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What To Do For Next Year?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
edited March 27 in Work & Study
Providing I've sorted myself out, I am thinking of returning to education next year. I have 2 options of what I could do:

- Get an aprenticeship at a nursery and do the next 2 levels of my qualification (CACHE)
- Do an Access course. This would mean that I'd have to move out of my parents house and live in a different city as nowhere in Plymouth does what I want to do. I will also have to find a way of paying for the course and accommodation.

Could someone also please tell me what the deadline is for applying for the access course?
Post edited by JustV on

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What you do next year depends on what you want to do.

    I dont know much about access courses but aprentiships can invlove long hours and not amazingly good pay because for under 25 there are seperate minimum wage requirements (I think)

    It will come down to what will suit you better, staying at home, or moving away to do an access course (which I assume should have some sort of funding available for living costs)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I dont know much about access courses but aprentiships can invlove long hours and not amazingly good pay because for under 25 there are seperate minimum wage requirements (I think)

    I got told that for apprenticeships the minimum wage doesn't apply because the company we're with has to also finance our course.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Melian wrote: »
    I got told that for apprenticeships the minimum wage doesn't apply because the company we're with has to also finance our course.

    yeah I think thats true, if you're looking at getting an apprenticeship in a private day nursery with them funding your NVQ level 3 expect to be paid a low, low wage. Its been a while since I worked in a nursery but I know some of the girls I was working with who werent yet qualified were getting something stupid like £80 a week for 5 days work. Not sure if its the same now.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Do you want to be a nursery nurse, and what other careers would be open to you once you had that qualification?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm an accounting apprentice at the moment and I can tell you...the wage is rubbish.

    The minimum an apprentice can be paid is £87.01 a week. If you're thinking of going this way, it might be useful to look at training companies who offer support.

    I'm currently with Training 2000 and they pay for all my college and exam fees. Some employers will be happy to take you on as an apprentice if somebody else is paying for the exams lol
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Simmyluvsu wrote: »
    Some employers will be happy to take you on as an apprentice if somebody else is paying for the exams lol

    Thats very true, I next to do help for my account NVQs (apart from unpaid days off for college, and had to use my holiday days for exams). My parents very kindly paid all the course/exams fees, brought my books etc. If I do any more courses I have to get sponsered by a company or pay for it myself.

    I knew the minimum wage for appentiships was crap but £80 a week!!! :eek:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    katralla wrote: »
    Do you want to be a nursery nurse, and what other careers would be open to you once you had that qualification?

    I am hoping to become a paediatric nurse.

    It looks like I'm going to do an access course. Not decided quite yet whether or not I'm staying at home and commuting to Exeter or Saltash (neither of them are far, apparantely) or moving to somewhere else.

    I was talking to someone at my old work placement who started off as an apprentice and she said she ended up getting something like £500 a month.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I knew the minimum wage for appentiships was crap but £80 a week!!! :eek:

    don't forget the 1p! lol. Thankfully I earn a little bit more than that, but £7000 a year for full time work is still rubbish.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Melian wrote: »
    I am hoping to become a paediatric nurse.

    It looks like I'm going to do an access course. Not decided quite yet whether or not I'm staying at home and commuting to Exeter or Saltash (neither of them are far, apparantely) or moving to somewhere else.

    I was talking to someone at my old work placement who started off as an apprentice and she said she ended up getting something like £500 a month.

    There are different routes into nursing babes, so make sure you have a look at the options before you sign up for stuff. If you do an access course first you will spend an extra year at college/uni remember. Do you have your GCSE's? anything further? I know my best mate got into her nursing course with a few GCSEs, a National Diploma, and some experience as a Care Assistant from a nursing home.

    Find out all the viable places you could go to do your nursing course and phone them up to see what they would want from you to get onto the course- they might have routes you've never heard of!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    katralla wrote: »
    Do you have your GCSE's? anything further?

    I have:
    GCSEs
    A GNVQ
    An AS Level in Law
    An NVQ (In Child Care)
    Find out all the viable places you could go to do your nursing course and phone them up to see what they would want from you to get onto the course- they might have routes you've never heard of!

    There was a Higher Education fair a few years ago and I did ask what each uni accepted. I got told they basically accept A Levels, relevant NVQs and Access Courses.

    I did talk to someone today from the local college and they did tell me that they did offer the access course; even though it didn't come up in the seacrh results for access courses.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Melian wrote: »
    I did talk to someone today from the local college and they did tell me that they did offer the access course; even though it didn't come up in the seacrh results for access courses.

    Colleges can be a bit strange when advertising courses, some get filled up very rapidly or only have a few spaces and you have to ask at the college to see if they do it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You seem quite well qualified so far already. Do you have any relevant work experience? You might want to give them another call and check if they'll take you now without having to do an access course first. Also speak to more than one uni because they'll all have different entry requirements.
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