I’m a National Careers Service Adviser – Ask Me Anything

OP

Hi, I want to work in the government as someone who is closely related to people’s welfare, that has a direct impact on us. Do you know what that kind of job is called specifically and what I would need to do to get there after doing GCSEs?

Hi,

Thanks for your post.

There might be hundreds of different roles which involve working with people, especially with regards to their welfare so it’s difficult to say what that specific role is.

However, what you can do is have a look at the various roles which could be on offer through our website which gives a bit more information about job roles, qualifications needed and day to day tasks! I’ve included the link below to get your started:

http://bit.ly/2DkzJq0

In order to find roles which are related to welfare, I would recommend checking the Beauty and Wellbeing and the Social Care sections.

It may also be a great idea to speak with one of our advisers directly as they can go over your options in more detail and help you feel more confident about your next steps. You can reach the ‘Contact Us’ section of the website on the link below:

http://bit.ly/2GkrcXU

I hope this helps as a starting point but please feel free to get back in touch.

Many thanks

Tom.

Reply 41

National Careers Service

OP

17

Original post by Effaiii

What uni course should I pick if I want to start as a creative assistant and build op to become a brand manager or creative director? Is media and communication the right course or something else?

Hi,

Thanks for getting in touch, it’s great you’re thinking about your future options!

There could be a few different qualifications which would suit you if you wanted to end up in brand management or as a creative director!

Media and Communications would likely allow you to move into this area of industry, but you may also want to consider qualifications in marketing, business management or digital marketing.

You can research the different creative roles on our website which gives a bit more information about job roles, qualifications needed and day to day tasks! I’ve included the link below to get you started:

http://bit.ly/2DkzJq0

It may also be a great idea to speak with one of our advisers directly as they can go over your options in more detail and help you feel more confident about your next steps. You can reach the ‘Contact Us’ section of the website on the link below:

http://bit.ly/2GkrcXU

I hope this helps and good luck!

Tom.

Reply 42

National Careers Service

OP

17

Original post by hasnat614

Yh I had a look at the website/
I got things like Statisians and doctors, but not sure if I'd be interested in those. Do you mind PMing me?

I'll send you a message now.

Reply 43

National Careers Service

OP

17

Good Afternoon Everyone!

Just a quick message to let you know that we are hosting a facebook live broadcast tonight at 7pm. If you have a question you would like our adviser to answer live on air please submit them here before 7pm!

Thanks - Sophie.

Reply 44

excitedpresent

16

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 made you decide to become a national careers service expert?
How can I too become a national careers service expert? Is the pay decent?

Reply 45

priyankab

5

Original post by National Careers Service

Good Afternoon Everyone!

Just a quick message to let you know that we are hosting a facebook live broadcast tonight at 7pm. If you have a question you would like our adviser to answer live on air please submit them here before 7pm!

Thanks - Sophie.

“You can apply for the Civil Service Fast Track Apprenticeship. This is a 2-year higher apprenticeship. There are 6 different career routes:
• policy
• business
• commercial
• digital, data and technology
• finance
• project delivery”
Could you give a brief over view of what each of the 6 career routes will be like and what it is please, thank you. Also can you do these kinds of apprenticeships while going uni? Is it recommended to do an apprenticeship then go to university or which one is better?
What is the difference between a social services manager and Civil Service executive officer?
Thank you in advance.

Reply 46

National Careers Service

OP

17

Original post by priyankab

“You can apply for the Civil Service Fast Track Apprenticeship. This is a 2-year higher apprenticeship. There are 6 different career routes:
• policy
• business
• commercial
• digital, data and technology
• finance
• project delivery”
Could you give a brief over view of what each of the 6 career routes will be like and what it is please, thank you. Also can you do these kinds of apprenticeships while going uni? Is it recommended to do an apprenticeship then go to university or which one is better?
What is the difference between a social services manager and Civil Service executive officer?
Thank you in advance.

Hi there,

I hope you were able to join out live broadcast over on Facebook for answers to some of your questions above, I am going to tag in @National Apprenticeship Service to see if they can offer further support on the specific apprenticeship questions that you have ask.

Thanks - Sophie.

Reply 47

National Careers Service

OP

17

Original post by neuronal

What made you decide to become a national careers service expert?
How can I too become a national careers service expert? Is the pay decent?

Hi there,

I hope you were able to join me on Facebook live for the answer to your question! If not here it is again...

I started off in youth offending work which lead me to careers support for young people and then onto the National Careers Service so if I’m being honest it wasn’t what I set out to do from the start but I have made a very successful career for myself. To become a careers adviser you need at least a level 4 qualification in advice and guidance or to start working for an advice and guidance service and do your qualifications alongside. You can find out more about pay and qualifications on our website through our careers adviser job profile.

Thanks!

Reply 48

JablinJables

2

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.

Hi, I was thinking of doing a business administration apprenticeship as I would like to work in a professional business environment. But I was wondering if it is a good idea, because I'm not sure if I would be able to progress with a level 3 in business admin and would just be stuck with that for the rest of my career

Reply 49

silv_23

14

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.

So right now I am in year 12 doing A - Levels. So I want to do Maths degree in university. Do you think a maths degree will help open doors to career paths? Secondly is the finance industry going well? - I am just concerned whether I'll be able to get a job at the end of my university course. Thirdly, what is the current employment rate for actuaries (or actuarial scientists) and accountant (or chartered accountants). Sorry for the number of questions as I am quite concerned and confused.

Reply 50

National Careers Service

OP

17

Original post by JablinJables

Hi, I was thinking of doing a business administration apprenticeship as I would like to work in a professional business environment. But I was wondering if it is a good idea, because I'm not sure if I would be able to progress with a level 3 in business admin and would just be stuck with that for the rest of my career

Hi,

Thanks for your post, I’m sorry for the delay in getting back to you!

A business admin apprenticeship can be a really good starting point for a variety of different careers as it can cover a wide range of different roles! Lots of people start their careers though apprenticeships as it can offer the chance to work within a particular business or industry which might be of interest to you.

For example, you may be interested in finance, fashion, sports or retail – all of which will offer opportunities for business admin apprentices as they are all essentially businesses.

It’s very likely that you will be offered the opportunity to progress to higher level apprenticeships once you have completed your level 3, or you may choose to use that level 3 qualification to apply for different roles in different companies – some universities accept level 3 apprenticeships as suitable entry qualifications for their degree subjects so it’s unlikely you’ll be stuck with this one qualification for the rest of your career!

If you wanted to discuss this in more details, I would certainly recommend giving our advisers a shot and they will be happy to chat with you about your options and hopefully help you feel more confident about your next steps:

http://bit.ly/2GkrcXU

I hope this helps and good luck!

Tom.

Reply 51

National Careers Service

OP

17

Original post by silv_23

So right now I am in year 12 doing A - Levels. So I want to do Maths degree in university. Do you think a maths degree will help open doors to career paths? Secondly is the finance industry going well? - I am just concerned whether I'll be able to get a job at the end of my university course. Thirdly, what is the current employment rate for actuaries (or actuarial scientists) and accountant (or chartered accountants). Sorry for the number of questions as I am quite concerned and confused.

Hi,

Thanks for your message, I’m sorry you’re feeling concerned but it’s great you’re looking for advice!

Maths can be an excellent way of opening lots of career doors as it’s a subject which can be used in a variety of different fields. Lots of employers see it as an ‘academically sound’ subject, which basically means the way that you study the subject implies that you can learn new skills which the employer may need you to have.

The finance industry in general is quite consistent with regards to recruitment – it is a competitive field so you will be expected to have high grades in your qualifications but there are many different opportunity types which may be open to you. If you wanted to look at alternative options to university, I would recommend researching degree level apprenticeships as they can provide a route into financial careers which also allow you to build work experience in the industry at the same time.

With regards to employment rates, you can get a general idea from the Careers Smart website which I’ve included a link to below along with the Job Profiles pages from the National Careers Service and Prospects websites:

https://careersmart.org.uk/occupations/actuaries-economists-and-statisticians
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/actuary
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/actuary

I would also recommend speaking with our advisers directly to discuss these options in more detail on the link below:

http://bit.ly/2GkrcXU

Please feel free to get back in touch if there is anything else we can help with!

Good luck!

Tom.

Reply 52

CinnamonSmol

20

any top tips for getting a summer job/internship? Where are the best places to look? :smile:

Reply 53

linna

5

Hello! Thank you for this opportunity to ask questions.

I will be starting a bachelor‘s degree at a well-regarded university this year. My BA will be a Liberal Arts style course involving politics, sociology and studies of foreign languages and cultures. As I already know that I would like to do a PhD and pursue an academic career path eventually, I am wondering how I could already pave the way for that to come true. Is there anything I could or should do right now and/or once I‘ve started my bachelor‘s degree that will prepare me for an academic career in the long run?

Thank you in advance!

Reply 54

National Careers Service

OP

17

Original post by CinnamonSmol

any top tips for getting a summer job/internship? Where are the best places to look? :smile:

Hi there,

Great question.

One of the best sites I can recommend is called Prospects there is a section on their for finding summer jobs and internships with some links to approved sites and organisations - https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/work-experience-and-internships/internships

You can also use a site called E4S which is Employment 4 Students - https://www.e4s.co.uk/

I hope this helps!

Sophie.

Reply 55

National Careers Service

OP

17

Original post by linna

Hello! Thank you for this opportunity to ask questions.

I will be starting a bachelor‘s degree at a well-regarded university this year. My BA will be a Liberal Arts style course involving politics, sociology and studies of foreign languages and cultures. As I already know that I would like to do a PhD and pursue an academic career path eventually, I am wondering how I could already pave the way for that to come true. Is there anything I could or should do right now and/or once I‘ve started my bachelor‘s degree that will prepare me for an academic career in the long run?

Thank you in advance!

Hi there,

When you say academic career do you have anything more specific in mind?

You could/should be doing as much work experience as you possibly can right now to build your skills and experience for future paid employment. Having a degree and PhD is fantastic but it's not quite enough to secure employment now. Employers need to see your experience and you have the right skills for the job.

I look forward to hearing back from you with some more specific info so we can talk through it further and maybe even look into specific places you can try for work experience.

Thanks,

Sophie.

Reply 56

linna

5

Thank you for your reply!

I‘m sorry I haven‘t been more specific about the kind of academic career. What I meant to say was that I would eventually like to carry out research and teach at a social sciences faculty at a university (I‘m not entirely clear on the differences between terms like lecturer and professor, so I won‘t use those). As I haven‘t even started my bachelor‘s degree yet, it might be a little early to start trying to prepare for becoming an academic, as I know that most people only decide to go down that road and prepare properly for it once they start their master‘s or PhD. It‘s probably for that reason that there are so few resources out there (at least I haven’t managed to find any) for sixth-form and undergraduate students - no funding to attend conferences, placements with university research departments, and so on... I would be immensely grateful for any tips and resources you may have at hand! Specifically, I‘m looking for things I could do in the upcoming months (i.e. the remainder of my gap year), so any propositions regarding schemes, placements and courses would be very much appreciated.

Original post by National Careers Service

Hi there,

When you say academic career do you have anything more specific in mind?

You could/should be doing as much work experience as you possibly can right now to build your skills and experience for future paid employment. Having a degree and PhD is fantastic but it's not quite enough to secure employment now. Employers need to see your experience and you have the right skills for the job.

I look forward to hearing back from you with some more specific info so we can talk through it further and maybe even look into specific places you can try for work experience.

Thanks,

Sophie.

Reply 57

National Careers Service

OP

17

Original post by linna

Thank you for your reply!

I‘m sorry I haven‘t been more specific about the kind of academic career. What I meant to say was that I would eventually like to carry out research and teach at a social sciences faculty at a university (I‘m not entirely clear on the differences between terms like lecturer and professor, so I won‘t use those). As I haven‘t even started my bachelor‘s degree yet, it might be a little early to start trying to prepare for becoming an academic, as I know that most people only decide to go down that road and prepare properly for it once they start their master‘s or PhD. It‘s probably for that reason that there are so few resources out there (at least I haven’t managed to find any) for sixth-form and undergraduate students - no funding to attend conferences, placements with university research departments, and so on... I would be immensely grateful for any tips and resources you may have at hand! Specifically, I‘m looking for things I could do in the upcoming months (i.e. the remainder of my gap year), so any propositions regarding schemes, placements and courses would be very much appreciated.

Hi thanks for coming back to me.

I don't think it's too early for you to gain some work experience in an educational environment such as a school, how would you feel about that?

You could even use the summer to travel and teach you can find out more about this here - https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/gap-year/teach-english-abroad

The prospects website has loads of useful resources to find upcoming gap year schemes that you can get involved in.

As you start to progress through your degree you could look into the possibility of volunteering with the university in the research department, get involved in research projects and also as a student lecturer. Many of your lecturers will be carrying out their own research alongside and you could offer to help.

I hope those ideas sound good, happy to try and help further if you have further questions.

Many thanks,

Sophie.

Reply 58

silv_23

14

Original post by National Careers Service

Hi,

Thanks for your message, I’m sorry you’re feeling concerned but it’s great you’re looking for advice!

Maths can be an excellent way of opening lots of career doors as it’s a subject which can be used in a variety of different fields. Lots of employers see it as an ‘academically sound’ subject, which basically means the way that you study the subject implies that you can learn new skills which the employer may need you to have.

The finance industry in general is quite consistent with regards to recruitment – it is a competitive field so you will be expected to have high grades in your qualifications but there are many different opportunity types which may be open to you. If you wanted to look at alternative options to university, I would recommend researching degree level apprenticeships as they can provide a route into financial careers which also allow you to build work experience in the industry at the same time.

With regards to employment rates, you can get a general idea from the Careers Smart website which I’ve included a link to below along with the Job Profiles pages from the National Careers Service and Prospects websites:

https://careersmart.org.uk/occupations/actuaries-economists-and-statisticians
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/actuary
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/actuary

I would also recommend speaking with our advisers directly to discuss these options in more detail on the link below:

http://bit.ly/2GkrcXU

Please feel free to get back in touch if there is anything else we can help with!

Good luck!

Tom.

Thank you so much for your help! You reassured me a bit - I appreciate it. Hope you have a great weekend