Getting Help from a Careers Adviser

 

Careers Advisers provide information and guidance to help you to decide about education and training. They will also help you to CHOOSE, FIND AND KEEP suitable employment. You may come into contact with your Careers Adviser at various stages:– 

• at school

• when you leave school

• during training

• in your first job. 

AT SCHOOL 

At the end of the fifth year of secondary education you will have several options open to you:– 

• staying on at school
• going to a College of Further Education
• getting a job
• joining a training programme 

Careers Talk 

Your Careers Adviser will visit your school regularly and talk to your class about all of the above options and help you to decide which is best for you. 

Careers Interview 

If you want to have an interview with your Careers Adviser, your Careers Teacher at school will arrange it for you.

To be able to give good advice, the Careers Adviser needs some background information about you. S/he will ask you to fill in a questionnaire before the interview. 

During the interview the Careers Adviser will discuss your interests, health, subjects you like and dislike at school, ones you are best at and those which you find difficult, what your family would like you to do and most importantly, what you would like to do. Your Careers Adviser will discuss various job ideas and give you information about qualifications required and will cover further education courses or training schemes which can help you to get a job in your chosen area. 

Parents 

The Careers Adviser and Careers Teacher understand that your parents are probably very interested in what you are going to do. If you wish, your school may arrange for one or both parents to be at the interview with you. If this is not possible your parent/s may see the Careers Adviser at a later date, in the local JobCentre. 

LEAVING SCHOOL 

When you leave school you can meet your Careers Adviser again in your local JobCentre. The Careers Adviser will have kept a record of your school interview. 

Suitable job vacancies, training programmes and further education courses will be discussed. Appropriate interviews can be arranged at this stage. 

Again your parent/s may come to the interview in the office. 

TRAINING 

If you join a training programme, a Careers Adviser will see you on a regular basis to discuss your progress and any suitable job vacancies which arise. If at any time you feel you have chosen the wrong training you may arrange to see your Careers Adviser to investigate other opportunities. 

YOUR FIRST JOB 

It takes time to settle into a new job. This is quite normal, but if after some time you have not adjusted, or if you change your mind about the job, contact your Careers Adviser who will be very willing to help you look at other options.