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If you have questions about careers, education, employment, training or apprenticeships - ask here and a National Careers Service expert adviser will get back to you.

This thread is no longer being monitored by a National Careers Service adviser. If you would like to talk to a careers adviser then you can chat online using this link https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/contact-us or call 0800 100 900.

(edited 3 years ago)

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Reply 1

tesconyc

how do I stand out from the competition

Reply 2

username3539714

After completing A Levels, what level apprenticeship should I do for Accounting?

Reply 3

National Careers Service

Original post by tesconyc

how do I stand out from the competition

Hi there,

Thanks for getting in touch.

Would this be for employment or something different like an apprenticeship or university course for example?

Hope to hear back from you!

Thanks - Sophie.

Reply 4

henrythegury

Top uni course to get into banking?

Reply 5

National Careers Service

Original post by AM_TSR

After completing A Levels, what level apprenticeship should I do for Accounting?

Hi there,

Great question. This is all going to come down to the grades you achieve and the level of previous work experience you have in accountancy.

You may be able to go straight to level 4 or 5 (possibly 6 depending on entry requirements) the employer will likely state what they need you to have for the level you're applying for.

If you were to start on the level 4, chances are you would progress quite quickly up to 5 and 6. There are plenty of accountancy apprenticeship vacancies available right now for you to do some research into. You can adjust the levels and location to match what you're looking for - https://bit.ly/2XmMN7o

Hope that helps, don't hesitate to get back in touch if you have further questions - Sophie.

Reply 6

National Careers Service

Original post by Novam the proton

Top uni course to get into banking?

Hi thanks for your question.

My advice would be to check out the rankings list for Banking here - https://www.whatuni.com/degree-courses/search?subject=banking

It shows you all the rankings for banking degree courses at uni's across the UK from top to bottom.

I hope that helps!

Thanks - Sophie.

Reply 7

username3539714

Original post by National Careers Service

Thanks. I have one last question. I've got work experience within the accounting and finance industry and read some books related to business however, I was just wondering what other things you would suggest to help improve my application to university/apprenticeships next year.

Reply 8

tesconyc

Original post by National Careers Service

Hi there,

Thanks for getting in touch.

Would this be for employment or something different like an apprenticeship or university course for example?

Hope to hear back from you!

Thanks - Sophie.

employment

Reply 9

tesconyc

what uni is good for engineering?

is Loughborough good for engineering. if I do go there im afraid I won't fit in as I don't do sports and it's a sports uni

Reply 10

National Careers Service

Original post by AM_TSR

Thanks for getting back in touch.

Around about 6 months to a year is seen as a good length of time for work experience so if you can build it up that would put you in a strong position.

As well as relevant work experience you will also need to have developed the basic employment skills employers will expect you to have like - teamwork, communication, problem solving, organisation etc. so any paid or voluntary experience you can do on top would be seen as beneficial as well. If you would like to search your local area online for volunteering you can use www.do-it.org as a starting point.

With experience sorted, your next turning point will be your applications/personal statement that is going to make you stand out from the crowd - you can check out how to write a winning apprenticeship application here - https://bit.ly/2IDqdUP

For tips on writing a personal statement UCAS has a great guide too - https://bit.ly/2K0eaAc

Try not to limit yourself to what you apply for, you can apply for both university and apprenticeships at the same time and make your decision. There is no guarantee that you will be offered an apprenticeship so it can be good to have some uni applications to fall back on.

I hope this helps!

Sophie.

Reply 11

username2998742

Not a careers question, but I'm gonna ask it anyway :colondollar:

How are you doing today my dude?

Reply 12

National Careers Service

Original post by tesconyc

employment

Thanks for getting back in touch.

There are a few things that can really help you stand out from the crowd when looking for employment.

Your CV needs to be up to date and ready to go, it's best to get this checked over before you send it out. It should be no longer than 2 sides of A4 and it should be tailored to the job that you're applying for. This goes for your covering letter as well.

Experience and skills are what employers are looking for so as much relevant work experience as you can get would be great, around about 6 months to a year is seen as a good length of time.

When going for interviews it's also important that you stand out here, this is where employers have the chance to get to know you better so it's about demonstrating your communication skills, your knowledge and providing real life examples. Remember it's not about what the company can do for you but what you can bring to them. Always ask questions at the end of the interview but be careful not to ask something you should already know. Ask about opportunities and training and how that company can support you with reaching your full potential.

Our website has a great section on help with finding a job which I would advise you check out - https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/get-a-job

If you need to start a CV I would recommend using Reed's CV Builder tool - https://www.reed.co.uk/cvbuilder

Good luck! - Sophie.

Reply 13

National Careers Service

Original post by tesconyc

what uni is good for engineering?

is Loughborough good for engineering. if I do go there im afraid I won't fit in as I don't do sports and it's a sports uni

Hi there,

Really comes down to the type of engineering you want to do but you can use WhatUni to check out how the uni's are ranked for this subject - https://www.whatuni.com/degree-courses/search?subject=engineering

I hope this helps!

Sophie.

Reply 14

National Careers Service

Original post by HowToBeABlobfish

Not a careers question, but I'm gonna ask it anyway :colondollar:

How are you doing today my dude?

Hi there,

I am doing really well thanks - How are you?

Sophie.

Reply 15

username2998742

Original post by National Careers Service

Hi there,

I am doing really well thanks - How are you?

Sophie.

Thats good :smile:

I'm tired lmao I'm stuck in double biology :redface:

Reply 16

DrewKid

Original post by National Careers Service

If you have questions about careers, education, employment, training or apprenticeships - ask here and a National Careers Service expert adviser will get back to you.

what are good subjects to chooses at a level if I want to become a pe teacher and what are the top universities to go to for becoming a pe teacher

Reply 17

National Careers Service

Hi there,

Strong subjects that may help will be aside from the obvious which is sports - Biology, Chemistry and Psychology as they will keep other routes open such as Physiotherapy, Sports Science and Sports Psychology.

Check out WhatUni for sports degrees and their rankings here - https://www.whatuni.com/degree-courses/search?q=sport&sort=r-or

You can filter it to meet your requirements and what you're looking for to help you research uni's and pick the one that is right for you.

I hope this helps!

Sophie.

Reply 18

throwaway1998

Hello, don't know if you're still replying to these or if I'm too late.

I have absolutely no idea what I want to do after graduating. I know want to remain in Cornwall where I grew up but aside from that I have no clear direction.

Any advice on how to get started? I've been through about 6 different career ideas over the past 2 months and still don't know what I want to do

Reply 19

National Careers Service

Hi,

Thanks for your post, you’re in plenty of time for advice!

Firstly, it’s completely normal to be unsure about the type of career you feel you’re best suited towards so never feel as if you’re on your own!

The choice about what type of career might be best can hinge on a lot of different factors – for example, you mentioned you want to stay in Cornwall which means there will be a larger amount of certain jobs available in your area than others – this can have a positive (or negative) effect on how likely it is to gain employment in a certain industry.

As there could be thousands of different careers you can research, I would recommend starting off with a Skills Health Check on our website – these are a range of quizzes and questionnaires which can give a better idea of what type of jobs and careers match up with your skills and talents. It does take a little bit of time to complete, but it gives you a break down of particular career roles which can help narrow down your research in the future!

You can have a look at the Skills Health Check on the link below:

http://bit.ly/2DZHhzI

You can also use the Explore Careers section to be able to see if a certain role matches up with your expectations and get a better idea of the qualifications, entry requirements and day to day tasks for a particular role:

http://bit.ly/2DkzJq0

We’ve also got advisers standing by to help discuss these options in more details with you, you can speak with us anytime between 8am and 10pm every day through the following:

http://bit.ly/2GkrcXU

I hope this helps to get started by feel free to get back in touch and I’m more than happy to offer further information!

Good luck!

Tom.