Thread 55 - Covid GCSE Cohort - Autumn 25 - Yr 4 Uni and Graduates

[Oblomov25]

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 54:
Thread 54

Congratulations to your DD @BlueMarigold. What lovely news.

@Comefromaway I voted too.

I have just posted this on the Telly addicts thread about a short film called 'A Friend of Dorothy' that Oscar nominated and starring Miriam Margolyes and Stephen Fry:

This is an absolute gem!! The best 21 minutes I have seen in a very long time. Do give it a watch and have some tissues handy. The full film is on Youtube. I hope it wins an Oscar. It is Miriam at her best with a wonderful message and some cracking one-liners:

"Your ball is currently nestling in my wisteria".

I sobbed, but I am feeling a bit fragile as I heard this morning that my ex SIL passed away aged 56 after a long battle with a brain tumour. It has been the news I had been dreading.

That’s great @BlueMarigoldds1 has the same job title. He starts Monday. He’s work for a big company though. RSK. They seem to do all different environmental stuff.

@Aslockton Sorry for your loss. So hard when we feel it's way too early.💐

@icanbewhatiwant Wishing your DS a great start.

So sorry to hear your sad news

Good news that your DD’s placement is going well @AnneOfCleavage and good luck to her with the job applications.

Sorry to hear about your loss @Aslockton 😢

Fantastic job news. Poor dd is so fed up of trying to write a dissertation and then apply for hundreds of jobs with no luck. It’s so hard out there for them.

Sorry to hear sad news. My dad is in hospital atm and I don’t know how I would have coped if I still had children at home going through a levels.

@Aslockton Terribly sorry for your loss, what awful news and so young. How are you and her family keeping? I always ask when i hear someone has passed, if they had children and are they grown? and if they elderly parents still alive? condolences to all. I hope in time the pain of her loss will be bearable for you all.

Did i hear somebody got a job?? those are like gold dust right now. Congratulations.

@NCTDN Cheering on your DD to the finishing line. I think we're all feeling the anxiety of the job situation as they head to the finishing line, luckily DS is not doing a dissertation but just as exhausted by it all.

I’m sorry for your loss @Aslockton such a shock at such a young age (I am older) .

@NCTDN my Dad has just had 10 days in hospital again and I was sufficiently concerned that I started researching funeral directors, he’s out again now but in a nursing home and extremely frail, hope yours is home again soon too.

Well done to those starting new jobs. DS is still applying (works three days at the moment plus volunteering) but he is targetting individual adverts not graduate schemes and putting a lot of effort into each application, so only doing them as and when they come up, I help with proofreading and sometimes with navigating complicated portals (sometimes they don’t like his multitude of overlapping and part time previous jobs).

DD is still househunting for year 2, I know there’s a while to go yet but I would like them to get sorted.

That’s sensible @EndlessDistraction. Hopefully smaller firms/businesses will have a more personal approach and his efforts will pay off. He’s being very patient and determined!

Good luck to ds @NCTDN, it’s a long haul! I get the impression dd is very behind with her dissertation 😩

We visited Nottingham yesterday and spent the day with ds and dd and their partners. It was really lovely , we like them a lot and they all get on well together. I’m really hoping these relationships last!

Yes sad new @Aslocktonmy df passed away age 55 and at the time, to me, he seemed like an old man. But now I’m not far off that age I realise how young he actually was.

Dm has been in hospital with pneumonia, she claims she had sepsis too…but I’m not sure she did. She came out on Friday, but called the ambulance again in the night last night as she was convinced she still has sepsis. The ambulance people reassured her and went on their way. I wish she lived nearer to me. She’s too far for me to just pop by. She doesn’t understand why I don’t drop everything and go down there. If there is no traffic I can get to her in 3 hours. But it often takes 4. Thats a long way there and back in a day.

Sorry - seemed to have dropped out of the thread for a while!

Sympathies for those who have lost people, and are looking after elderly relatives.
Congratulations on all the jobs!
DS works for a company owned by RSK! Part of their infrastructure arm, working with Network Rail. I deal with many ecology reports in my planning work - I always think it would be much nicer to be out on sites searching for newts and bats etc, rather than just sat at my desk summarising others reports on them!

DD was at RHUL yesterday for her second dance comp - her dance placed first in their category so she was very pleased that the 5am coach was worth it. I haven't dared ask how the dissertation is going - I know she is working as she popped home for a few days over reading week for a hospital appointment, but didn't mention her diss. Apparently she has also been applying for jobs with no luck, but will probably be applying for a couple of Masters over Easter. Still not entirely sure on that. Masters are new to me - not sure on the process. I keep reading of the need to pay deposits etc to secure an offer which would be a pain, because I'm not sure DD wants to have set plans just yet...

Just popping in quickly as I think this is something that pretty much affects all
of our DC. Petition I’ve seen to lose interest off student loans. I know it’s a bit of a pipe dream as it’s a nice little money makers for governments but as someone who has a DC on Plan 2 and another about to start on the even more onerous Plan 5 it makes me want to push for reform 9f these schemes that our young people have no option to sign up to unless we have a spare £50k lying around.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/756832

I am so sorry for your loss @Aslockton and for others here who have family or friends who are very poorly. 💐

Such a worrying time in the Middle East. This time last year DD was serving on HMS Dragon. Just glad she is deployed elsewhere at the moment in a quieter area of the world. All military are on high alert. DS is very busy too as he works with energy commodity traders all over the world.

@Aslockton I was wondering about your dd with all this going on. Am really glad she is safe elsewhere . It's all so worrying. Mu DS has got more tests through from Navy to do - am a bit hmmm with all this going on. Im also very sorry to hear about your loss. An ex work friend messaged me yesterday- she has been diagnosed with MND and is understandably devastated. Im finding the world a very sad place at the moment.

I am so sorry to hear your sad news @Aslockton

@Aslockton We're all glad your DD is safe.

@craggyrat All the tragic news is overwhelming. Your friend's diagnosis is awful. I lost a friend to a brain tumour two weeks ago. These are devasting events though on a scale we can comprehend. Then the tango twerp decides to order the killing of so many innocent people and children and Congress / the top brass don't stop him... I'll stop there or it would become a full on rant.

@EwwSprouts I'm very sorry to hear about your friend.

So sorry to hear about your friend @craggyrat. Any news with your son? Is all this news making him think twice?

My DS picks up his keys on Friday. He still has his house share for another week, so he has time to build beds, get a sofa delivered etc. He has bought lots off his seller: washing machine, curtains, breakfast bar stools, table and chairs, lawn mower etc. She also found a sofa for him on Facebook marketplace. He has even met the neighbours!

I am thinking of going part time. I have only ever worked full time. I am 55 so feel it is time to have more down time… and less marking and reports!

Exciting news for ds @Aslockton and I'm glad your dd is safe and not in the danger zone.

I would love to go part time too! I am considering (when I've completed my six months probation in this new job) requesting a 9 day fortnight, which would involve an extra half hour a day and very slightly less pay. It would be amazing to have every other Friday off... Plus my dh is a minister and I'm also heavily involved at church, so I effectively work an extra day a week anyway!

So sorry to hear about your friend @EwwSprouts 😢

@EwwSprouts So sorry about your friend

@crazycrofter DH does 9 days with every other Friday off. It's company policy and they are expected to fix dentist/plumber appts etc. The site is out of town and it's 15 mins walk from the car park to the factory. He loves it apart from the early starts.

Thank you ladies for the sympathy messages.

I work 3 days a week tues/weds/Thurs and those hours are great. However the workload has become unmanageable for our little team, they won't take on any other staff and we have a new manager who wants to change absolutely everything which is really putting all our backs up. Work have enforced so many detrimental changes in the last 3 years including outsourcing us and then insourcing (not a word am sure...) us again as that didn't work. We are one small team in a firm that has several offices and we work really well - just need one new staff member and to be left alone!

@Aslockton such slow processes! He's still up for it. Did second lot of navy tests this weekend and waiting for results. Army probably still favourite as Education Officer not available in other branches. I think he will do extra year at C first either PGCE or Masters which he will fund from this year's earnings with a bit of help from us. Exciting news re the house for your DS!

My car's handbrake went yesterday- week before its MOT. Am dreading costs of that. We only have a second car so that DS can use it for his sports clubs.

Just checking in with you all.