how important is DofE?

[DorothyL]

To give context -dd in year 10, quite academic, on course to get very good results at gcse. Plays two instruments and part of an orchestra inside and outside of school.

She could do DofE in the next 12 months but is quite reluctant - how much should I push her to do it?

My son has done bronze through army cadets. He loved it and will definitely do silver and gold but he is a very outdoorsy, sporty person, very much a joiner and not especially academic. He loved the challenge and the structure and was so proud of himself when he passed. My friend's daughter has just completed gold, aged 18. She said it was a fabulous experience.

My DD has just done finished everything for her Gold. She is continuing with her volunteering, which is with AgeUk and worked with another charity over Christmas. She discovered she likes being outside, their expedition was on the Brecon Beacons in foul weather but she'd like to go back with her friends. Her group got on really well and they had a lot of fun. I don't think she even mentioned it on UCAS as there isn't enough space for something which doesn't relate to the courses she's applied to. A friend of mine who does graduate recruitment does look out for it as it shows candidates have stamina (the activities at Gold last up to 18 months), can plan and get on with people.

D of E was valued more highly when not EVERYONE did it.. Now schools push it and having it on your UCAS is a bit meh..

I'd say doing some volunteering in a charity shop once a week, done of your DDs own volition (ie not school organised) looks much better IMO

I just looked on the DofE website and there were 9,848 gold awards presented last year. 76,448 candidates achieved their bronze awards. In dds year 50 people originally signed up for the DofE gold award & I think about 24 went on the expedition but not all of those will complete the Award. It will probably be around 15% of the year in the end.

There were roughly 500,000 students who went through UCAS last year so it's not that common. A few of my friends DC did gold and I think it's quite onerous. They don't give it away.

It was not for my kids though.

DD1s Gold was a talking point in job interviews, but totally irrelevant to uni applications. Achieving three levels does show a massive commitment (although it's handy if they can include stuff they do anyway ), and so good for job applications.

DD2 will finish her Gold this summer, and for her it's much more of an achievement as she has a medical condition which ordinarily would stop someone managing almost all the sections. She told the school that her doctors were happy for her to do the expedition, and her doctors that school were happy, so got permission from both sides .

DD3 has started Bronze this year, I'll be encouraging her to carry on as it will be good for her, not sure that she'll be so convinced as she'll have to leave her phone at home for the expeditions .

Surely CV-wise it just shouts I AM MIDDLE CLASS?

Surely CV-wise it just shouts I AM MIDDLE CLASS?

Yeah, sure. Because every middle class DC has DofE.
Look at Eastpoint's post: only 9,848 people got Gold last year.

How many of them weren't from highly affluent backgrounds?

Dh used to be a D oE leader he used to get an influx of 16/17 yr olds just before university applications went in and for the months before they left school they really were not arsed dh tried to get then engaged and enthusiastic soo if your Dd isnt interested leave her to do her other stuff.

How many of them weren't from highly affluent backgrounds?

No idea. Do you think that you can buy a DofE Gold? It takes a bit more effort than that.

At DD's school they had a fund to help those who struggled with the expedition fees.

My DD was much the same. Academically strong but not one for yomping over half the county with a huge rucksack BUT she thought she should give it a go 'as everybody does.' She would now say she's really pleased she did. Made different friends, had a great laugh and achieved something she never thought she could.

From my point of view I'm not too fussed about the piece of paper at the end or the addition to the CV. Agree that so many people have it now, it's hardly noticed by many. But I do think it is vital for them as evolving human beings. It's good to help others for no financial reward, it's good to do something you otherwise wouldn't, it's good to be out of your comfort zone and off your usual path.

My DD was much the same. Academically strong but not one for yomping over half the county with a huge rucksack BUT she thought she should give it a go 'as everybody does.' She would now say she's really pleased she did. Made different friends, had a great laugh and achieved something she never thought she could.

From my point of view I'm not too fussed about the piece of paper at the end or the addition to the CV. Agree that so many people have it now, it's hardly noticed by many. But I do think it is vital for them as evolving human beings. It's good to help others for no financial reward, it's good to do something you otherwise wouldn't, it's good to be out of your comfort zone and off your usual path.

DD1 did bronze, silver and gold and it was a great experience for her. She loved her volunteering role and continued with it until she left home for university. It doesn't help directly with the UCAS form but DD did talk about the transferable skills that she gained from it.
She did bronze and silver with her very middle of the road state comp and gold which was organised by our county council. They have a designated member of staff to organise the expedition. Obviously it was up to her to arrange the volunteering, sport and skill. They also have to do a residential trip for gold which again she organised for herself. I suspect she might have liked maybe sailing in the Caribbean or similar but she ended up in a tent in the UK which is available to most.
DD2 didn't do it. She's applying to universities at the moment. She'll still get a place. So its not essential but it's fun and the skills learned are useful.

I don't think it's true to say they all have it. Out of DD1s vast school there was only one other pupil who was doing the gold at the same time as she did. I'm fairly sure he dropped out.

I don't think it's fair to force her if she's reluctant. However, I know her music can be used as one of the skills as my DD is using hers for the six months skills. She maybe able to use her running, she would need to set herself goals, ie more stretches, running faster one week, running further another, maybe doing a local charity run one week, but she'd need an assessor to monitor this and confirm she'd worked towards her goals. Has she got any friends who want to do it, that may encourage her.

Our school offers D of E from year nine and is a bog standard comp. I think they paid £80 for the bronze so a lot didn't do it (school on edge of a large area of poverty)

My youngest will do it at cadets as it's funded there.

I would imagine interviewers would be more interested in several years in the police cadets with voluntary work, community work etc than their d of e.

I've just had a look at the DofE website. They are celebrating their Diamond Anniversary this year!

For my not very academic, not musical, not sporty, not going to uni DD, doing bronze was good. It took her out of her comfort zone, and made her push herself on the expedition which was a real achievement for her. It also made her keep up extra curricula activities.

She is continuing with silver in a gentle way, will take at least 3 years over it if she finishes at all (expedition may fall by the wayside). Partly my thinking on this is that though lots of A level kids have DofE, I wonder how many BTEC kids do, and it will give her something else to talk about at interviews.

Friend's very high achieving but very shy DD got masses out of her volunteering for DofE which she wouldn't have done otherwise. She is so much better with strangers, eye contact etc these days.

If I had an academic child who had already shown long term commitment to stuff via music, sport or whatever, then I would be less fussed.

my dd and her friends decided against it
there was substantial cost as it was not run within the school
I am confident it didn't make any difference to her confidence, she did Challenge after y11 in the outskirts of London and this took her well out of her comfort zone!

I did gold D of E (and bronze and silver too obviously) many, many years ago.

It was heavily pushed at my school and we were told gold was worth an A level! It wasn't of course.

No university or employer ever showed the slightest interest in my having done my gold D of E award.

I did get to meet prince Philip - he reminded me of the fake clockwork toys in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. That was all a bit surreal.

I found the mountain climbing element of the expeditions torture but perversely enjoyed it - I would happily have cheated and walked around Scarfel Pike but my group wouldn't let me :o

I still look back on things I did though, and it was so long ago it must have made an impression.

I did swimming for my gold sport - just solo - you could get almost anyone to sign it as far as I remember.

For the voluntary work part of gold I asked at a respite care club for disabled children and absolutely loved working there one Saturday morning a week, and actually kept going once I finished the amount of work I needed for my D of E credit. For silver I did one of those Cathedral Camp holidays - they probably still exist. We white washed the interior walls of a cathedral side chapel thing and slept in an attached hall, like camping. I have no idea why I did that as I am not remotely religious, but it was a cheap or free week away without parents as well as counting for D of E...

I think it is quite a good way to try things you'd never otherwise have done as a teen, makes you a more well rounded person etc. I don't think it is remotely useful for your CV though, unless you have nothing else on it aside from your GCSEs, not even hobbies to talk about...

Both my DC have loved it. Currently doing gold.

I've got to be honest, the skills/physical parts are a bit redundant for many already active DC who have lots of outside interests. They just use their on going activities.

But the expeditions are challenging and fun. And the voluntary work is great (DS is still working in the same charity shop he started with on bronze, despite the fact that he could use the involuntary voluntary work everyone at his school is strong armed to do (whether they do DofE or not)).

I was pushed into doing the Gold. I didn't want to do it as I already had lots of commitments and DOE is a big commitment- especially the Gold.

The woman who pushed me into doing it was a family friend and I should have said no but I was young and shy.

I found it a slog, although it did force me to do things I would not have tried otherwise - abseiling, yoga and so on.

Had I been more enthusiastic, I might have enjoyed it more. I didn't complete it, with is a shame, but I don't regret that. It had no impact on my life at all.

It's a good thing to do but I don't think it's necessary for a cv etc.

My DDs very bright friend got Gold D of E and no offers from university at all (very popular subject). Sporty out-doors people like it. Others hate it. It is perfectly possible to play music, enjoy drama, volunteer, play sports, and many other things without yomping around the countryside on expeditions. It was this element that stopped my DDs going beyond Bronze. It is middle class and very much pushed in independent and grammar schools.

It's completely unimportant. In fact, it doesn't send a very good message to many people. Don't push her to do it.