'The challenge ' or work experience

[Claybury]

I'm trying to persuade DS16 to sign up for the Challenge. He is not keen, reckons 'not even nerds will do that' but he has agreed to do work experience instead as he thinks it would be more valuable.
Things is work experience might be hard for me to organise and in any case surely NCS is well regarded if he's thinking about university applications ?
Thoughts anyone ?

What universities will be interested in is his ability to organise things, not to have them organised by his mum.

That's what you're meant to learn from work experience, even in Yr 9, to organise things yourself, contact potential employers, sell yourself, organise yourself there.

Quite frankly, admissions officers couldn't care less if you have trekked across Borneo or served up cups of tea in the local nursing home. But they can recognise the kind of maturity you acquire by taking your life into your own hands.

The Challenge is an excellent thing because if done correctly it can teach exactly that kind of independence. But so can anything else he comes up with himself and organises himself.

Funnily enough, my DD signed up for the Challenge yesterday!

Is your son in Year 11 at the moment? If so, he will have a very long summer holiday so I would've thought he could do the Challenge and work experience if he wanted. DD is hoping to do both, but we need to sort out our holiday first!

I think DD's Headmistress said the Challenge was worth some UCAS points. Can't remember how many, or if it was enough to make any difference. But I would think it would be something to talk about during an interview, be it for uni or a job.

I'd love to sign DD up to the challenge or ncs programme but we live in the Yorkshire area and its difficult to find a programme they seem to be London, Manchester and west midlands based

I'd love to sign DD up to the challenge or ncs programme but we live in the Yorkshire area and its difficult to find a programme they seem to be London, Manchester and west midlands based

All of the things that attract UCAS points are listed at www.ucas.com/how-it-all-works/explore-your-options/entry-requirements/tariff-tables but NCS isn't one of them. There are lots of rumours about different things (e.g. DofE) attracting UCAS points, but unless it's on that table it's not actually true.

Admissions tutors won't give two hoots about NCS / work experience unless he can make it directly relevant to his eventual course.

www.ucas.com/how-it-all-works/explore-your-options/entry-requirements/tariff-tables

On the NCS publicity it says 'Recognised by UCAS'. They couldn't say this unless there was some kind of link.
It doesn't explain what 'recognised' means...it's misleading, but not deliberately so, surely?

Agree with Cory.
DS2 did work experience organised through his school. All he had to do was turn up. Frankly this year's experience of doing a paper round he'd phoned up for, and having to schlep out in the pouring rain or he won't get paid for it, has been a more valuable life lesson except he plans to buy more bloody guitars with the proceeds.

redkindof, The Challenge is the organisation that has won the contract to run National Citizen Service in lots of parts of the country, but not Yorkshire. In Yorkshire there are several different providers not a 'monopoly'. If you google 'National Citizen Service Yorkshire' or your specific council area, you should find your local one. :)

My ds did the Challenge, and it was fantastic - what's not to love... a week away from your parents and family doing a whole load of outdoor stuff, then another week away from your family doing your creative stuff, then the 3rd week (OK, he did come home to sleep for this one) was the Community / Voluntary planning stuff.

I don't know about 'nerds' doing it, but I have come across youngsters who were too scared to do it - maybe that's what he is feeling really, but trying to kid himself others that it's just 'uncool' ?

Can't say it's going to help with university applications, etc., but it might give him a taste of living away from home. In the 2nd week my ds was housed in University Student flats, given a budget and told to get on with it in terms of shopping and cooking. So all good learning experiences for some of his new flatmates who didn't have a clue how to look after themselves.

(Old thread I know, but as it comes up in search results its still valid).

NCS is not all it's cracked up to be. Great experience (two separate weeks away) but weeks 3 and 4 are really disorganised and students are left for many hours sitting around without proper guidance (YMMV).

And all this tosh about UCAS points is rubbish. At a pre-event meeting someone asked "how many UCAS points" and the presenter smiled uncomfortably in that "oh cr*p someone asked the question" kind of way and said "it depends".

I now have the answer: none. there are no UCAS points available. Having checked on both NCS and UCAS websites there is no mention of points.

NCS is "recognised by UCAS". well all that means is they "recognise that it exists". Great! So do I. you can have some "Mike Points" off me. They're worth about the same...

-Mike