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

That lunch looks fabulous @Oblomov25 . Sorry the diabetes consultant couldn't help you any further, it is very hard. DH (T1 since uni age) has never had much support from his consultants either, about three years ago he had to strongarm the practice nurse into letting have a CGM (they had kept him on finger pricks all this time) but he has never had a pump, he has radically rejigged his injection regime over the last couple of years but all self-taught from diabetes forums.

@Piggywaspushedive often wondered if your name is anything to do with lord of the flies. I think you teach English? your oldest is the same as my oldest, so we were on that thread along with @shinyand a few others.

Yes we were the OGs!

@icanbewhatiwant It always cracks me up when posters address me as @Shiny instead of @Shimy, . I guess shiny ain't a bad name too.

Wow that brings me to thinking how long we’ve all been here for. Was the year 10 thread the original one as if so I am also an OG 😜😁

DD has been applying for teaching jobs and not heard anything then last week got asked to interview for a Church school she applied for - this then happened yesterday. She went in a bit disheartened as had just had an email saying she’d been unsuccessful at application (for the school that she felt would have been her dream school) but came out over 5 hours later beaming saying she loved the school, the staff and children and later last evening got the call to say she’d got the job, which she has accepted. She’s now had another school invite her to interview but she will decline. She’s never had placements in a Church (CofE) school before and is not sure how different it will be but they seemed happy that she holds British Values rather than a specific religion - she had to state religion on the application and put under OTHER “I believe in being a good person and treating everyone how i would like to be treated”.

@Oblomov25That looks a delicious lunch. What a darling son you have. So sorry to hear re the struggles you’re having with the your diabetes. Like @EndlessDistractionDH my
DH has had to do his own research and tweak and rejig his meds and routine himself as Drs only know so much. It’s been a long hard road. Different condition but same concept.

Congratulations to your dd @AnneOfCleavage - that's brilliant, especially that she loved the school so much! Is it near your home?

I think @Piggywaspushed and co were on an earlier thread with their older dc, but the year 10 thread was the first for our cohort so you're definitely an OG @AnneOfCleavage :)

Dd has an interview today for another job with Mind. After the interview last week they rang to say they liked her, but they've got two (brand new) roles to fill and they had some no-shows for interview, so they need to call more people to interview, for a proper comparison. But she's on the shortlist and she thinks they'll get back to her either for a second interview, or a job offer, once they've done more interviews. So a bit confusing, but reasonably positive?

Ds bombarded me last night with his two year plan to make sure he gets a grad job 😂It involves shadowing an MP, getting a civil service internship, or something else if not, starting a substack, taking on presidency of a society next year (apparently he's been offered one?!), learning French on his semester abroad, doing more preaching to improve his public speaking (he preached for the first time at our church a couple of weeks ago!), leading a small group at church and probably some other things I've forgotten. Meanwhile he's also going to do 60 hour weeks at Tesco in the summer holidays, so he can save £5k a year into a LISA. If his girlfriend does the same they'll be able to buy a house when they graduate.. It all sounds very ambitious and a bit unrealistic, but I do love his enthusiasm!

Congratulations @AnneOfCleavage . Wishing her all the best at her new job.

Brilliant news @AnneOfCleavage well done to DD!

@crazycrofter my friend's DS is similarly motivated and is standing for council in the upcoming local elections, rather him than me! Sadly I can't vote for him as not in his area.

Yes, thinking back, I did tentatively join these threads back in y10 but held back from contributing much because I was worried that everyone would be super high-flyers compared to DS (he only took 6 GCSEs and looked to be on for a 3 in English at that point plus all his other SEN difficulties). And here we are, such a mix of experiences and outcomes between all the DCs but always supportive.

That's great @EndlessDistraction - good to see young people wanting to make a difference!

Ds is currently doing a one-week internship through uni, working as part of a team for a start up company, and he was very enthusiastic about the problem solving aspect of it last night. It seems like a great scheme they've got at Nottingham, where they link in with entrepreneurs/start ups, to hopefully benefit both parties.

@EndlessDistraction Glad you stayed, lots of us here have dc with SEN.

@crazycrofter That sound like a brilliant opportunity, well done Notts! ds did something similar at his uni and really enjoyed, i think it really helped when he was applying for placements and still looks good on his CV. He even got paid!

Congratulations @AnneOfCleavage @crazycrofter on job prospects.

@EndlessDistraction Pleased you felt comfortable staying. This corner is lovely.

Congratulations to your DD @AnneOfCleavage . I got my first teaching job on 19th April 1994 (my dad's birthday) and stayed at that school for 20 years. I hope your DD will be as happy as I was with my first teaching post and love every minute of her teaching career. I am micro-retiring this year... going down to 4 days after being full time for 32 years!

Good news on the job front for some of you 🥳
what would you think of a deadline for applications was pushed back? DD has applied for a couple of graduate schemes with a company but last weeks deadline was changed to a couple of weeks later. Is that good or bad for dd? I’m tempted to say that it means there’s not many applications so far which could be good…?

I think good @NCTDN

Well done on the job news and prospective job news!

Thank you so much for the love and good wishes - I’ve passed them all on to DD who was blown away. It’s all becoming a reality now but she still has 3 weeks of uni to finish: dissertation to finish and present, an assignment to complete set last week 😲 and another module to start and present in a school in her last week.

Wow @Aslockton20 years in your first school. That’s the dream that the first school is a lovely one. You and she have practically the same date for given post! Congratulations on the mini retire - well deserved. Has your DD gone back on tour now?

@crazycrofterthe school is a c.10min drive away so another fabulous bonus. Also close to shops, our Drs and her grandma. Opposite direction to her boyf but still only a c.25min drive away so still great.
Fingers crossed for your DD and her Mind interview. Your DS’s 2 years plan sounds awesome too(would be exhausting for me 🤣) and very suited to his personality.

That's amazing @AnneOfCleavage - so convenient in every way. Really hope she likes the school and settles in well, when the time comes.

Dd's interview yesterday went 'ok' but not as well as last week's, she felt. Lots of very specific scenario-type questions she wasn't expecting, so she wrote them all down when she came out so she can be better prepared in future.

@crazycroftersometimes it’s not always the answers but how they respond under pressure of said questions. Crossing everything for her 🤞🤞

Seems like you were right @AnneOfCleavage - she just got a call offering her the job! 😊

Sorry to bring down the mood (but bloomin well done especially give what follows:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy915dylnqpo

This is absolutely my DSs' experiences and neither of them are anywhere near as impressive as this remarkable young woman.

The ghosting is so rude.

That's great news!

@nctdn I'd say that's good. Good luck to your DD.
DS got through to a last stage interview which he went for (in person) 2 weeks ago. He was buzzing when he got back and said it went really well. They were told they're going to make a decision quickly....we still havent heard anything. I know ds is trying to keep up a brave face, all of us are.

Fantastic news @crazycrofter. Congratulations to your DD.

Fingers crossed your DS @Shimy hears soon. Good luck goes in threes. Hopefully we will have a triple celebration.