Thread 57- Covid GCSE Cohort- Autumn 2026

[Aslockton]

New thread as Thread 56 was filling up.

Updated list:
ComefromAway Leeds Conservatoire. Completed Year 2 - DS working as self employed musician/MD & electronic instrument programming.
Blinkbonny Nottingham, Sociology- DS now working full time in conference sales in London.
Photodad DD Art, ARU (Cambridge Campus). Has moved to Germany to Au Pair on a working farm. DS had a Gap year in NZ (teaching windsurfing) Started Cambridge Nat Sci in Oct 2026
cariadmbyth Royal Holloway history, Marketing master's at Cardiff- DD now job hunting
Aslockton DD LSE Geography with German- Military Officer
DS Reading Meteorology and Climate Science - has a grad role as a meteorologist and has bought a house.
ewwsprouts - Durham, biology - grad role in food science
handmademitlove- York, maths
alwaysplayspiccolopiccolo- Birmingham , English and film
piggywaspushed - DS1 Lincoln - Job hunting
DS2 Birmingham , history - Sheffield for a journalism master's. Journalism job for a local paper in Worchestershire area
justherewithmybabypopcorn - Nottingham, law - now has grad position with funded SQE
Coffeeandbiscuitime - DC Y4 Medicine
oublietteletbravo - Exeter, business with law, now a sales and marketing coordinator (at a specialist software company).
DS - Newcastle, medicinal chemistry - Y3.
extensivelydecorating - Cirencester , countryside management (2025), at home, portfolio career in the outdoor environment. DC2 RHUL History in y2.
Sansou- DS Software engineering in the Defence sector
Orangecinnamon- DD has graduated and starts as an unqualified teacher (apprenticeship/post grad route)
AnotherNewName - working in engineering
Still studying! DS is still working in engineering but in a better job and is now studying with OU to get his degree and buying a house.
delphigirl - DS1 job in political journalism/campaigning for a political publisher. DS2 Plymouth - ocean exploration and surveying- DS has now started an offshore survey job.
DD Demi chef de cuisine
mummyinbeds - DS Nottingham , law and French law- Working in pub, hoping to do ski season. DD graduated from Aberystwyth Uni with a degree in International Relations and Global Development and will be starting a Masters in Global Development at SOAS in September.
oblomov26 - Nottingham , finance degree apprenticeship. DS now working in London for PwC
ealingwestmum - Trinity College Dublin - Middle Eastern and European languages. DD has Graduated and started work in Belfast: Associate Consulting, Big 4.
zebracat - off for a year in Denmark
crazycrofter - Nottingham, Psychology- DD working for Mind on a new mental health outreach project.
DS year 2 of Politics & Int Relations at Nottingham.
seeline - UEA , archaeology, anthropology and art history. DD has now graduated, and is job hunting primarily for museum/gallery/heritage/culture type jobs, nationwide.
shimy - DS1 (Cardiff Uni) 'Software Engineer - Tech Consultancy (Aviation & Defence).
DS2 Warwick, management- DS job hunting
Anneofcleavage - primary education , Chichester- DD Started first teaching post in Sept 2026
NCTDN - Liberal Arts, Bristol. DD has just graduated with a masters from Bristol. Secured a first job in the south west.
Icanbewhatiwants- history, Sussex
decorhate - Economics and Politics, Sheffield. DS is a Data Analyst in London
Bluemarigold- Birmingham Biological Sciences- DD now working as an assistant ecologist
Heifer- Nottingham Biology- DD now doing a Masters in Public Health (International) at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
Cantonet DD1: Working as a vet
DS1 Retaking a uni year / job hunting (in limbo)
DD2 UCL Year 3 Architecture
DS2 Bristol changed from Psychology, Yr1 Engineering
Lentilcakes: DS graduated in neuroscience at Bristol uni. Currently looking for work, has a voluntary role coming up (Mind charity shop - at least he’s in the right ‘sector’).
Kingscotestaff: DD 5th year Medicine at Newcastle

Sorry to hear re the job outcome @Seeline it is so hard.for them re work just now.

@AnneOfCleavage sounds full on with the teaching for your DD. DS has applied again for pgce for Sept next year as backup to his backup but this time has applied.for local ones so he can live at home and also will have earned enough he won't need loan for fee - but that's only if the Army doesn't happen. Going back to C for pgce was just unaffordable and unnecessary so am v pleased that didnt happen

Good to hear that decisions are slowly being made @Bagpuss67 - hope the army works out (or is his business the preference?). @AnneOfCleavageyour dd is doing so well! Half term is nearly here…

Dd had her first session with a ‘client/patient’ last week. It seems very open ended /unstructured. They’re supposed to signpost to other services but other than that, it seems she can do what she wants with the sessions. As an aspiring psychologist that’s perfect for her! She had an email from the guy she saw last week saying she was very professional and he found it helpful 😊

@crazycrofter that's great re the session. Lovely feedback. Army is preference with selling his stake in the business once operating- npt that he says much to us !!

That sounds just perfect @EventuallyDiscussedand just what is needed to rejuvenate. I’m just as happy with my
own company as with friends catching up. Good luck with the going down to one job too - sounds a very sensible move.
Yes, sandwich generation here too but DH is the
one on his side picking up the slack as his brothers don’t do much at all so he has what he calls admin (aunt admin), madmin and dadmin to do and files in our study pertaining to each one. I’ve activated my dad’s POA with the activation key but not put anything in motion as he is still able at the moment but I’d activated DH’s as we set up our own LPAs recently so thought I’d request the key for my dad as last one had expired.
That is great news re your DD having her own clients @crazycrofterRemind me, did she do a masters last year or was her course à 4year one? Also how is your DS getting on with his new psychologist? I think he had a consultation a few weeks back or is that coming up?
Living at home and teaching is def the easiest set up as so full on @Bagpuss67If that is the route your DS wants to take it seems the best outcome although I think the Army is still his first love. I had a feeling things were progressing nicely and all medical issues resolved now. Is he looking at a January join up or is it still very much up in the air?

Still up in the air @AnneOfCleavage - it would be first board next month, then if successful second board, then if successful he would get a start date. Painful process! Possibly May or Sept next year if all goes well.

We've done POAs as well and ILaws have theirs in place. DH does a huge amount for them as they are v local. As is his DB so I Laws v.lucky really

I meant to ask, how is your DH’s shoulder doing @EventuallyDiscussed?
I just remembered it was def a masters your DD did @crazycrofteras she had her graduation end of July didn’t she. My mind is very hit and miss these days, but then we do have a lot of us on this thread 😁
That reminds me, didn’t @heifer‘s DD finish her masters last month so ànother graduation soon as well as one next Tuesday 😊

That was to @ealingwestmum re 20th October graduation 😁

@AnneOfCleavage it is much better now thanks, he started driving again last week thank goodness, having to taxi him to work and back as well as get to my own work (home and the two jobs are a triangle with 10 mile sides) was getting a bit much. We have two week half term here where I work but not where I live across the boundary. Good news traffic wise for me as it is this end of the journey where I notice a big difference in traffic.

I've been actively using my parents LPAs for the last 18 months with permission as they have capacity but just can't handle their affairs without help. DH and I keep putting it off because it doesn't seem fair to only name DD as well as each other but we don't think DS will be capable but it's hard making that official (again). From my own experience of DB being named but not bothering both could be named without any obligation to actually do it though.

You’ve got a very good memory @AnneOfCleavage! It was an integrated masters (which she came off in year 2 and then changed her mind in year 3 🤣). You’re right about @heifer dd too - I think she was doing one back in Liverpool?

Ds saw the psychologist for an initial consultation and a first session. He thinks he’ll be very helpful but he’s incredibly booked up so he’s got to wait a couple more weeks for the next session. (Hopefully a good sign as he’s also crazy expensive 😮). He does sound like a real expert though and he also has ADHD expertise alongside OCD, which is perfect.

Northern Ireland is next week!

I’m aware that I probably share too much info and would be recognised by anyone who knew me IRL 😬 My kids are incredibly open though so I’m not sure they’d mind. Your outing stories are worrying though @ealingwestmum@Bagpuss67

Placemrking on the new thread.

Not had a date yet @Bagpuss67, are you also in wait position for your back?

Lots of updates. So much going on managing the multigenerational challenges for all of us.

Thank you @AnneOfCleavage, I am looking fwd to 20th,🤞it all goes ok!

There's a reason my ED names keep changing and that is to ward off advance searchers after someone spotted me (not maliciously, it was a friend, but it shook me up a bit) and as DS went to a tiny uni and a small course he could get quite identifiable. But I don't tend to say anything my friends wouldn't already know. It is more applicable to the Elderly Parents threads now TBH.

I have namechanged on this thread too. It is because my daughter has joined mumsnet and found me on a thread dedicated to a sport we both follow! My previous name was also Musical Theatre related. I'm the one with the musician son and the dancer turned sports science daughter.

@ealingwestmum I've finally got appointment with consultant in person in a fortnight so am hoping for progress soon!

Found you all!! I have some catching up to do it seems.
Health woes here too. After weeks of unwell parents, including a hospital stay for elderly dad and several trips up north to help out, DH finally got somewhere with health investigations which had been ongoing for about a year. He went from nothing being found to be wrong to heart stents within two weeks. He was at severe risk of a widowmaker heart attack apparently. That two week wait was extremely long and stressful. He has to go back in next week for them to finish the procedure.
DD is struggling with her part time masters which is far more work than her full time degree ever was. She's loving the content but the online setup is awful. She also hates her coffee chain job and is looking for something else (even before her first payday)
DS is driving me to despair. He needs a rocket inserting somewhere...

Gosh, scary times but caught nevertheless @mummyinbeds, I hope the rest of the procedure goes to plan and he recovers quickly.

It's hard when the delivery of materials isn't quite up to standard, I hope your DD manages to get through it all. And to your DS, it'll happen, but can get how you want to move him along to getting there quicker :)