Need help obtaining lost exam certicates

dbs

Left school in 1978 been in the same job for 26 years but now being made redundant.

Starting to do a C.V. but cant find my C.S.E and O-level certificates my old school has been demolished and the local council keep no records.

Contacted a company called OCR who charge £25 for a search and £10 for each subject retreived so could end up with a bill for about £100.

I would not receive a copy of certificates but a some kind of letter/certificate which an employer would acknowledged.

Could this be done cheaper or are these charges normal.

kelloggs36

This is normal but you need to know which board you took your exams through at the time as there are a couple of boards who took over. Edexcel is one of them and OCR. You get a sort of a certificate - I lost mine and I paid £30 each for 2 certificates which stated all the exams with that board.

saintjanet

Will anyone want to see them?I would wait until i was asked ,explain and then if need be,pay to get them.

peter999

In 20 years, nobody has ever asked to see any of my certificates.

Occasionally some companies have suggested they might want to see,
but never occurred. Companies/personnel departments occasionally go through the motions pretending they may be interested in checking.

After 26 years, anyone wanting to see your school certificates, would need their heads testing.

november

peter999 wrote:

After 26 years, anyone wanting to see your school certificates, would need their heads testing.

Agreeing with the OP. I left school in 1976 and if anyone asked for mine rather than, or in addition to my work references, I would have to ask myself if I really wanted to work there and the answer I am pretty sure would be no. Surely what you have been doing recently is more relevant

In my current job I recruit people and to be honest I'm not remotely interested in school certificates unless someone has just left school.

Sorry to hear you've been made redundant and good luck with your job hunting.

Contains_Mild_Peril

I left school in 1989 and have never been asked to produce my exam certificates either, though I've attended several job interviews (and a few have even been successful!) since then. I wouldn't worry about documentation unless you're actually asked for it.

Savvy_Sue

Is your difficulty that you can't actually remember what subjects you got what grades in at what level?

Because if it is, after all this time you could 'fudge' it on your cv.

For example, I know I got 8 'O' levels, and I passed them all, but I wouldn't want to have to give which grades I got for which subjects. So I might say "Passes in 8 subjects at GCE 'O' level including Maths and English Language". (NB I am sure I passed them all, and they did include those two!)

Also are those your highest academic qualifications? If not, I really really wouldn't worry about them. Like others, I've never been asked to show my qualifications, but I believe at work we have asked to see relevant degree certificates and for evidence of relevant professional memberships.

When I was scanning applications, I would look extra closely at anyone who didn't have the equivalent of five passes at GCSE grade C or above including Maths and English Language. But once someone reached a certain age, I didn't worry about the actual qualifications, as long as it looked as if they were literate and numerate (and we used to test for both!)

Are we helping at all?

bristol_pilot

No-one will want to see your school exam certificates. It is common practice to ask to see school certificates in some countries, but not the UK. After 26 years, it may not even be worth listing school exam results on your CV.

Your CV should emphasise the last 5 or 10 years work experience, depending what line of work you are in. Prior to that, just state job titles and dates.

good luck.

looby75

I left school in '91 and my exams were all GCSE's. I had my first child when I was 18 and had only worked on a YTS (and attended college for A levels) for just under 2 years before that.

I've had quite a few pt jobs since then and not once have I had to produce my exam certificates. If the certificates where for a particularly specialised area then I could understand a employer wanting to see them but for general school exams I doubt anyone will bother. Save your money!

good luck with your job hunting btw.

dbs

Thanks for all the replies.

I have been to my local Library gone through the archives of my local newspaper and obtained all of my results assuming they were printed correctly back in 1978.

This cost me nothing so will only buy my results if I am requested them.

C_Ronaldo

i wouldnt have thought theyd want exam results from so long ago,