What will you do after leaving school?

Introduction to our guide

Dear teacher,

Thanks for downloading the uni’s not for me education pack. We hope it provides

some inspiration and helps you and your students tackle some of the challenging

decisions facing young people today.

Uni’s not for me is one of the leading authorities on alternative education and career

choices for young people. Our website aims to provide independent careers advice to

young people exploring the alternatives to university, whether that’s leaping into work,

further study, or attending university later in life.

The site was inspired by my daughter’s experience. She chose not to go to university,

despite considerable pressure to do so. We actively campaign to tackle the stigma

many young people face around their decision to bypass university, from education

establishments, other parents, and even other students.

We are not against university and support it as a considered choice for

thousands of students across the country.

However, we do believe that students should have the opportunity to consider all the

routes and options open to them, making choices based on their personal interests and

talents without recourse to outdated myths and stereotypes.

Included in this resource is a lesson plan, supplementary materials to that plan and a

poster which you are welcome to display in your school. You are also welcome to add a

link to our site from the careers section of your website.

Now is the time to start thinking afresh and supporting young people to make the right

choices for them.

Sarah Wrixon,

Co-founder of uni’s not for me

www.unisnotforme.com

Year group 9-11

Time

required

50 minutes

Materials

required

Internet access and workbooks

Lesson

objectives

Identify a range of education and employment routes available to students on leaving

school.

Understand the potential benefits of these varied routes.

Consider the routes of interest to them based on their skills, ambitions and interests.

Summary Students have an objective and informed view of the many and varied routes to extend

their education or prepare them for work, and begin to consider the ones most applicable

to them.

Lesson Introduction – Introduce the topic.

Starter – Students form groups and are presented with a collection of celebrity photos

with accompanying questions. Students could use internet research to find out more

about the celebrity’s background or guess themselves which routes they have taken. (A

list of useful websites is provided in the handouts.)

Main – Using the internet, students will remain in their groups and be asked to research

one career or education route and present back a compelling case to the class on why

they should undertake this route after leaving school. (Some notes have been provided if

internet access is not available.)

The routes presented could include the following:

- Studying at university or college

- Gap year

- Apprenticeship

- Going straight into work

- Starting a business

Students listen to all the presentations and have the opportunity to pose questions or

challenge the information. Once all the presentations have been delivered, students vote

for the choices they might consider.

Plenary – Students are asked to explain why they voted for each option.

Pass out – Students will be asked to identify one interesting fact they learned when they

leave.

Evaluation Students will have a better understanding of all the career and education options

available to school leavers and appreciate the strengths and benefits of each. They

should value graduate and non-graduate opportunities equally, and be capable of seeing

where their own skills and interests fit.

LESSON PLAN

What will you do after leaving school?

Introducing the topic

You may wish to introduce the topic by asking a few students from the class how they

will make their decision about what to do after leaving school.

• Will they be driven by the type of job they want to do?

• How important is cost in deciding whether to continue their studies?

• Do they feel expectations play a role in their decision – expectations from parents,

their friends, or expectations they have about themselves?

BACKGROUND TEACHER NOTES

What will you do after leaving school?

Name?

Current job?

First job?

Education?

Achievements?

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/122

6485/Simon-Cowell

Name?

Current job?

First job?

Education?

Achievements?

www.jkrowling.co.uk

HANDOUT 1

What will you do after leaving school

What will you do after leaving school

Name?

Current job?

First job?

Education?

Achievements?

www.jamieoliver.com

Name?

Current job?

First job?

Education?

Achievements?

http://investor.fb.com/

HANDOUT 1

What will you do after leaving school

HANDOUT 2/HE

Notes and talking points: Getting a degree – at university or college. • The average starting salary for a graduate is estimated

to be £26,000 (Association of Graduate Recruiters) and graduates are estimated by the Office for National Statistics to earn considerably more than non-graduates over their lifetime.

• A degree is a necessity for some career choices, such

as becoming a doctor. • Many employers stipulate having a degree in their

selection criteria and run schemes to attract graduate talent.

• Many institutions are charging annual tuition fees of

around £9,000 a year.

What will you do after leaving school

HANDOUT 2/gap year

Notes and talking points: Gap year. • An opportunity to gain work experience relevant to

your career plans, either in the UK or abroad. • Potential to pick up new skills -such as learning a new

language – as well as people or organisational skills which might be appealing to an employer.

• Gap years will need to be self-funded and depending

on your choice, can bear a considerable cost. • An opportunity to distinguish yourself in the jobs

marketplace on your return.

What will you do after leaving school

HANDOUT 2/apprenticeships

Notes and talking points: apprenticeships. • Earn a wage whilst developing your skills among more

experienced staff. The average salary of an apprentice is £170 per week.

• Opportunity to work towards nationally recognised

qualifications. • An increasing number of businesses are creating their

own apprenticeship schemes providing a means to work for some of the nation’s most popular employers.

• There are more than 200 different types of

apprenticeships across a broad range of sectors and professions enabling you to hone in on your area of interest or passion.

What will you do after leaving school

HANDOUT 2/work

Notes and talking points: straight into work. • Provides the opportunity to earn straight away in the

profession of your choice. • Through online and part-time study, you can bolster

your qualifications whilst earning – your employer might even pay.

• You will need to be prepared to ‘work your way up’.

However, some of the UK’s most influential chief executives started their career in entry level posts.

• Another avenue worth exploring is school leaver schemes offered by a range of employers from accountancy firms to retailers. They can provide work experience and/or apprenticeships too.

What will you do after leaving school

HANDOUT 2/business

Notes and talking points: start a business. • Starting a business is something you can do to fit your

circumstances – you can earn elsewhere while you make a start.

• You will have to face some tough choices, though. At

some point, your business will need your full commitment and sacrifices may need to be made around your social life and living arrangements.

• There is free support and mentoring available through

government schemes, such as Start-Up Loans. • Starting a business allows you to pursue your passions

and interests. It is a high risk choice but the rewards can be considerable.

What will you do after leaving school

HANDOUT 3

Route Advantages Disadvantages

Current job: Presenter and music

producer

First job: Worked in the

mailroom at EMI

Education: Left school before sixth form

Achievements: Managed successful

bands including Five and Westlife;

producer behind the hugely popular X-

Factor and has an estimated worth of

£225 million

Current job: Author, Harry Potter series

First job: Researcher at Amnesty

International

Education: Exeter University – French and

Classics

Achievements: Over 450 million Harry

Potter books have been sold worldwide.

Spin offs such as the movie, merchandise

and Harry Potter world have broken

commercial records. J K Rowling has

donated an estimated $160 million to

charity

ANSWER SHEET 1

What will you do after leaving school?

Current job: Chef, restaurant owner,

presenter, campaigner, author

First job: Worked at his parents’ pub

Education: Westminster Catering College

Achievements: Award winning TV

programmes and best selling books, set-

up a training academy

for disadvantaged

young people,

campaigned to

improve school

dinners

Current job: Co-founder, chairman and

CEO of Facebook

First job: Setting up Facebook! But prior to

that, Mark also created his own family

online messaging network called ZuckNet

at just 12 years old

Education: Studied computer science at

Harvard University but dropped out before

graduating

Achievements: Facebook has more than a

billion active users and has

transformed the way we

communicate

ANSWER SHEET 2

What will you do after leaving school?

Wouldn’t all ‘academic’ types benefit from going to university?

The pursuit of learning does not have to include going to university. It is certainly an

option – both on leaving school and later in life – but it is far from the only option.

College can provide an alternative setting for studying so-called ‘academic subjects’

and might be a more supportive environment for some. Research by the Association of

Colleges1 shows that higher education students taught in colleges are more satisfied

with the academic support provided than their peers at university.

Isn’t a university degree essential to securing a ‘good’ job?

True, there are a number of careers in which a degree is necessary. That said, there

are plenty of surprising examples where one is not. Take the legal profession. It’s

possible to train to become a legal executive lawyer through college, which as well as

specialising in cases relating to family or company law, can also provide a pathway to

becoming a partner or judge.

While a degree can increase students’ eligibility to apply for certain jobs, employers are

often looking for more – work experience and evidence of employable skills around

presentation, sales or technology is often just as important. According to the CBI2,

even in the professional services sector, nearly a third of jobs don’t require any degree

at all.

Isn’t college just for those who wish to pursue a vocation?

Colleges offer a variety of courses, not just vocational ones. Every year, 170,000

students study some form of higher education in a college setting whether that’s a

degree, higher national diploma or foundation degree in courses ranging from social

sciences to the visual arts or even zoology.

It’s true that colleges are known for their vocational offerings, but it is for that very

reason that people might be surprised by the range, status and professionalism of

vocations supported, from aeronautical engineering, applied psychology and

criminology to journalism. These can provide a great fast-track route into a specific

career and many can be ‘topped up’ to degree level later if the need arises.

1 Association of Colleges College Key Facts 2012

2 2011 CBI Education and Skills Survey

BACKGROUND TEACHER NOTES

What will you do after leaving school?

Don’t graduates enjoy swifter promotion and have greater earning potential?

Averaged salary figures from the Office for National Statistics 3 show that graduates

earn an average of £12,000 a year more than non graduates.

However, alternative options do not always restrict earning potential. For the

entrepreneurial, for example, this potential is only limited by an individual’s

resourcefulness and ambition. Also, for those who work their way up through a

business, there’s no reason to hit a ceiling due to education and, even if this happens,

there are plenty of opportunities to study later in life – employers might even pay.

But isn’t earning potential the key thing that students should be focusing on?

There is more to life than money – job satisfaction should not be undervalued – and

there is no sure-fire educational pathway that is guaranteed to lead you to it. Making

the right decision as an individual means students can exploit their strengths and get

the most from their education and training. Ambition and informed decision making can

then carry them, whatever path they choose.

Aren’t some alternatives to going to university simply unadvisable? For

example, isn’t starting a business in the worst recession since the 1930s a

recipe for disaster?

The business landscape is constantly changing, opening up new opportunities to those

who know where to look. Government and other agencies can offer start-up funding4 –

you can even ‘crowdfund’ it yourself – to help get your business off the ground. That’s

how uni’s not for me got off the ground!

To see a simple summary of the alternatives to

university, visit www.unisnotforme.com/options

3 Office for National Statistics

4 The government-backed Start-up Loans scheme

BACKGROUND TEACHER NOTES

What will you do after leaving school?