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We want to hear from you: please tell us about your experience of the online community.

Q&A with Career Pathways [All week from 1 April 2020]

TomO_Alumni

Are you between the ages of 16-25 and do you live in England or Wales?
Do you have a disability, mental health/health condition (such as anxiety or epilepsy) or impairment?
Would you like free careers advice during this uncertain time?

Our advisers from Career Pathways will be joining us from Wednesday to help answer your questions about career options, predicted grades from schools/colleges, how to get onto courses and apprenticeships and options for alternative careers.

If you have a question, let us know below and our advisers will do their best to answer.

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Comments

April2018mom

What careers would you recommend for a book addict who is in a wheelchair?

abz271

My university is making us do our assignments at home with no real teacher input. Should there be any allowances made when it comes to marking?

I’m finding it really difficult to work at home with everybody else here and it’s definitely going to affect my grades.

TomO_Alumni

April2018mom said:

What careers would you recommend for a book addict who is in a wheelchair?

Hi @April2018mom, interesting question - I am also a book addict!

The main suggestion that I can think of would working in a library, for example being a librarian assistant. There are also lots of other different careers that relate to books, such as editing, or publishing and so on.

If you were interested in being a library assistant but feel that you don't have the qualification or work experience necessary, you could look at doing volunteer work in your local library to gain experience to put on your CV.

CityLit in London also offer short courses focused on writing, journalism, and how to gain entry into those careers. You can find out more at this link: https://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/history-culture-and-writing/writing If you are not in London, it may be worth researching similar courses in your local area.

IrishManc

I’m 49, have over 20 years supermarket experience both here in the U.K. (where I’ve been living alone since 2002) and in my native Ireland, was made redundant last Sept after 17 years and am trying to find supermarket assistant vacancies, ideally within reasonable walking distance of my home postcode given the current restrictions without using public transport - I’ve asked for and had clarification from the police on the current restrictions when doing my jobsearch, attending interviews, using public transport etc, so am waiting for job offers from some supermarket employers regarding previous interviews attended - I’ve signed up to job alerts from all the supermarkets in my local area and in the meantime I’m also doing online courses while doing online jobsearch while on Universal Credit, dropping off CVs into supermarkets in my local area where possible

TomO_Alumni

Hart86 said:

Hi, my adult niece was re-sitting her GCSEs because she needs a higher Science GCSE for her teacher training. Her predicted grade isn’t high enough but obviously she’s done a year of work and study since then.

If they go by her predicted grade grade she won’t be able to pursue her career choice - is there anything she can do?

She’s not had any contact from the place of study and the disabled student advisor isn’t getting back to her.

Hi @Hart86

That's a tricky one. Reading the guidance at this website will offer some answers: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-cancellation-of-gcses-as-and-a-levels-in-2020/coronavirus-covid-19-cancellation-of-gcses-as-and-a-levels-in-2020

In there, it makes the point that predicted grades will not necessarily reflect their awarded grades. They will use different pieces of evidences such as mock exams and teachers' assessments of likely grades to arrive at an awarded grade. It also advises that universities and further education will try to be more flexible to ensure that students can still progress to higher education.

It may be worth getting in touch with the teacher training provider that your niece was thinking of going to. You can ask them directly about what allowances they might make in this situation and more advice.

Hart86 said:

Would it also be ok if I asked another career / courses based question? But it’s for me and I’m over 25 ?

Sure! Just bear in mind we offer advice for 16-25 year olds mainly, we will do our best to give advice or direct you to where you might find advice.

Gina_Scope

abz271 said:
My university is making us do our assignments at home with no real teacher input. Should there be any allowances made when it comes to marking?

I’m finding it really difficult to work at home with everybody else here and it’s definitely going to affect my grades.

hi @abz271

Thanks for your message. I appreciate it must be tough completing your work amongst other people.

Each university will have different levels of adjustments. I advise expressing your concern to your Personal Tutor. If they cannot help, you could speak to your Student Union. Letting them know you are struggling will help them to make changes. The National Union of Students suggests asking the question

"What will happen to exams and alternative assessments - given the stress this is no doubt causing many students, will there be mitigating circumstances available for everyone? If they postponed, but students have made other commitments, what should they do?"

This question is asking if extra allowances can be made based on the current situation.

I recommend speaking to someone you trust in the university about your concerns.

I hope this helps and please come back to us depending on the outcome of your conversation.

Thanks, Gina

Gina_Scope

IrishManc said:

I’m 49, have over 20 years supermarket experience both here in the U.K. (where I’ve been living alone since 2002) and in my native Ireland, was made redundant last Sept after 17 years and am trying to find supermarket assistant vacancies, ideally within reasonable walking distance of my home postcode given the current restrictions without using public transport - I’ve asked for and had clarification from the police on the current restrictions when doing my jobsearch, attending interviews, using public transport etc, so am waiting for job offers from some supermarket employers regarding previous interviews attended - I’ve signed up to job alerts from all the supermarkets in my local area and in the meantime I’m also doing online courses while doing online jobsearch while on Universal Credit, dropping off CVs into supermarkets in my local area where possible

Hi @IrishManc
Thanks for your message. That is great, it sounds like you are being very proactive in finding a role. You are taking all the right steps in looking for a job and furthering your skills.

If you would like support in finding a job, we have a telephone and online employment service for anyone living in England or Wales called Support to Work:
https://www.scope.org.uk/employment-services/support-to-work/

In normal circumstances, we have other face-to-face employment services you may be interested in depending on where you live: https://www.scope.org.uk/employment-services/
However all services are currently running over the phone and online due to the current situation.

I hope this is helpful.

Gina

Morgane_Scope

Awesome thanks! I’ll pass that to my niece.

My question for me was regarding reasonable adjustments. I was wondering if asking to work from home could be considered a reasonable adjustment? A job I’m applying for is looking for office-based staff but I know some of the team doing the same job all work remotely. I’m more than qualified for the position but due to my condition couldn’t commit to a full-time office based role but would be able to do it remotely.

Hi @Hart86

Working from home/remotely would definitely be considered a reasonable adjustment.

If you know members of the team doing the same job work remotely then I presume the job can be done that way, though it would be good to request it in your application to the employer as the other member of the team might have themselves reasonable adjustments.

Regarding the current situation with Covid-19 I am sure employers would consider remote work especially if you are more at risk due to your condition.

I would say explain your condition to the employer so they can understand why working from home would be the best option for you due to your condition. They will be reassured that you are capable to do the role.
If you have valid reasons the employer should be able to grant that flexible working request.

See below a few more info on homeworking produced by ACAS.
https://archive.acas.org.uk/homeworking

Hope this helps.

Morgane

TomO_Alumni

If you would like some advice around careers, do feel free to get in touch with us! Check the flyer for more information.

Flyer for Career Pathways Are you between the ages of 16-25 and do you live in England or Wales? Do you have a disability, mental health/health condition (such as anxiety or epilepsy) or impairment? Would you like free careers advice during this uncertain time? We can work with you over the phone, Zoom, or Skype to develop your career goals and create an action plan to help you achieve them. To get in touch with one of our advisers, Gina and Tom, email us at: careerpathways@scope.org.uk You can also register your interest online: www.scope.org.uk/career-pathways

IrishManc

tomzak said:

If you would like some advice around careers, do feel free to get in touch with us! Check the flyer for more information.

Having worked in supermarkets in entry level jobs for most of my working life for 20+ years and at age 49, this is a huge challenge following my redundancy last Sept and I’ve certainly never worked from home, as I’ve always felt that I’ve not had the self motivation or self discipline to do so, aside from any other required skills, talents and abilities - I’ve read the links to ACAS, so it’s an important time of making important decisions the longer this crisis goes on, possibly for up to 12 months, while also applying for as many supermarket jobs as possible, the only real factor being distance from my home postcode, starting with those closest to me and that is easiest to get to using public transport within the current situation

benjamo30

Hi,
I'm a current final year biomedical science student at Salford uni and I'm somewhat stuck as to what to do for career options. Unfortunately, due to my CP and associated hand tremor, I struggle with the lab side of things and would not be able to fulfill the standard lab based roles associated with the degree (ie biomedical scientists or PHD leading into academic research) despite being more than capable academically (I'm on track to get a first class degree)

Would you know of relevant areas whereby I could still use the knowledge and the skills gained from the degree in a non lab based role. I have looked at genetic counselling as an option, but the issue with that is that it requires the completion of a masters degree, which I do not have the funding for at the moment. There is technically the scientist training program as an option as that funds the masters part of the training, but that is incredibly competitive (15 places across the country per year) and I was unsuccessful in my application this year.

When I have discussed this with lecturers or careers advisers at university they have just mentioned other roles that require a masters and retraining (such as data science/ bioinformatics) and therefore have the same issue.
This is all incredibly frustrating, as I was completely open with the university about my CP, and all of this could have been avoided had this just been honest and made me aware that the lab side of things was likely to be to difficult as then I would have done a different degree

Anyway, that's where I'm at, would appreciate any advice you may have.

Thanks, Ben.

Morgane_Scope

IrishManc said:

Having worked in supermarkets in entry level jobs for most of my working life for 20+ years and at age 49, this is a huge challenge following my redundancy last Sept and I’ve certainly never worked from home, as I’ve always felt that I’ve not had the self motivation or self discipline to do so, aside from any other required skills, talents and abilities - I’ve read the links to ACAS, so it’s an important time of making important decisions the longer this crisis goes on, possibly for up to 12 months, while also applying for as many supermarket jobs as possible, the only real factor being distance from my home postcode, starting with those closest to me and that is easiest to get to using public transport within the current situation

Hi @IrishManc

Applying for local shops are definitely a good idea if you are happy to do so during the lock down as most supermarkets are massively hiring at present to fulfil all demands.

Though, you could always explore new opportunities as I am sure many of yours skills are transferable and could be used for other roles.

If you need any support with your job search you can self-refer to our employment service Kickstart which is currently operating remotely and providing support to disabled people residing anywhere in England.

https://www.scope.org.uk/employment-services/kickstart/

Hope this helps

Morgane

IrishManc

Morgane, I would be with the Starting Line here in Manchester, but I do appreciate the advice - the JCP (while on UC) and the police are taking a more understanding approach with regard to looking for jobs and essential travelling on public transport outside local postcode area to interviews

Gina_Scope

benjamo30 said:

Hi,
I'm a current final year biomedical science student at Salford uni and I'm somewhat stuck as to what to do for career options. Unfortunately, due to my CP and associated hand tremor, I struggle with the lab side of things and would not be able to fulfill the standard lab based roles associated with the degree (ie biomedical scientists or PHD leading into academic research) despite being more than capable academically (I'm on track to get a first class degree)

Would you know of relevant areas whereby I could still use the knowledge and the skills gained from the degree in a non lab based role. I have looked at genetic counselling as an option, but the issue with that is that it requires the completion of a masters degree, which I do not have the funding for at the moment. There is technically the scientist training program as an option as that funds the masters part of the training, but that is incredibly competitive (15 places across the country per year) and I was unsuccessful in my application this year.

When I have discussed this with lecturers or careers advisers at university they have just mentioned other roles that require a masters and retraining (such as data science/ bioinformatics) and therefore have the same issue.
This is all incredibly frustrating, as I was completely open with the university about my CP, and all of this could have been avoided had this just been honest and made me aware that the lab side of things was likely to be to difficult as then I would have done a different degree

Anyway, that's where I'm at, would appreciate any advice you may have.

Thanks, Ben.

Hi @benjamo30,

Hope you are having a good morning. Thank you for your message; it sounds like you are quite open to various career ideas, and well done on being on track to get a first, that is amazing!

In terms of completing a masters, have you thought about a Masters Loan? : https://www.gov.uk/masters-loan . There is certain criteria but it could be worth looking into if you wanted to do genetic counselling.

When you come to apply for roles, there are changes that workplaces can make to enable a disabled person to work. This could mean you may not need to rule out all the jobs you are interested in. These are called Reasonable adjustments and help disabled people overcome barriers,. This could involve adapting equipment or allocating certain responsibilities to another employee. Here is some information from our website https://www.scope.org.uk/advice-and-support/reasonable-adjustments-at-work/

If there are financial costs that come from these reasonable adjustments, an employee can apply for ‘Access to Work’ . Access to Work is a government grant scheme which supports disabled people in work by funding the support they need to carry out their job. This could be a support worker, specialist equipment etc. Here is a link to more information about this: https://www.scope.org.uk/advice-and-support/access-to-work-grant-scheme/

Thinking about non lab-based roles, have you considered going into Medical sales or Health and safety (i.e. looking at risks in the workplace). Here are some other suggestions Prospects suggests in this area: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/job-sectors/science-and-pharmaceuticals/10-alternative-science-careers

Additionally, there are also Graduate Schemes that may interest you? https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/getting-a-job/graduate-schemes

A graduate scheme is a paid, structured training programme run by an employer. They may not be as directly related to your degree, but there would be many transferable skills you could apply from your biomedical science degree.

Finally, here are some websites that have internships and Summer placements, these may be useful to help look at the kind of support you may require before you go into a paid role:

Hope this is helpful. If you are wanting further careers advice, and are aged between 16 and 25, it would be great if you applied to our Career Pathways service where one of our advisers can work with you directly

https://www.scope.org.uk/employment-services/career-pathways/application-form/

Thanks,

Gina

April2018mom

tomzak said:

April2018mom said:

What careers would you recommend for a book addict who is in a wheelchair?

Hi @April2018mom, interesting question - I am also a book addict!

The main suggestion that I can think of would working in a library, for example being a librarian assistant. There are also lots of other different careers that relate to books, such as editing, or publishing and so on.

If you were interested in being a library assistant but feel that you don't have the qualification or work experience necessary, you could look at doing volunteer work in your local library to gain experience to put on your CV.

CityLit in London also offer short courses focused on writing, journalism, and how to gain entry into those careers. You can find out more at this link: https://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/history-culture-and-writing/writing If you are not in London, it may be worth researching similar courses in your local area.

Thanks. I have another question. What jobs do you recommend for someone who has dyscalculia but is to retake her maths GCSE next year? Thanks in advance. Her hobbies and interests are cooking, reading, sewing, and woodwork. She also enjoys cycling and baking too. Another favorite hobby of hers is painting.

TomO_Alumni

April2018mom said:

tomzak said:

April2018mom said:

What careers would you recommend for a book addict who is in a wheelchair?

Hi @April2018mom, interesting question - I am also a book addict!

The main suggestion that I can think of would working in a library, for example being a librarian assistant. There are also lots of other different careers that relate to books, such as editing, or publishing and so on.

If you were interested in being a library assistant but feel that you don't have the qualification or work experience necessary, you could look at doing volunteer work in your local library to gain experience to put on your CV.

CityLit in London also offer short courses focused on writing, journalism, and how to gain entry into those careers. You can find out more at this link: https://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/history-culture-and-writing/writing If you are not in London, it may be worth researching similar courses in your local area.

Thanks. I have another question. What jobs do you recommend for someone who has dyscalculia but is to retake her maths GCSE next year? Thanks in advance. Her hobbies and interests are cooking, reading, sewing, and woodwork. She also enjoys cycling and baking too. Another favorite hobby of hers is painting.

Hi @April2018mom, sorry for my late response!

There's a broad range of interests, which can mean she has a broad range of careers that she might like to think about. She might want to look at working in a kitchen and training to do chef work, or she could work in a bakery. Other ideas could include cabinet making for home kitchens, dress-making and so on.

If she lives in England or Wales and is aged between 16 and 25, she is very welcome to get in touch with us at careerpathways@scope.org.uk and we can go through these things a bit more in depth, especially taking into account her dyscalculia.

Hope this is helpful?

mrconspicuous

Hi I have nothing on my CV. no GCSE's
I am willing to do some volunteering to gain experience & build a CV, long term I would like to be registered mental health nurse-how can you help me?

TomO_Alumni

mrconspicuous said:

Hi I have nothing on my CV. no GCSE's
I am willing to do some volunteering to gain experience & build a CV, long term I would like to be registered mental health nurse-how can you help me?

Hi @mrconspicuous
It's fantastic that you're willing to volunteer to gain experience - there are lots of places where you can volunteer to build up your experience, particularly in the aged-care sector.

If you are aged 16-25, living in England and Wales, and have a disability, you can check out our website scope.org.uk/career-pathways. We can help work out what might be the best course of actions to gain entry into the mental health care field.

If you don't meet those criteria, you can check out our other employment services. These services can help you with finding volunteering, employment or training opportunities. They are Kickstart (https://www.scope.org.uk/employment-services/kickstart/) and Support to Work (https://www.scope.org.uk/employment-services/support-to-work/)

Hope this is helpful?