Lied about GCSEs now facing an pre employment screening

[LadyV79]

Hi all, please dont judge as Im beating myself up about this and always have but I dont have any GCSE's due to childhood trauma and I didnt sit my exams at all.

I left school in 1995 with no qualifications and had a bit of trouble finding employment due to this so started to lie on my CV of having the basic GCSE passes.

I am currently in employment with a Government ran organisation and have been for 6 years but have been offered another job today which Im thrilled about but have been told I have to have a pre employment screening (I think this is more detailed than a regular DBS check) with Security Watchdog and I have to enter my "highest academic qualification" and Im now really really worried this will be checked and have been so upset as I think my job offer will get taken away.

I know lying is a very bad thing to do but I saw no other way to try and get work and now I am so worried everything is going to fall apart and Im going to lose this job opportunity.

Has anyone had any experience either way with the pre employment screening or this company who does it, will they do it? 1995 was a long time ago so I dont even know if my GCSEs will be relevent anymore. I did obtain a Diploma a few years ago from an online course but doubt I can get away with just having that down as my "highest academic qualification". Guys, I dont know what to do and Im in bits over this. Again, please dont be judgemental, I know Ive done wrong but I just wanted work at the end of the day.

Hi sorry to hijack this thread.. @0none0 I'd love to retake maths GCSE but thought it cost a fortune (I'm 33) is there a way to do it for free? thanks

@Suzi888

I’d just put the level 3 qualification and hope for the best.

Bearing in mind that the OP said she’s since found out her diploma isn’t a level 3, even though she was led to believe it was, I don’t think advising her to lie again is a great idea.

@LadyV79 it's a said back, not a failure so absolutely don't give up. All that may have happened is one route forward for you may no longer be workable, doesn't mean there aren't other ways to accomplish what you wish to. Adult education through local authority may well be heavily discounted, if not free (especially if you were to end up needing to apply for benefits). So just see this as a way to fix a situation and move forward. Any response from your employer?

@clouds87

Hi sorry to hijack this thread.. *@0none0* I'd love to retake maths GCSE but thought it cost a fortune (I'm 33) is there a way to do it for free? thanks

It certainly looks like it is free but only if you haven't got a pass in it, this looks to be the criteria, The majority of job roles require GCSE Maths and GCSE English grades 9 to 4 (or A* to C on the old grading system), so anything below that. You can't get a free course though if you did pass but want a better pass, say C to A. I would look at your local college for a September start.

Despite having a degree etc, I had a lowly grade at cse in maths. In my late 40s, I did a family learning course and took functional skills level 2 maths. It was free due to my poor grade in maths.
It was worth doing.

Even a F still counts as a pass. So I assume that it's only free if you got a U or failed to sit them.

No it is grade C/4 or above that is a gcse pass. Anyone with Maths and/or English gcse below this is entitled to a free resit course, there will be further education colleges , adult education and online providers offering this and level 2 Functional Skills.

It's free to sit GCSE English and Maths GCSE at college as long as you don't already have a grade C (if you have a C in Eng Lit you can sit Language for free) or the modern Grade 4

33 is no age - my oldest GCSE student was 68 😀

@Workyticket , does it involve an exam?

I suffer from agoraphobia and would really struggle to keep myself calm if I feel "hemmed in" for an hour or so unable to leave. I've been keen to do my GCSE's again for years and it's the only thing that puts me off

[quote blahblahblah321]@Workyticket , does it involve an exam?

I suffer from agoraphobia and would really struggle to keep myself calm if I feel "hemmed in" for an hour or so unable to leave. I've been keen to do my GCSE's again for years and it's the only thing that puts me off [/quote]
Unfortunately yes - our courses are 1 x 3 hour lesson in class every week

Maths = 3 exams, each one is 1.5 hours long

English = 2 exams I think but I'm not 100% sure

You can apply for Special Exam Cons though which can involve a separate or smaller room.

@blahblahblah321 you can certainly sit FS tests in a small group, less formal than a traditional exam room, or you may qualify for access arrangements with rest breaks.

[quote LIZS]@blahblahblah321 you can certainly sit FS tests in a small group, less formal than a traditional exam room, or you may qualify for access arrangements with rest breaks. [/quote]
Oh that's interesting, thanks! I need to research this further

Lying on an application form is indeed fraud.

The op has obtained money that essentially they have no right to.

In other words 'obtaining/gaining pecuniary advantage by deception'.

Yes the op now, could put the level 3 diploma down on the application form. That's true. Today. But, assuming the job application is internal they've gained advantage over external candidates.

The best course of action would be to ring a confidential hr type helpline that's anonymous and ask for their advice.

The decent thing to do is to resign - 6 years of salary pension etc etc to which they had no rights. Maybe just maybe they'd let you apply as a compassionate gesture.

I have a professional diploma that means I'm an authorised signatory for passports. A friend/ex-colleague now ex-friend asked me if I could giver her a reference. Stupidly I agreed, I'd known her for 5 years. Later she told me quite breezily that she'd lied on her form as 'everyone does' not only as to the grades on the 'O' levels she did have, but added a few more for good measure.

She put at risk my qualification by her lies and could've cost me my good name. I then decided that she was the first, last and only person for whom I'd agree to give a reference. The potential cost to me is too high. I should have asked to copy her exam certs before doing it.

I've had to supply the following for the last few job interviews

Passport
Driving license
Utility bills in my name
Original qualification & course certificates
References
CV
Current & previous addresses

'

You’re not alone lying about them op, I left school at 15 (2001) without any standard grades (gcse equivalent) I’ve always put down on my cv that I have them, I’ve had several jobs in 20 years and it’s never been checked, thankfully. I have completed various NCFE and CACHE certificates but have no actual qualifications.

I was vetted by security watchdog. They didn’t check my academic info just my last 10 years employment. It was pain in the arse as one employed refused to provide a reference as I have changed name so I had to get payslips from 2012 and 2015.

@LadyV79 can I ask what the outcome was of this? What security checks did they do? Did they check about the qualifications etc? I’m in the same boat and scared

Every employer in my industry (Financial Services) uses these vetting firms for pre-employment screening. Some of them are very detailed indeed and go back through every job, every qualification, every gap, literally everything on your c.v.. I was once asked to show my flight tickets from travelling! It's actually quite stressful being under the microscope. If they find any discrepancy at all, job offers are usually withdrawn.