There is always pressure during the year of sitting A Levels. Especially when you are ultimately paired against your peers to do well, there is also a lot riding on your results – will you get your apprenticeship?
• Don’t be lazy
Let’s be honest, you have to at least try and put some effort in, that’s just something that can’t be avoided. 99% of the time, nobody achieves anything in life without a little graft; to Neil Armstrong landing on the moon to getting up early, to making it to a gym class. So yes… you will have to revise, so sadly if you fail all your A Levels, it’s unlikely that you will be able to undertake an apprenticeship.
• It’s not the end of the world
We can’t predict everything in life and the same applies with exams. So, the exam didn’t go well on the day, or you have been struggling to hit the grade you need in one of your subjects, don’t panic, there is always a solution. If you are one grade off or have done better in another subject, your employer may overlook the grade difference, as grades are just one factor, into why they want to hire you! If you haven’t met the grades you needed and have been rejected, it may be a case of contacting the employer directly and see if there is another role that you may be better suited to instead. Finally, always try to apply to as many apprenticeships as possible, you have nothing to lose, and it keeps your options open for whatever results you may receive on results day!
• Expectations
It is really easy to get stressed and caught up in what everyone else is doing/applying for. At the end of the day, you need to apply for what is right for you and be realistic with it. It is always good to be ambitious but don’t be unrealistic. For example – if you are wanted to pursue an apprenticeship in law, there is little point in applying for an apprenticeship where there are qualifications that you need and you don’t have. Especially as applying for apprenticeships is time consuming and you don’t want to apply for one with half of your effort!
• Be realistic
Not everyone is good at the same thing. That’s why as humans we are all different, some of us are good at sport and some of us aren’t. It’s kind of the same with grades/exams, not everybody is going to be good at taking tests, no matter how hard you revise. So, it’s the same when applying to apprenticeships, don’t get yourself worked up when you know you won’t be able to achieve an A* in a subject, you are currently getting a C in. Think of it like people applying to university, they aren’t going to apply for five ambitious universities they know they are unlikely to meet the grades for. They are going to choose, one ambitious, one safe and three achievable. There is no point putting yourself through the stress and pressure of having to reach the grades and closing the door on other optional options, you could achieve.
These are my top three tips on applying to apprenticeships and how to cope during A Level exam season, to ensure you get that apprenticeship you want….
o Look into apprenticeships at the end of your GCSEs and see what the general requirements are
o Be realistic with your applications/what you can achieve/what you want to pursue o Keep your options open when applying, don’t have your heart set on one apprenticeship, applying is more competitive than university spaces
