How did John Major become PM with barely any qualifications?

I am just curious how did John Major become PM, Chancellor and Foreign Secretary, despite having no O levels?

Reply 1

You don't need specific school level qualifications to become PM.

Contrast the calm rationality that Major exudes to the batshit craziness of Oxford-educated Liz Truss if you wish to understand why.

Reply 2

username6848579

John Major may not have a degree or formal qualifications like a lot of PM's but he has something very few other PM's have - common sense. Also, being a PM is about leading a country, you don't need any qualifications to do that.

Reply 3

Rakas21

John Major was still intelligent and went into insurance straight after school so he had real world experience.

He became leader because he was calm and measured, a Thatcherite and was also a man liked and respected by all sides.

Reply 4

Muttley79

Original post

by Kingdragon

I am just curious how did John Major become PM, Chancellor and Foreign Secretary, despite having no O levels?

He did have three O levels ... it was common to leave school at 16 back then. His parents also had financial issues so he probably needed to earn to help.

Reply 5

chuckiezzz

Original post

by Kingdragon

I am just curious how did John Major become PM, Chancellor and Foreign Secretary, despite having no O levels?

The RT Hons John Major . left school at age 16 in 1959, with three O-levels: History, English Language, and English Literature. He would later gain three more by correspondence course in British Constitution, Mathematics and Economics. Indeed, shortly after becoming prime minister, when pressed about his precise qualifications Major answered "he couldn't remember" what he had attained. Major applied to become a bus conductor after leaving school but was beaten to the post by another applicant. Many accounts have said this was due to his height, although early media reports claimed wrongly that this was due to poor arithmetic. His first job was as a clerk in an insurance brokerage firm 'Pratt & Sons' in 1959 after leaving school. Disliking this, he quit and for a time, he helped with his father's garden ornaments business with his brother, Terry Major-Ball. He also joined the Young Conservatives in Brixton at this time.

After a spell of unemployment, he started working at the London Electricity Board (where his successor as PM Tony Blair also worked when young) in 1963, and decided to undertake a correspondence course in banking. Major took a job with Standard Chartered Bank in May 1965 and rose to become an executive. He worked for a while for the bank in Nigeria in 1967 where he was involved in a serious car accident. While in Nigeria he did community work which gave him a heart-felt hatred of racism. Also watch spitting image.

Reply 6

chuckiezzz

Original post

by Muttley79

He did have three O levels ... it was common to leave school at 16 back then. His parents also had financial issues so he probably needed to earn to help.

I studied Olevels. They were really like the modern Alevels in That there were exam based, It what you make of the subject plus back then companies actually would higher school leavers and train them up. Also he joined the YC early on and never offended anyone. Even I got a city job with not very good Alevels. Im trying to redo some alevels know and they are actually quite hard for different reasons.