GCSEs 2018 (4 already)

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Following on from www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/3152060-GCSEs-2018-3

Work on weaker subjects (Maths, Biology, Physics and Geography) here, plus relentless muttering of French oral presentation for final mock on Monday. If I hear that his trip to the beach was ‘most interesting but the boat trip was spoilt by an excess of jellyfish’ one more time, I may scream...

Does anyone have an opinion on the value of doing:

1. Work experience in year 11 / summer after GCSEs
2. Silver DofE
3. Volunteering this summer
4. National Citizen Service this summer

I've been advised (by one person) that :

1. work experience is highly desirable, particularly in the area you want to get into, but really just anything that shows you can take responsibility and turn up on time will help.
2. no one cares about whether you did silver or not, as its just a tick-box on a job application form that you have DofE.
3. n/a
4. its an option (that's all they said)

Does anyone have an opinion on the value of doing:
1) Work experience in year 11 / summer after GCSEs
Useful if you have the contacts and are after a competitive course at university. Not so useful if it's just turning up somewhere for a week.
2) Silver DofE
Is a useful for illustrating skills and qualities e.g. resilience, sticking at things, organisation, the voluntary experience can be beneficial. More so for going to uni than for a job though
3) Volunteering this summer
If it's in an area if interest then good, it it's just doing something
4) National Citizen Service this summer
Like 3. It's an option but not essential

I think at the end of y11 and even into 6th form, any enrichment is more about demonstrating that you're a well rounded person who can manage your time. None are essential, all could be good but it probably doesn't matter which ones you pick.
Anything linking to a future career is just a bonus (highly popular courses aside).

If silver DofE viewed significantly more favourably than bronze dofe (which demonstrates the same attributes, just in smaller quantities)?

Watching with interest mmzz DD has completed Bronze DoE. Have signed her up for NCS for no other reason than to keep her busy over the summer holidays

DS’s potential medic friends all seem to have work experience lined up (St John’s Ambulance at various events/volunteering at care homes/helping out at respite holiday centres), but I don’t know if that’s a specifically medicine thing.

DS will be envelope stuffing /leaflet distributing for a campaign group, helping to run an U11s cricket camp and collecting glasses at our local cricket ground.

He’s aiming for a History/Politics/Philosophy degree - can anyone suggest some Philosophical work experience??!

1. Work experience in year 11 / summer after GCSEs DD will do 3 days work experience in Interior Design and maybe a week in local school....Using the WE opportunity just to explore real interest in Design/Teaching - sifting through possible career options
2. Silver DofE DD will do Silver because its only really the expedition that is extra (which she really enjoys) to what she is doing at the moment (she will continue volunteering/piano/karate) so might as well get recognition
3. Volunteering this summer DD has really enjoyed volunteering with Brownies and will hopefully attend Brownie camp in summer - not seen as a chore but something she is really enjoying
4. National Citizen Service this summer Dd had always planned to do NCS but the only dates in our area were July and because of other commitments she cannot do the July dates ...everyone I know who has done NCS has really enjoyed it - wonderful team spirit in a sort of holiday atmosphere , they have made new friends and their confidence has been boosted. I'm personally disappointed about DD not doing this ...there will be further opportunities next year but I cant see it happening

With two older div thought I’d add my opinion. For top uni s the personal statement is becoming more and more about academics and those extra curricular related to academics only. Middle dd got a Cambridge offer and ps was so full off academic stuff relating to the course she didn’t have any room to add doe or debating soc etc Work experience is vital for medics and useful for all. D of E, sport, music, ncs etc add very little - having said that they are extremely beneficial, not because you can put them on a cv or application but from what the dc get out of them. I may be going against the grain but I and my dc get really fed up with schools (and some parents) going on about what they should do so they can put it on their cv. Dc should be doing these things because they want to and for what they get out of them.

DD coaches at our tennis club once a week and in the holidays. She's going to be working in the cafe there at Easter and (hopefully) in the summer as soon as she's back from NCS. I expect her to earn some cash to help kit out her wardrobe for college.

I find that anyone doing work experience in an office tends to spend more time gazing at the internet than they would at home with the odd bit of photocopying thrown in. That could be because my profession deals with very technical, confidential work, so you can't let a random 16 year old lose on it.

She was adamant she wanted to do NCS. It seems to be a big thing around here. One of my colleagues said it really helped her shy workaholic 16 year old to blossom into a confident college student in 3 weeks.

Older dc not divs !!

KingscoteStaff - Work for an MP - Work for policy changing department within Large Charity that do lobbying etc ...Work for a Union on workers rights etc...

Our local MP won't communicate with his constituents by email, only accepting letters. He needs our DC to bring him into the 21st century.

Dd’s School doesn’t do work experience so she volunteered at the local library last summer helping with summer reading challenge activities. She wanted something for her cv in terms of potentially getting a part time job. Also as a dancer experience working with children is useful in terms of maybe assisting with dance classes etc.

We had work experience at the end of Y10. DS managed to get a few days working in a local recording studio and loved it! I might suggest to him to ask if he can do a bit more after his exams.

Work experience happened in Y10 here too. DD spent a week with the local food bank and an associated charity, sorting food parcels, delivering them to housebound people, preparing recipe cards to go with them and processing applications. She loved it and it really opened her eyes to the world. She's quite the social warrior now!

I agree with PP that things like NCS, DofE, volunteering etc should be done if they will enjoy it, or if it will improve other life skills rather than only focusing on the PS for the UCAS form (medicine excepted.)

DD got a Saturday job at a local cafe the week after she turned 16. I actually think it's done more for her social skills, work ethic and CV than any of these other schemes. She has been trained on the fancy coffee machine, learned how to handle difficult customers, made friends with older kids who also work there and had to get up and get herself there every week. I think it will put her ahead of the pack when she gets to uni and needs to work there. I do worry that she loses one weekend day a week for revision because she is always shattered after 7 hours on her feet and just takes to her bed on a Saturday evening, but she doesn't do any other activity now - all sport and music were dropped by y9 so she really should be able to work around 7 hours a week.

Yeh DD did work experience in y10 too but after reading posts above did suggest to DD she could look into it after she finshes her GCSEs.

Also suggested once she is 16 she gets a Saturday job in a shop/cafe. Nothing like dealing with difficult customers to realise what real life is like! She currently has a paper round which has been good for her.

DS2 is doing a week's work experience after his GCSEs, in a library. He has volunteered there for the last two summers and will do the same this summer.

It's not related to the career he wants to do, but he is learning useful skills and some universities allow students to do part-time work in the university library.

DS did work experience at the end of Y10 at an accountancy firm, he even got to do a set of accounts(very small business obviously) but it was good in the sense he is now 100% sure accountancy is not for him .

He is also suppose to be getting a job after exams and arranging voluntary work for possible career choice. Totally agree that getting a part time job is hugely beneficial as PP have said also I remember reading not so long ago that employers value P/T work experience over everything else.

second Good idea on work experience/volunteering at library

bluebelle all 3 of my DC have paper rounds and they went out in the snow to deliver papers yesterday on foot. Think this gives them a real life lesson that workhas to go on whatever the weather!

I agree Oddsock

When my DD got herself a P/T job in a shop she couldn't get over how rude some people were apparently middle aged women were the worse

Oh dear Bluebelle not a good advert for middle aged women!!

Spurred on by you, been looking at shop jobs for when DD is 16 as paper round is a good start but money is pants. £3.75 per hour!

No work experience at dgds school. Only thing dgd could do relating to what she wants to do would be lab work or volunteer for maybe dementia or mental health placements.
The snow melting Rapidly and got pup out on my scooter which was a relief for both of us! Dgd doing English revision and has rang me no end of times to ask about this and that but is now on track and into it. 2 hours so far dd said has been done. She also added that bedroom been redecorated with post its everywhere, a huge revision chart, and chaotic piles of books!

Ds has been making his way through Mr Bruff r&j. Gosh! Mr Bruff is good. It's on in the background and I'm learning stuff ( not least about serial imagery!).
I didn't realise that Romeo essentially grooms Juliet ( or is he only 3 years older? Not sure about that)

I know mmzz I have also been having tutorial off dgd about romeo and Juliet! She was 13 I think dgd said! She gets into Shakespeare pretty well and poetry. But yet again its the language I'm worried about. But she likes Mr Salle's and is over halfway through that which I am pleased about.

Bluebelle My DD wrote off accountancy from around 18 months old when she realised what I do for a living. Delighted to hear she's not alone - I need more people to enter the profession so I can train them!