Unplanned gap year - what to do...

I’m sure it’ll be worth it to know you’ll be on a course you really enjoy, on top of all the new experiences from this year.

You'd apply with known grades for everything else, including AS Maths, and with A2 Maths marked as ‘pending’. A predicted grade for this would be written in your reference, presumably by your AS Maths teacher.

As for the second point, depends on the uni. If you still apply to at least a couple of the unis that don’t require maths to A2 then you should get unconditionals from them, while places wanting AAB incl. maths would probably only make your offer conditional on a B in maths if you have AA from other subjects. You’d have to contact them to know for sure, though - they can set whatever conditions they like.

I ended up in a similar situation, except with changing course to Mechanical Engineering from music with no work experience but relevent A levels. Only started looking for placements and jobs relevant to my course in the September after finishing school- applied for several YINI places with some that were hundreds of miles away, but didn't get through to any interviews. I was getting desperate and sent my CV and letters/emails to over 20 local companies followed up with phone calls. Most places completely ignored these and didn't reply - sadly it helps a lot if you have contacts within the company who can make sure you get in contact with the right person. It might be worth contacting your school/college and asking friends/family if they could put you in contact with someone too. Most places have no interest in people who don't have a degree though, so it's tough.

By November I had attended a handful of interviews for placements ranging to 13 weeks completely unpaid (note, this is the legal limit for internships before they have to pay you), travel expenses paid, and a job on decent wages. I took the job and the unpaid one for 6 and 3 months respectively and both have been really useful - some of the stuff I ended up doing was admin, but the rest more than made up for it. As well as gaining experience, I managed to get sponsorship for uni out of it, and job offers for when I finish too, so it has been well worth it.

TL;DR Persevere and you might get something relevant

Why don't you try and work as a science technician in a hospital or school/university?

This is a good shout, thanks! I haven't seen anything going as far as science technicians sadly

I think my chem teacher told me the all our technicians at my schools had science degrees of some sort but it could be worth a go

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I think my chem teacher told me the all our technicians at my schools had science degrees of some sort but it could be worth a go

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There was a girl in my school in the year above who had to take a gap year and she worked for a term as a technician, paid as well. So maybe approach your old school?

Also, if you applied to be a medical lab assistant, all the training is on the job, so you don't even need a levels to apply Good luck

Oh wow that is a really similar situation, right down to YINI! That has given me so much hope you have no idea. In my mind, I wanted to get a placement by September, I was getting so annoyed that this wasn't happening as my parents are so against this gap year (which I have no control over) they wanted me to go to clearing just so I could go to uni - which would be a waste of my grades :/ Were these all yini placements? Or did you individually contact these companies? Also what kind of companies did you contact? I have no idea who to target or how to find them...

But that sounds amazing, I'm so happy it worked out for you! And a sponsorship out of it aswell, that is amazing! Well done

I totally get not wanting to go through clearing - the thought of spending 3-5 years at somewhere I hadn't even visited before really wasn't appealing.

None of my placements were YINI - I applied for a quite few of those and although they say that they become available throughout the year, most seem to start around now and be given to people who applied a year in advance. Only fair I suppose, but a bit of a pain.

I applied to lots of big energy companies and automotive manufacturers, as well as a few smaller random ones - there are lots here in the midlands. I basically looked at all of the companies that sponsored a science fair I once did, and had to google for ages to get email and postal addresses. If I got stuck I phoned up and asked - usually I was given the email address for HR. At the same time I was applying for jobs in all of the local supermarkets - I'm kinda glad I got rejected by these otherwise this year could have gone very differently!

Make sure you mention any relevent skills you have - I think I got one of my placements because I said in my covering letter that I could program and use Excel.

A friend also took an unplanned gap year, and she worked as a science technician at school like some other people have mentioned (covering 3 months of maternity leave), then a different automotive company from me, and finally at a cafe to save up some more money.

Good luck - really hope it goes well for you!

Can anyone give me any ideas for where to look for possible internships/placements/jobs remotely related to chemistry? ALL the work exp opportunities I've found are targeted to people still in school or people at uni. ALSO I have signed up to YINI and I am waiting to hear back for placement opportunities. But apart from that I am stumped.
Any help would be appreciated