Discovering Higher and Degree Apprenticeships with UWE Bristol, get free advice >>

Graduate positions with bad A levels?

Hey everyone..

basically got really bad a level results (DDD) in economics, ICT and Business studies at a level (too many distractions!!) and am in my last year at uni studying accounting.

Am trying to look for graduate opportunities but they all seem to want 300 ucas points :no:

Anyone got any points so that my CV doesnt get thrown out or any other ways into accounting??

Cheers :smile:

Reply 1

Kevin J

Im in a similar boat, so just subscribing.

Reply 2

verticalforce

Unless you have a really good reason for not achieving your potential at A Level (and can justify it to them in your app) I think it will be a bit hard to get pass through the screening.

Try and aim for the mid tier or the small accountancy firms, Big 4 emphasise a lot on A level. (and sometimes even GCSE, which I found ridiculous)

Reply 3

maxmadx

basically, forget the big 4 and high mid tiers. You will need to have done lots of extra curricular, done well in your degree, and have good work experience to make up for it in even low mid-tiers-particularly in the current climate. I was in similar boat, and just worked my ass off since school, luckily my firm could look past it. Make backup applications for work placements- get in at admin levels to gain experience and reputation if worst comes to worst. I did that too. gl

Reply 4

Yazmina

Try to get in with a smaller firm and after that you can work your way up to bigger firms if you like... there's no point in applying to one of the well known firms without at least 280 ucas points.

Reply 5

Kevin J

So would small tier firms be willing to offer with bad a levels. Say 220 points...

Reply 6

Yazmina

Kevin J

So would small tier firms be willing to offer with bad a levels. Say 220 points...

If you can prove you have the required skills and work experience then there's definately a possibility.

Reply 7

maxmadx

How did you do in your degree? What work experience do you have?

Reply 8

Acisace

currently in line to get a good 2:1 at the mo. The only work experience was workin at spar part time and i got a job at the police doing admin last summer!

Reply 9

Cauchy

Unfortunately big firms that set minimum requirements are very reluctant to budge from them- in my experience, if it's company policy to ask for certain UCAS points/a certain degree, they don't like to make exceptions for one person where others have already been turned away (in my case I had the necessary A levels but not a 2:1).

You should find smaller firms more accommodating though, it will be more down to the discretion of the bosses to judge your application, and they may overlook your A level grades if you can prove, as Yazmina says, you have the required skills, and perform well in an interview.

I've been told by a recruitment agent that performance in professional exams is reckoned to be closely linked to your record at A level (more so than your degree grade in fact)- so someone interviewing you may wonder if you could handle professional exams. You say you were distracted during A levels- do you think you're better at concentrating now? I'm not suggesting you're not but you may want to think about how you might explain your past grades, were you to be asked about it.

Reply 10

Rasputin

In short your :santa2:

, i got BDD in Biology,Chemistry and Economics and now i have an MSc in Economics but i still cant get past the initial selection criteria for many of the IB and big four because of them, as a result im thinking of sitting a maths a level this year in order to get the job i actually want rather than a second rate one.

Best of luck with it tho

Reply 11

Acisace

thanks everyone for their feedback. The poor grades was simply down to i went to a sixth form that was also part of my high school and kinda found it difficult to move from gcse to a level standard, oh and influences of ladies, booze all the stuff you do when your 18. Now obviously more mature and more focused!!!

I should be ok with interviews, i had 2 with 2 different agents last summer and did get very good feedback and quite a few offers for jobs.

Another point is does past experience and references mean much to firms? Sadly i have no accounting experience but do have the fact that i was at my 2 jobs for a long period and my last post was for the local police force over summer, do you think it would help improve my chances? obviously my references are brilliant!!!

Thanks again for all the feedback!