Applied for apprentiship and now dreading

[Lostandlost]

I am 41.
A part time admin, I have good admin skills but I am introverted. I can get on with any number of tasks per day and can perform well. I do get into meeting but I am expected to take notes etc which is perfect.

Now, as my job is also remote, I wanted to get into a full time in the UK; I applied for an apprentiship in a big company. There are 4 stages to get in and I am at stage 3.

The 4 th stage is group assesment in assesment centre. Group discussion, presentation, individual interview and written exam. Except the written exam, I am dreading all of it. I will be against 20yr olds who think life are rainbows( I love that age thou :) ). They wear good makeup, talk confident and I expect mostly extroverted kids who will naturally love presentations and discussions.

I have seen more life, I am not as optimistic as I was in my 20s. I am a good listener and then give ideas at the end. I cant just talk continuosly thinking out loud. I dread presentations but I love working on something and giving a best possible solution in a email or just show the best end result.

I dont even know why I applied. It is not a marketing or customer service apprentiship. Its a business admin appretiship. May be I was excited to learn and do a professional level 3 course- but to get to that I need to do ( or fake) what I am not. I dont know if I should even attend or just let it go :(

Please help.

You should attend. You have got to stage 3 on your own merit. I work in apprenticeships and my best apprentices are my older applicants. They have more life experience, often better communication skills and are not in a rush to show off and be one of the crowd, they tend to study harder as it is more of a concious choice to apply.

attend, be present, be yourself and just do your best!

There’s a lot of assumptions in your post …how do you know the others are all 20s, make up & chatty extroverts? Honestly you don’t. Focus on what YOU bring, good listening skills, more life experience and ability maybe to calmly think through an answer not just blurt out the 1st thing in your head. Imposter syndrome is felt by lots of people at all levels, have confidence in what you can bring don’t worry about others. You may be more reliable, more likely to stay after your training in the role, be open to learn and Good Luck.

I was once a 20something at an assessment event like you described and I wasn’t the loudest or most chattest at the group discussion but I did listen, proolpose an idea and ask for the views of others around the table who hadn’t contributed- I got the job.

Amongst other things, I recruit apprentices.

You don't need help. Tidy up what you just said and I'd take you in a second. You don't want to know how many 20 year olds I've literally had to get out of bed to start work. How many graduates I've had who have done nothing and know everything.

You are amazing. You are the person I want. You've been there, got the t-shirt, and haven't given up. You aren't faking anything, you just need to believe in who you are. You've aced 3 rounds. That's fantastic. If you don't make it this time, don't give up. You are not old and you want to progress. There'll be someone like me out there that desperately wants someone like you.

I recruit grads - you are fab, have faith in yourself. The grads really are not the full of confidence, been everywhere, done everything group you expect them to be. You'd be surprised. Good luck!

Thats a lot of biased assumptions OP!

I think you need to be a bit more open minded. Have faith in yourself and remember you’ve got nothing to lose by giving it a shot, you’ve gotten this far for a reason

You are just nervous and projecting op! Good on you as pp said, keep going and just concentrate on what you want out of it - to learn and have a change. Try not to worry, sounds great and again good on you you sound dedicated and know yourself which is an important team skill!!

No, I really wouldn't be surprised, because 90% of the grads our employer recruits are exactly this. So much so that our service area now refuses to have graduates because they have proven more trouble than they are worth. That may not be the experience in other industries or employers, but it's ours.

You people are fab. No really.
I do toally agree that I am asuming heavily. Well, it feels good to think about it as just that.. an assumption.

I almost gave up, anyhow I do have a week and I will start preparing possible qs and answers and be myself if surprise qs come up.

I was scared that I will make a fool of myself there, but now I am starting to think; (Like PP said)... what do I have to lose, I will go home knowing I gave it all even thou I wasnt sure about it.

Thanks again all

You never know OP there might be someone similar sitting at home worrying about the same thing as you!

You’ve applied for an apprenticeship at 41, and I doubt you’re the first person older than the typical apprentice age that’s applied.

Good luck and tell us how it goes!!