk. Ds's accommodation is until the last day of June. That is the only way of doing it as they have a different year to us.

Thanks for the new thread.
DDs year abroad has started today. From the pictures I've seen so far, she'll never want to come home!

Thanks @Oblomov24

Thank you @Oblomov24 !

Thanks for the new thread @Oblomov24

Good luck to all of those DC doing their years abroad. I have no experience in this front so no advice to share.

Thanks for the new thread! We’re trying to get used to the idea that we’ll have no kids at home in 2 weeks time. DD is heading back later this week. She’s managed to be home for almost 5 weeks this summer despite having a job in Cornwall.

@NCTDN Sounds great. Remind us where she has gone?

Thanks so much Oblomov.

All good here. After a hectic first week (there was me thinking less drinking etc), academic studies have started today. She says it’s a stunning campus, and the 50m Olympic standard outdoors pool is very welcome in 38 degrees ave heat.

So pleased to hear she is settling in well @ealingwestmum ! What a relief. Great they have a proper pool for her 👍

@OublietteBravo have you another dc starting uni this time?
@EwwSprouts she's in Graz in Austria. It's the second biggest city in the country but very much unheard of by the British despite the place being heaving with European tourists. Looks stunning too.