The Student Room Group

why is it that to get a job people would prefer to do an apprenticeship rather than

go directly into a job?
The problem is a lot of the time you can't get a job unless you already have some experience.
Because the company can then pay you less and get subsidies from the Government for doing it. It is an easy way to exploit cheap labour.
You should avoid companies offering apprenticeships for entry level work, they are deeply unethical and show exactly how the company wishes to treat you.
Reply 3
Original post by Anon346775
go directly into a job?

For certain jobs apprenticeships can be a way to get a degree while earning and gaining experience eg Surveying.
Reply 4
Original post by Dupe Hunter
Because the company can then pay you less and get subsidies from the Government for doing it. It is an easy way to exploit cheap labour.
You should avoid companies offering apprenticeships for entry level work, they are deeply unethical and show exactly how the company wishes to treat you.


so the company can pay you less and exploit you for cheap labour if you went straight into a job but then you say that you should avoid apprenticeships offering entry level work, thats nearly all apprenticeships isn’t it? What apprenticeships would you class as offering entry level work, admin, retail, cleaning?

Most people I know who do apprenticeships usually start at the bottom and work their way up, so at first they would be looking at entry level work.
Reply 5
you can’t do medicine with an apprenticeship, you may be able to do law, the closest to medicine I can find is a pharmacy assistant apprentice, and my cousin did his A levels, didn't meet his uni offer to become a doctor so he went into pharmacy.
Reply 6
my parents say “if you don’t want to study, do an apprenticeship” but apprenticeships still require a bit of studying, so I would say get a full time job
Original post by Anon346775
so the company can pay you less and exploit you for cheap labour if you went straight into a job but then you say that you should avoid apprenticeships offering entry level work, thats nearly all apprenticeships isn’t it? What apprenticeships would you class as offering entry level work, admin, retail, cleaning?

Most people I know who do apprenticeships usually start at the bottom and work their way up, so at first they would be looking at entry level work.

Admin, retail and cleaning are perfect examples. All of them don't require prior experience and the training should take less than a couple of weeks.

You should be paid minimum wage for that kind of work, not apprentice wage.
Reply 8
Original post by Joinedup
The problem is a lot of the time you can't get a job unless you already have some experience.

even apprenticeships ask for experience nowadays, and if you are a school leaver and 16 years old just did your GCSEs, its unlikely they will have work experience so they would have to either volunteer or get a traineeship which can then progress to an apprenticeship.
Reply 9
Original post by Dupe Hunter
Admin, retail and cleaning are perfect examples. All of them don't require prior experience and the training should take less than a couple of weeks.

You should be paid minimum wage for that kind of work, not apprentice wage.

admin requires prior experience, I know from experience because I tried applying for an apprenticeship and they called me saying why I left education a year earlier than normal and why I have no work experience apart from the placement I had from secondary school and why I was out of work for 3 years, but in working class entry level jobs its very easy to gain experience through volunteering or a traineeship that can lead to an apprenticeship.

If you don’t have a degree or don’t have college level education then you may be stuck at working class entry level jobs and would have to work your way up.
What apprentice jobs can you think of that is middle class or a bit more demanding?
(edited 2 years ago)
have you heard of level 2/level 3 apprenticeships where the wage is pretty low like £172 weekly or something?

Admin requires a pulse, so would you say its hard? at the same time you say it shouldn’t be an apprentice job, why because they are low in pay and you earn less than £25k?
(edited 2 years ago)
Original post by Anon346775
admin requires prior experience, I know from experience because I tried applying for an apprenticeship and they called me saying why I left education a year earlier than normal and why I have no work experience apart from the placement I had from secondary school and why I was out of work for 3 years, but in working class entry level jobs its very easy to gain experience through volunteering or a traineeship that can lead to an apprenticeship.

If you don’t have a degree or don’t have college level education then you may be stuck at working class entry level jobs and would have to work your way up.
What apprentice jobs can you think of that is middle class or a bit more demanding?

I started in admin with no degree and worked my way up.
Original post by Anon346775
go directly into a job?

I don't believe for any clerical or basic admin role someone should do an apprenticeship, they should apply directly for these kinds of band 2 nhs jobs. The likes of the NHS paying apprentice clerical officers peanuts is atrocious from my perspective. It's each to their own really. Some would prefer to do an admin Apprenticeship because off the experience to enable to them to apply for the job direct...

I believe some may do an apprenticeship for the qualification it gives. You don't get that qualification at school or college so best option if you're not opting for University to continue some form of studying I guess is to do an apprenticeship..some apprenticeships are only 12-18 months so after that you can apply for a permanent job instead of staying on as an apprentice.

I guess as an apprentice there's that extra lee way that "you don't need to know it all" whereas if you applied for a job directly then you have that more of an expectation to "know what your doing".
(edited 2 years ago)
Original post by Anon346775
even apprenticeships ask for experience nowadays, and if you are a school leaver and 16 years old just did your GCSEs, its unlikely they will have work experience so they would have to either volunteer or get a traineeship which can then progress to an apprenticeship.

Any apprenticeships asking for experience prior should be reported to the government apprenticeship department from my personal opinion. How do they expect you to have that kind of experience... I guess some sort of volunteering or experience can be done prior but not everyone at college has the kind of money to do that.
(edited 2 years ago)
Original post by Ash1234
Any apprenticeships asking for experience prior should be reported to the government apprenticeship department from my personal opinion. How do they expect you to have that kind of experience... I guess some sort of volunteering or experience can be done prior but not everyone at college has the kind of money to do that.

At college, you can do vocational courses like BTECs which give you experience, and I am sure at A level even, in the second year they might make you go on a placement, I’m not sure. I know I had work experience week in secondary school when I was 15.
(edited 2 years ago)
Original post by Anon346775
At college, you can do vocational courses like BTECs which give you experience, and I am sure at A level even, in the second year they might make you go on a placement, I’m not sure. I know I had work experience week in secondary school when I was 15.

Yes I believe BTEC at college you can do some placements (depends if you do Health & Social or something) but other A Levels is very rare and you just so volunteering or work experience in your free time as sometimes the college timetable has large breaks. I've never really heard of anyone on BTEC or A levels do placements.
(edited 2 years ago)
Original post by Ash1234
Yes I believe BTEC at college you can do some placements (depends if you do Health & Social or something) but other A Levels is very rare and you just so volunteering or work experience in your free time as sometimes the college timetable has large breaks. I've never really heard of anyone on BTEC or A levels do placements.

My sister did a BTEC in Health and Social Care and had one day off for placement. I have done A levels but only first year and didn’t do the second year, so I wouldn’t know whether schools allow you to go on work experience or anything, just in case after A levels you don’t want to go to uni.

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