Careers Information,Adviceandguidance
Careers Information,AdviceandGuidance
Introduction
TheCollegeviewsthepreparation ofpupils for lifebeyondschoolveryseriouslyandintroducesthemtoaspectsof careersrightfrom their firstyearinFaulkner’s.Thisprocessdevelopsnaturallyduringtheirtimeat BradfieldthroughbothaformalCareersProgrammeandtheindirect careerseducationandskills trainingtheyreceiveaspart oftheirnormalacademicandco-curricularstudies.Inaddition, BradfieldHorizonsmaintainsa well-stockedlibrary,aswellas a continuallyexpandingdatabaseofinformationheldelectronically,whichpupilsareconstantlyencouragedto use.
Withthecompetitive worldof academiaandworkthatcurrentlyexists,thechoicespupilsmakeat variousstagesareveryimportant,fromchoosingtherightGCSEs, ALevelor IB subjectchoices, to highereducationcourses.TheCollegehas a two full time and one part-time careers advisorswhoarealwaysavailable toadvisepupilsandparentsat anystage.
Careers Policy
TheCollegeaimstogivepupils theinformation and tools theyneed to makeaninformedchoiceabout their future.Pupilsareexpected to take increasingresponsibilityfortheirplansas they progress,especiallyduringthe SixthForm,buthelp andadviceis alwaysonhandifitis needed.Pupils’individual needs arealsoacknowledgedandappropriatehelpisgiven.
Whilst themajorityof pupils leavingtheCollegegoonto highereducation,eitherdirectly or after agapyear,thereisincreasinginterestinvocationalroutesincludingapprenticeships,aswellasstudyingoverseas – especially North America.
BradfieldHorizons, theCollege’sCareersDepartment,is abletohelpeverypupil,whicheverdirection they choose,and the Collegeis committedtomaintainingthis levelofhelp.
Bradfield Horizons (Career Department)
TheCareersDepartment, comprises the Head of Department, a Careers Advisor, part-time Careers Assistant, and two Heads of UCAS andis availableMonday–Friday,8.00am–5.00pmduringtermtimeandcanbe contactedbye-mailat bytelephoneon01189644733.
Pupils areencouragedto“dropin”toBradfieldHorizonsiftheyhave any questions, require advice or just want to have a chat, butcan alsobookappointmentsusing the booking system on Firefly if they so wish.ParentsandGuardiansarealsowelcometobookappointmentsasnecessary.
The two Heads of UCAS monitor the progress of university applications along with the careers team, including provision of advice on personal statements and references, where required, across the College. In addition, every senior house has a dedicated UCAS Coordinator who is always on hand to guide pupils through their university applications as necessary, in conjunction with personal tutors and the rest of the Horizons team. Anumberofspecialisttutors coveringareassuchasOxfordand Cambridgeapplications,Medicine,Dentistryand VeterinaryScience,ArmedServices,Art Design andDramaare also on hand to provide expert help and guidance.
For all USA related questions and advice the Horizons team can be contacted direct; and in addition provide information sessions on studying in the US a couple of times per year.
BradfieldHorizonsmaintains a libraryinthe centreoftheCollege.Thiscontainsuniversityandcollegeprospectusesfor theUK and overseas,careersinformation,referencebooks,preparationguidesfor pre-admissionstestsandafull set ofGapYearinformation.
BradfieldHorizonsalso maintains a comprehensivesetof electronicinformationandweblinks whichis availableto pupilsthroughFirefly.
Careers Education Programme
Inadditionto theextensive“careers”educationthatisdeliveredbyacademicdepartments,the Horizons teamworks together with the academic departmentsto introducepupilstothe skills and behaviours required, and looked for by employers, as they make their journey through Bradfield. Those skills and behaviours include, but are not necessarily limited to, communication skills, open-mindedness, adaptability, collaboration, compassion, integrity, resilience and resourcefulness.
Pupils will be involved in a number of different events and activities as they journey through Bradfield that aims to build on their skills gained in the academic classroom, making them aware and prepared for a life beyond Bradfield. Every pupil will, at some point, have a one-to-one meeting with Horizons to discuss their options going forwards.
University applications
UK:
The majorityof Bradfieldiansgo to university,mainlyinthe UK.Allapplicationstostatefunded UK universitieshavetobemadethroughUCAS–theUniversitiesandCollegesAdmissionsService.ApplicationsaremadeonlinebetweenearlySeptemberand15January forentryin either thefollowing September/Octoberor forthe sametimethefollowingyear(thisis knownasanapplicationfordeferredentry).TheUCASwebsite (
Pupils areshownhowtonavigatethe UCAS website initially in the Fifth form and againintheLowerSixth.
Important pointsabout applying to universityintheUKaresetout below:
Open Day visits–alluniversitiesandcollegesoffer prospectivestudentsthe chancetovisit atanOpenDay.Pupils areencouragedtoattendat leastoneOpen DaywhiletheyareintheSixthForm.
Typically,universitiestend toholdtheirOpenDaysin the summer and early autumn of eachyear. ListsofupcomingOpenDaysareposted ontheBradfieldHorizons’NoticeBoard, and sent via the weekly bulletin to all pupils year 11 upwards, butdetailsarealso available onuniversities’websites andat
Course Searching–with ~ 37,000courses to choosefrom, andonlybeing abletochoosea maximum of fivechoices,itis important that coursesanduniversitiesareresearchedcarefully.Allpupilswillhave theirowncriteriaabout whereand what theywant to study,but typicallythey arelikelyto include:
Coursecontent
Entryrequirements(gradesandsubjects)
Methodsofassessment
Location andtypeofuniversity
Rankingofcourseand university
While manypupilsaspireto studyataRussellGroupuniversityit shouldbeborneinmindthatmanyofthemorevocational coursesarenottaught at theseuniversities, nor aretheynecessarilyregardedas thebest intheir subject,souniversity“rankings”shouldbetreatedwithextremecare–thereis nosubstituteforgoodresearch.
Withintheirfivecoursechoices,pupilsareencouragedtochoose one or two“aspirational”courses, two or threeat their predictedgradelevel andoneortwocourseswithslightlylowerentryrequirementstoact as“insurance”choices.
Predictedgrades/IBpointsfor Upper SixthpupilsaredeterminedbytheHeads of AcademicDepartmentswithinthefirst twoweeks oftheMichaelmasterm. It is theresponsibilityofpupils to ascertaintheir predictedgrades/pointsfromtheirHousemaster/mistress.
Pupils should discuss theircoursechoiceswiththeir Personal Tutors,anditisapupil’sresponsibilityto checkthat their coursechoicesarewithintheir predictedgrades.
TasterCourses–Thereare many coursesavailableatuniversitywhosesubjectsarenotstudiedatBradfieldCollege. A pupilwantingtofindout whether acourse mayinterestthem,shouldattendone of the many tastercoursesavailable.Therearea large numberof commercialcoursesavailableandsomefreeones(runby theUniversityof London).Information onallTasterCoursesareregularlydisplayedonthenoticeboards.
UCASPointsTariff –theUCASTariffisthe systemforallocatingpointsto qualificationsusedforentrytohighereducation.Universitiesandcollegesuse theUCASTariffto makecomparisonsbetweenapplicantswithdifferentqualifications.
Fulldetailsofwhat qualificationsareincludedin the UCASTariffcanbefound inthe Studentssectionofthe UCASwebsite (
UCAS Applications–allapplicationsaremadeonlineat SixthpupilsregisterwithUCASinJune,witha viewto submittingtheir applicationbetweenmid-Septemberand mid-January thefollowingyearandpreferably bytheinternaldeadlineof LongLeaveoftheMichaelmasterm. OldBradfieldians(OBs)applyingoncetheyhaveleft Collegearealsoencouragedtoapply throughtheCollegeratherthanasindividualsso thatmaximum support can begiven by boththeir formerHousemaster/mistressandBradfieldHorizons.
All Lower Sixthpupilsareshownhowto complete aUCASapplication andspecifically howtopreparefor andcomplete a personalstatement.Pupilsareencouragedto researchtherequirementsand skills requiredby specificcourses to ensurethat theyaddress theseintheir statements.
Deferred Applications–withintheUCASapplication,it is possibletoapply for coursesstarting oneyearahead–this iscalledadeferredapplication.Most universitydepartmentswillaccept applications fordeferredentry, butifindoubt thismust be checkedwiththedepartment orontheuniversity’swebsite.
Ifa deferredapplicationismade, universitiesdoliketohave ageneralideaaboutwhat theapplicant isplanningtodointheir gapyear,andreferencetothis should beincludedinthepersonal statement section ofthe UCASapplication.
UCASReferences–TheCollegewillprovidea UCASReferencefor anymemberoftheUpperSixthor anyOBwithin areasonableperiod of leaving–maximumof threeyears. Thereference isusuallywritten bythepupil’sHousemaster/mistressonce a pupil’s applicationis complete,butforOBsitmaybe writtenby anothermemberoftheacademicstaff. TheCollegeis notobligedto give a copyofareference to anapplicant,butitmaybe sharedwiththe applicant to ensurethatnothingimportant isleftout and that it isconsistent withthepupil’spersonalstatement.
Post-QualificationApplications–It is quitecommonfor pupilstoapplyto universityforthefirst timeintheirGapYear, althoughfor some,itmaybe a secondapplication.Eachyear a completelynew application hastobemade. AsfarastheCollegeis concerned,theadviceandguidanceofferedisexactly thesameasifthepupilwerestillat theCollege. Thismeansthatapplicationscanbe madethroughtheCollege,the services ofBradfieldHorizonsareavailable andReferencescanbe written.
DeadlinesforSendingUCAS Applications–Thedeadlineforapplications forMedicine,DentistryandVeterinaryScience, andto allcoursesat OxfordandCambridgeis15 Octobereachyear. Thedeadlinefor almost allothercoursesis15 January.TherearesomeArtcourseswhichhave aMarchdeadline.Thesearethedeadlinesforsubmission toUCASand NOT thedeadlinesrequiredbytheCollege.
Pre-AdmissionsTests–Therearepre-admissionstestswhichapplyto somecoursesatsomeuniversities:Medicine,DentistryandVeterinaryScience;Law;applicationsto OxfordandCambridge; and in some cases Engineering.Preparationforthesecoursesis essential and pupils are responsible for checking which ones are applicable for each university.
Final UniversityChoices–Ifoffershave beenreceived,FirmandInsurancechoiceshavetobe made;allotheroffershave tobedeclined.TheUpper Sixtharegivenhelponthis inthe Lent term. Ifalluniversitydecisionshave beenreceivedbytheendofMarch, thedeadlinefor final choicesisusuallyin thefirstweekof May.Laterdecisionshavelaterdeadlines.Anapplicant’s deadlineis shownin UCASTrack. Ifthedeadline is missed,allofferswill bedeemedtohave beendeclined.
CUKAS-TheCUKASserviceprovides thefacilitiestoresearchandapplyfor practice-basedmusic,danceand dramacoursesata numberofUKconservatoires.Theprocessesinvolvedareverysimilar to UCASabove,butthedeadlinesare earlier.The closing dateforon timeapplicationsis 1stOctober.Fulldetails ofthe processandapplicationscanbefoundontheCUKAS website -
Oxbridge
Oxbridgeisthetermcommonly usedtoreferto theUniversities ofOxfordandCambridge.Applicationsare madethroughUCAS,and,asmentionedabove,theabsolutedeadlinefor applicationstobe receivedby UCASis 15October.
UnlikealltheotheruniversitiesintheUK, onlyone applicationcanbemadetoOxfordorCambridgein any one year.Applicationsareextremelycompetitiveandearlypreparationis essential.
Earlyin the Lent term,potentialapplicantsareallocatedanOxbridgeTutorwhoseroleistoworkwiththepupiltowardsa goodapplication–thisis likelytoincludeextendedreading,extendedessays,monitoringworkexperience,attendanceattastercoursesandevents,competition entries,collegechoice,pre-admissions testpreparationandinterviewpreparation.
Potentialcandidatesneed tobe aware of anypre-admissionstest neededandareexpectedtoprepareaccordingly.Similarly,anymockinterviewsset upshouldbeattended.
Beforegivingoffers,both universitiesinterviewapplicantswhohavemet their initialrequirements.The formsofinterviewvaryslightlybut goodinformationontheirprocessesis availableontheuniversities’websites.DecisionsaremadeearlyintheNewYear.
Medicine, Dentistryand VeterinaryScience
Asmentionedini) above,theabsoluteUCASdeadlinefor applicationsto Medicine,DentistryandVeterinaryScienceis 15Octobereachyear. Incommonwithapplicationsto Oxbridge,pupilsshould returnto schoolintheUpper Sixth,afterthesummerholiday,withtheir UCASapplicationandpersonal statement substantiallycomplete.
Thesecoursesrequire a considerableamount ofvariedworkexperienceinthe leaduptoanapplication.Typicallythismayinclude 3or 4experiences forMedicine, but upto7or8forVeterinaryScience.Universitywebsitesusuallyset out thetypeof workexperiencerequired. Theplanningforthismay needtostart some twoyearsaheadof application.
Thesecourses(andprofessions)arealso verydemanding. Many pupils findit helpfultoattendarelevant TasterCoursetofindoutasmuchastheycaninadvance.
EUROPE:
Thenumberof coursesinEuropebeingtaught whollyinEnglishis growingeachyearandmanyuniversitiesareactively tryingtorecruit studentsfromtheUK. Inmostcases theTuitionFeesareconsiderably lessthaninthe UKand someare evenfree,sopupilsareencouraged toexploretheseoptions.Applicationsto Europe canbemade alongsideUCASapplications. A note of caution should apply though, as a post-Brexit world may mean that tuition fees could increase for UK students in a wider Europe.
Applicationsto universitiesinthe Republic of Ireland are madethroughtheIrishCentral AdmissionsOffice(CAO6),whichworksin asimilarway to UCAS.TheCAOanduniversitiesalsouse a pointssystembut thisis different from theUCAStariff.Tomeet thepoints’requirements,itisnot uncommonforthemostpopularuniversity(TrinityCollegeDublin) to require 4A levels.Carefulresearchis needed.
Therearetwomainsources ofinformation onapplying to universitiesinEurope,andbothwillprovideassistancewithcoursesearchingandapplications.TheseareEUNICAS – andAStarFuture –
USA:
American Universities represent an enormous life-changing opportunity for students. US colleges (Universities) are some of the very best in the world, often ranked considerably higher than most UK universities on international scales. Many students can be put off by the competition, the application process and the high cost; however increasingly students, and their families, are realising that they can compete at that level, and that there is an astounding amount of financial help available. Studying in the US takes a lot of effort and is definitely not for everyone but it is a great option to be considered.
For further information please see the separate document on Studying in the USA: Things you need to know.
CANADA:
Around 53% of Canadians go on to HE which is currently the highest participation rate in the developed world. With many flexible liberal arts style degrees(thefirst twoyearscovering a moregeneralrange of subjectsbeforespecialisingin a majorforthefinaltwoyears) and some 100 institutions with 15,000 undergraduate and post grad programmes there is something for everyone. Most programmes are usually four years althoughsomeCanadian universities will offer credits for Higher Level IB subjects (in some cases A level) allowing progression directly into year 2 e.g. McGill.
Applicationsto universitiesinCanadaaremadedirectly totheuniversities; except in Ontario where they have a UCAS style one applications approach for all 21 of its universities e.g. incl. Ryerson, University of Toronto, Queens, Guelph.SATsorACTsarenot required; and nor are essays or references. Only school transcripts and predicted grades are required and there are no student quotas. The Horizons department can only offer limited advice on studying in Canada but the department does have good contacts within the Education section of the Canadian High Commission – who also attend the College during the school year.
More generally it is worth noting that all international students are permitted to work 20 hours p.w during term time, 40 hours p.w in vacations, and for up to 3 years full time after completion of their degree course; after which they can apply for Canadian residence. They have a good system of ‘co-operative education’ – a rotation between work placements and classes, not simply the sandwich style degree more familiar in the UK, making students eminently employable. Tuition costs vary by university: £7700 - £22,800 p.a. (at the time of print); the COL is generally lower v. UK & USA. Some universities offer automatic bursaries depending on scores in IB/A levels on top of any other scholarships applied for. Scholarships are mainly for achievement of high grades.
AUSTRALIA:
Themaindifferenceaboutstudyingat universityinAustraliais that theiracademicyear followsthe calendaryear,typicallystartingin FebruaryandendinginNovember.Mostdegreeprogrammestakefouryears. A degreewithhonoursisachievedaftercompletinganordinaryBatchelordegreewithhighachievement.
TherearesomecentralisedadmissionsservicesinAustralia,suchas theUniversitiesAdmissions Centre(UAC - someinstitutionsinNewSouthWalesandAustralianCapitalTerritory, but inmost casesinternationalofficesrequiredirectapplications. A studyvisawouldbenecessary,andformost theapplication“window” isoftenquiteshort,so earlypreparation isneeded, ideallya yearinadvance.
Forcoursesearching,theofficialAustraliangovernmentwebsite,StudyinAustralia - is useful.Thiswebsitealsocontains amini-site - for studentsfrom theUK.
Art and DramaColleges:
Applications forspecialist Artand DramaCollegesdepend on theinstitutionand while some will not require a UCAS application, others will – hence direct contact with the institution is highly recommended..The specialisttutors for Art andDramaareableto providespecificadvice on different colleges,applicationsandportfolios.
Applications forArtandDramacoursesinvariably requireaninterview or audition,includinga portfolioforArt.Preparation for suchinterviewscanbe givenbythespecialist tutors.
Many pupilswho attendanArtCollegeto gain aDiplomainFoundation Studies,whichtakesoneyear,willgoonto apply to universitythroughUCAS.SuchapplicationsarenormallyhandledthroughtheArt Collegeandnot throughBradfield.
Gap Years:
Gapyearsare a popular choiceafterleavingBradfieldCollege.GapYearsaregenerallywelcomed by universitiesandemployers,as longas“theyareusedwell”.However, if a pupilis planningtosubmit a deferredapplication to universitywhiletheyareatCollege, theyMUST checkthat theirdepartment/universityis happyforthemto dothis.Therearesomecourses(eveniftheyareintheminority)whichclearlystatethat they donot acceptapplications fordeferredentry.Ifindoubt,check.
A “good”gapyearis usually one thatis wellplannedandhas anumber of components.Thereisnoone recipe andmuchwilldepend ontheindividualpupil.Itmayincludeworking,volunteering,learningsomethingnewandtravelling. A full set of GapYearinformation is heldinthe BradfieldHorizons Librarytogetherwithanumberofusefulbooksabout working,volunteeringor travellingabroad. Members ofBradfieldHorizonsarealwaysavailable tohelp anypupilplantheir GapYear.
Some pupilschooseto take a GapYearbecausetheyare not readyto make a universityapplication or donotwantthe workinvolvedwithresearching a universityapplication to interferewiththeir examination preparation.This is absolutely fineand UCASapplicationscanstillbemadethroughtheCollegeoncea pupilhasleft.
WorkExperience:
Allpupilsareencouragedtoundertakeworkexperience.Typicallythis maytakeplaceat theendofthe FifthForm,or during theLoweror UpperSixthyears. It is recommended thatpupilsundertakeat least oneperiod of workexperienceduringholidaytime before theycommencetheirfinalyearatschool.Ideallyworkexperienceshould be inthebroadarea thepupilis hopingto studybut,ifthis isn’t possible,anyexperienceprovides ausefulinsightinto theworldof workand should notbeunderestimated.
Currently, theCollegedoes not arrangeanyformalworkexperienceplacements, butBradfieldHorizons andtheBradfieldSociety maybeableto offer ideasandcontacts. TheCollegecannot,however, takeanyresponsibilityfor anyproblemsarisingfromanyworkexperiencearrangedas a resultof anysuchintroductions.
Pupils areencouragedtokeep a recordof their workexperiencesandtoreflect onwhatthey havelearntfrom them.Ideally,theyshoulddiscuss their experienceswiththeirpersonal tutorwhenpreparing their universityapplicationandpersonal statement.
Lower Sixthpupilsaregivenspecific helpon formulating a CurriculumVitae(CV) andwritingletters of applicationaspart oftheformalcareerseducation programme,buttheHorizons teamisavailabletohelppupilsfromallyearsinanyaspect ofanapplication.
Apprenticeships
Withmorepupilslookingfornon-universityoptions,anapprenticeshipoffersanexcellentalternative.However,with their increasedprofileand popularity,securing a goodapprenticeshipcanbe asdifficultasapplyingtoa verycompetitiveuniversitycourse.
Thereisnoset timescaleforapplyingfor an Apprenticeship–newplacesarebeingadvertisedcontinuously.Probably thebestplacetostartis tolookat theApprenticeshipswebsite - pupilsandparents,information about thedifferentapprenticeships andhowtheywork, as wellasa fulllistofcurrent vacancies.Searchescanbe madebyoccupational area and/orlocation, as well as directly on company websites.
Armed Forces:
The ArmedForcesnot only provide excellent careers, they also offer scholarshipsat bothSixthFormandUniversitylevel.SpecialistCareersAdvisersfromtheArmedServices,usually the Army,RoyalAir ForceandRoyalMarines,areoccasionallyinvited to visitBradfieldand interestedpupilsareencouragedto attendbothgeneral talksand one-to-oneinterviews. Pupils areadvisedof suchvisitsbothbyHorizonsand theCCF ContingentCommander, but it isapupil’s responsibilityto identifyhim- orherselfandbookanappointment.
Advice forPupils:
Pupils arefacedwithhavingto makechoicesanddecisionsthroughout theirtimeatBradfield.Therearemanymembers of staffwho canhelp them,but ifthey require a contextto make adecision–suchaswhichsubjects auniversitywillrequirefor particularcourses orwhichsubjectswillincreaseanapplicant’s chancesofsuccess –Horizonsis on hand to help. Typically,pupilsmaymeet withHorizonswhenmaking theirGCSEchoices, theirALevelor IBdiplomasubjectchoices,andwhenmaking theiruniversityor collegechoices.
Pupils arealsoreferredtothedepartmentfor abriefconversationiftheyareconsideringdroppingor changing a subject. They alsoseekhelpwith:
- securingworkexperience
- universitychoices,applications andpersonal statements
- universitydecisions,financeandscholarships
- planning a gapyear
- alternativeeducationalpathways
- apprenticeship and other non-universityoptions
Pupils also receive, on a weekly basis during term time, a bulletin with information about all up-coming taster days, events and lectures at various universities, work experience opportunities and any apprenticeship information that may be of interest, as well as sector related information days held by companies. Pupils canusetheBradfieldHorizons’libraryforreferenceat anytimeduringtermtime,exceptwhenitis inusefor one-to-one meetings.
Advice toParent/Guardians:
Horizonsisalwaysavailabletoassistwithanyquestions a Parent or Guardian mayhave. Thiscan be done by e-mail - ,telephone - 01189644733oratameeting.