Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Referee nightmare

Loulou1984

Please could someone help, I'm having a complete nightmare with my referee section of my ucas application.

i am 30, haven't been in school for 14 years and have held the same job for ten years.
i don't want to ask my employee for a reference as I don't want them to know I am thinking of leaving so early on.

I have absolutely no one else who can give me a reference except for my partners sister who has known me for 9years and is also an English teacher. Could she be my referee?

she knows me very well although she has just moved out to dubai to teach, not sure if that is a problem?

I'm not sure how to fill out the referee section on the ucas form as it asks the referees occupation and how they know you. Of course she is an English teacher but she wasn't my English teacher so then I can only put a friend but the form says that you can't use a friend as a referee.

any advise would be greatly appreciated!

Reply 1

alleycat393

You can't use your partner's sister as a referee. I'd strongly suggest you ask someone at work. It can even be a colleague whom you trust, it doesn't have to be a line manager.

Reply 2

Loulou1984

Thanks for your reply.
i don't have anyone that I can trust at work.

i emailed the university and advised my situation. I didn't mention that is was my partners sister but asked if I could use someone that I had know for nine years who was also an English teacher. They said it would be considered.
I'm not sure how to fill in the application though as it asks how I know her but if I put that she is a friend my application could be cancelled by ucas.

this must be a problem for so many mature students that don't want to put there jobs as risk

Reply 3

gt459

Most universities ask for evidence of recent studies. This allows mature students to use college tutors, personal tutors (for ou), etc.

Do you have anything like that?

Reply 4

Loulou1984

Unfortunately not. I don't have any a-levels so I'm looking to go into a year zero degree course which then progresses onto either earth or environmental science. I spoke to the tutor and he said my GCSEs were enough because I had work and life experience.

I have emailed the uni again and they have said to fill in the ucas application with the English teacher but to ask her to explain how she knows me in her reference. I'm still not sure how she is going to word it though.

Reply 5

Comeback

Original post by Loulou1984

Could she not tutor you for a hour or so with English some time soon? Then she could write that she was a 'temporary tutor' on the reference (which she would be, albeit very temporary).