Any unemployed Grads here?

starsinmycrown

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

You have to be joking! GCSE Maths harder than it used to be? They give the topics very grand names but the standard is appalling, as anyone who's taught teenagers with a Maths grade C will tell you.

However, you may be right about the jump from the Level 2; this is why some universities no longer accept it.

Yeah, but this is the point i'm making- TEENAGERS. Those who have been in the system a long time and are set in appropriate groups and have a lot of support and input with a syllabus that links up from previous study. You can't fail to see how then, it's more difficult for somebody to walk in from the street and have to do an intensive higher tier gcse course with only two hours a week teaching? Worse still, having to do it, as the previous poster said, for the sake of ticking a box? I did GCSE German two years ago for the fun of it and got a B, but I've forgotten it all now anyway. It's a shock to the system, when you think you're only here to get what should be a pretty normal straightforward maths grade.

Yeah it's a shame that universities keep moving the goalposts. Somebody on my course did level 2 last year, and now she's been told for her childcare course, it's no longer valid.

starsinmycrown

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I wasn't talking about arts subjects; my degree is in Literature and it wasn't, and wasn't intended to be, a creative subject.

Sorry, I didn't mean strictly creative subjects, I meant more kind of essay based subjects which often people feel are "easier" than technical subjects.

lynzpower

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Has he looked at doing a Level 2 in Numeracy with Learndirect? That's equivalent to a GCSE in Maths , can be done at all sorts of times at a Learndirect Centre and will be free.

Personally, I've worked at several FE colleges and I've never come across one that doesn't offer both GCSE English and Maths as evening classes, the demand for these is so great.

No but thanks for that- will get him to look into it thanks :T

starsinmycrown

lynzpower wrote: »

No but thanks for that- will get him to look into it thanks :T

Whats good about this learndirect thing is that you can do it at home, online, and it takes less than a year. it's what you make of it and how much you want to put in. If you look on the web, you can see example questions and they are pretty straightforward numeracy questions, unlike gcse higher tier maths which is the stuff of nightmare! If you give learndirect a call, they'll send him a pack.

snowqueen555

I like reading the replies from those who are able to discern which degrees are easy and which are hard.. What smart !!!!!!!

I know of a few friends who haven't got enough gcse's... the main one is maths, they retake and fail and just give up. Its really sad.

Now that I think about it, hier tier maths gcse when I did it only required about 25% to get a C grade, most of it was above me

Oldernotwiser

snowqueen555 wrote: »

I like reading the replies from those who are able to discern which degrees are easy and which are hard.. What smart !!!!!!!

You forget that, for some of us, it's our business to know these things! We're not all on here just sharing personal experiences, you know.

Oldernotwiser

starsinmycrown wrote: »

Yeah, but this is the point i'm making- TEENAGERS. Those who have been in the system a long time and are set in appropriate groups and have a lot of support and input with a syllabus that links up from previous study. You can't fail to see how then, it's more difficult for somebody to walk in from the street and have to do an intensive higher tier gcse course with only two hours a week teaching? Worse still, having to do it, as the previous poster said, for the sake of ticking a box? I did GCSE German two years ago for the fun of it and got a B, but I've forgotten it all now anyway. It's a shock to the system, when you think you're only here to get what should be a pretty normal straightforward maths grade.

.

I went away and thought about it and realised that my reply might have been somewhat dismissive and I apologise for that. What I was trying to do was to encourage you to see that GCSE Maths isn't really that difficult and to gain confidence in your ability to do it.

I really think you ought to realise how much more work a group of motivated, mature students are able to get through, compared with a group of teenagers who are always messing about and aren't really bothered.

I'm sure you'll find that it all falls into place quite soon and wish you the very best of luck with it.

elisebutt65

Haven't read the whole thread yet - I will in a mo but as it's the graduates having a problem on here can I make a job suggestion(well I'm going to anyway )

If you look or google for the qualifications websites, you can sometimes find that they are looking for recent(in the last few years) graduates to do marking for them in the summer and if you apply now you may get in for this year. I think it's paid piece work - I'm signed up to do some GCSE and A level marking this year for Travel and Tourism, with EdExcel, and it's mostly done on line these days, which I'm fine with as this is how I mark my students work anyway.

Good luck

sturll

starsinmycrown wrote: »

You are my new personal hero...:)

Yeah i agree, I've been working in minimum wage jobs before, and i backed myself into a corner and always knew i could do better, so i spent a lot of time and money doing a degree, whilst working in a chemist and as a waitress, doing a degree for 4 years with a view to being a teacher. But things have changed now with teaching in those years, and its no longer a "safe bet" jobwise- there are so many teachers out of work and 200 applicants often for one job. So i feel like I've wasted my time somewhat and i'm most likely going to go back to uni to train as a psych nurse, so at least i'll have two careers i can do.

Everything today with jobs and industry is really screwed up. That's the reason why we are in this boat, arguing the toss and looking for ways out and doing masters whilst simultaneously thinking of applying to macdonalds... It's worrying stuff.

I read today that there will be nearly half a million graduates this year, plus 18,000 immigrant grads. I agree that the market is totally saturated of "graduates"; half of whom can barely read or write and have no work experience or social skills. My mother said in her day, you went to university if you were bright, and it was a big thing. Not went to university just because you had nothing better to do and below average grades. My friend got into uni with DDE at a-level! Another friend was pushed into uni with EEE! Yet they keep on talking of "raising achievement", pushing more people into HE, who quite frankly shouldn't be there, leaving them no better off with their third in media and radio studies, and a competitive job market.

We need more industry in this country, and a path for people who have other skills. For most working-class hard workers such as my brother, there are few options. My brother has only one GCSE, but he works 12 hour shifts as a chef, today he walked to work at 6am in the snow for 3 miles. He gets up at 5am for work, is reliable, trustworthy, never late and has been in the same job since 16, when he cleaned grills there. His wages are rubbish and he wants to swap careers, but he can't easily. Because he hasnt got enough qualifications and hasn't the gift of the gap in a gruelling interview process. He can work, mend things, hes very useful, he has lots of skills, but no silly qualifications to get him into the door.

And speaking of which- interview processes? What's going on there? My mother's friend was made redundant at 50 and applied for a job stacking shelves in ASDA. She called up mum in tears, saying she'd never been so humiliated. She was asked to come for a two stage interview, with a group, doing a presentation, performing a MAGIC act in front of an audience, doing a role play, doing group tasks, then a formal interview where she was expected to know everything about ASDA and feel passionate about stacking shelves, before being turned down on the basis that "she wasn't the sort of team player they were looking for!" Staggering!

And the last part of my rant is based on these STUPID qualifications. The bane of my life when searching for jobs is damn NVQs. I once applied for a job I could clearly do, but it required an NVQ in "giving advice to young people". My friend is an experienced manager, but finds stupid vocational qualifications the barrier to applications.My friend was working for ten years in the same job- but she was told to apply for NVQ level 2, or lose her job! I imagine that conceivably she would be replaced by somebody with no experience, but a silly piece of paper.

Now they've changed the goalposts to this 5 A-C passes crap. Which is fine if youre young and youve been pushed to get this as the benchmark. But my friend who is 36, hasn't got 5 a-c passes. he has 4. and when he was at school there were no ucas points or pass quotas, thus he finds himself unable to apply for many jobs which state this as a requirement. Many people are therefore in a position where they didnt work to their full potential at school, have since proved themselves yet are still judged on their performance as a 15 year old. There are so many qualifications now for X,Y,and Z that its hard to change careers or direction or find a new job in another sector. I despair at the way things are today i really do, and it's no wonder we are sitting on here arguing about the best thing to do.

God.. what a rant....can you feel my despair?

Thank you for the lovely compliment. It really is nice to read x

Believe me i know how difficult getting a job can be. I know how difficult a degree is! People think its simply a turn up and write your name. It isn't, for 4 years i had so little time i used to eat my dinner whilst walking from one class to another. And i know im not alone. Its bloody difficult at Uni, regardless of degree.

In terms of employment i really do symapthise with you. When you have a degree and apply for a job its only natural you feel like you have a little more worth than someone without a degree.
But, if anoyone comes on here or indeed anywhere and says "to get a job do this..." ignore it. Its not that simple, every person has different consequences. Perhaps i did fall lucky? Im fortunate that i do have a natural 'gift of the gab' I remember saying to people "if i can get an interview ill get the job" Arrogant i know. But i was desperate, although it was difficult having an interview and trying to appear confident when in reality i was in absolute desperation.
When you don't get the job - when you think your interview went great and you get the call saying you weren't chosen its a huge blow. But stick with it; Ask why you didn't get it.

I applied for maybe 30 jobs (in the legal area) and had about 9 or 10 interviews. Including applying for vacational work etc ill bet ive sent over 100 applications. And yes it was depressing, there were times i thought id never get a job. But i always aimed high. Always. Im sorry if it sounds arrogant but i knew i was better than working in Mcdonalds or doing some warehouse job (although i have absolute repspect for those that do) Eventually it worked out for me. I do count myself lucky, and there isn't a day that goes by where i dont remember how life used to be.

On a lighter note, my mother brought us up with less than nothing and has always lived as such. She still lives in the same council house, still gossips with everyone and attempts to put the world to rights whilst never bothering to vote - Every single problem within the UK can be directly attributed to an ethinic family and she still goes completely over the top with her Christmas decorations. Anyway, i took her to Florida January just gone. She didn't see me see her but as we drove under the huge Disney sign on the way to Disney World i saw tears coming from her eyes - Make of that what you will; I guess we all hope for something better.

Sorry i have gone on a little. Just dont give up trying.

elisebutt65

snowqueen555 wrote: »

Meh, my degree is in the humanities. got a 2:1, not that it matters. My degree isn't useful at all, and you can't tutor or do anything like that unless you are qualified above what you are teaching. I'd probalby need a masters degree, I couldn't teach college unless I did a long teaching course? ANywya, teaching isn't what I want to do!

Don't think you can really be fussy and you can teach up to the level below yours - if you have a degree you can teach for the 1st 2 years of a degree. You don't need a Ma or PGCE to teach at FE as you will have to study for your qualifications on the job over 2 years and not pay for it. I did one because I didn't want to study in the evenings and so I could walk straight into a job fully qualified - which I did;)