Son needs help to decide what job/career he wants to do

Spendless

My Neice is a Secondary school maths teacher. She did a maths degree then did an additional year teacher training.

Couldn't your son go down the same route? Doing a degree first then if he still wants to teach doing the additional year. By age 20/21 he may have decided he wants to do something else, if he doesn't he can still be able to teach.

Spendless

skint_chick wrote: »

Work experience might help too - while he can't practice being a teacher if it's what he's interested in he should consider trying to get some voluntary work on a kid's holiday club, after school tuition for younger children, helping out at a community group/Sunday school etc. Although they wouldn't necessarily be secondary aged kids it would give him an idea of whether working with young people would be for him.

I think that is good advice. I was thinking earlier today about my DH and how his view of the world is that it's filled with Unicorns, skipping over rainbows and what I have to do to convince him when it's otherwise and started thinking about how hopeless he'd be at a job where he had to be told unpalatable stuff.

onlyroz

geek84 wrote: »

He is not sure what subject he wants to teach - he is thinking between English and perhaps Chemistry.

To me the obvious choice would be to get A Levels in English, Chemistry, Maths and something else (Physics? Computing?). This would open doors for many many career paths if he does well.

Out,_Vile_Jelly

At my school we did a very basic computer programme which gave results on the basis of very blunt yes/no questions. Whatever you inputted it always suggested "bookkeeper". I have to say the careers advice at my university was no more helpful.

15 is very young to have to commit yourself to the rest of your life. There's no way I would ask my 15 year old self for advice about anything!

Bear in mind that you can do a degree with the Open University at any age, at your own pace, in addition to a full time job, and can mix and match arts and science subjects.

A Saturday job or some time volunteering gives a much clearer idea of the world of work than any careers advisor; it will show him whether he likes working with the general public, in a team, in an office environment etc. You should also get him to speak to a teacher to disabuse him of the idea that they have loads of holiday time!