The alternatives: Picking the route to your career

It's just a case of picking the best one for your needs

You've read about Clearing but you feel it's not for you. What are the alternatives? There are plenty but you do have to take care in considering which of them is right for you.

RETAKING YOUR EXAMS

The first reaction is often to plump for retaking A-levels. You didn't do as well as you expected and you might do better next year. You don't want to accept second best now. The retake option comes with warnings attached though. What if you have peaked? If you really worked hard (honestly, now) could you get any higher grades? If you spent more time getting further acquainted with your music collection than your revision notes - well then, OK. But do ask advice from the staff who taught you. If they genuinely think you have reached your academic ceiling it could be unwise to take on another whole year's A2 work. Or they might advise one change of subject

If you do decide to retake, where can you do so? There are three options - at your former school or college, if they take past students back; at a private tutorial college (pricey) and at a local college of further education. Each route has its advantages and disadvantages. For instance - would you be better off being taught again by staff who know you already or could this be a disadvantage? Do you need a clean break?

In that case you should check out private colleges - expensive - (think in terms of around £1,500-£1,700 per subject for a one-year course). Tutorial colleges are good, though. They know their stuff and usually improve on grades for motivated students. And students who are aiming at prestigious universities and whose parents are paying the fees usually are motivated! State sector further education colleges will be cheaper - a few hundred pounds, and some charge as little as £100. However, they may not offer specific retake courses. You might have to be with second-year A-level students. In all cases you need to find out whether the syllabus will be the same as the one you have followed.

TAKING DIFFERENT COURSES

You could take a Higher National Diplomas (HND). These are career-directed courses that are one year shorter than degree courses - ie, two years full-time or three years sandwich. Their entry requirements are lower than those for degree courses.

HNDs are qualifications in their own right - but you should be able to convert it into a degree through a one-year "top-up" course if you want to. Or you might even be able to switch to a degree programme at the end of your first year. At institutions that run similar degree and HND programmes, students often change courses (in either direction!). Why should you change? Because in some careers - engineering is a notable example - people with degrees and diplomas usually do different levels of work. It takes much longer to become a chartered engineer for someone without a master's degree. In many jobs, however, the entry qualification does not matter and someone with an HND could reach the same point as a graduate.

In which subjects are HNDs offered? The more common ones include accounting, agriculture, art and design, beauty therapy, biology, building, business studies, chemistry, computing, engineering, horticulture, hospitality, IT, media studies, performing arts, public admin, transport and distribution, travel and tourism; and the less usual include clothing, horology, horse studies, jazz, musical instrument technology and yacht-manufacturing management!

Then there are foundation degrees - the government's new flagship qualification. They have been available since autumn 2001 and over 4,000 students are already studying for them. They too last for two years, are in vocational subjects and are designed to lead into employment or to be converted into a full degree course (through 15 months' further study). Like HNDs, they are offered in some colleges and in many of the universities that were once polytechnics specialising in vocational courses. You can study for them by full-time, part-time and distance learning routes.

So what is the difference between these new courses and the HNDs? Both types of programme are designed in consultation with industry and commerce and include training in the skills that employers say are important. A major factor in the foundation degrees is the amount of flexibility given to universities and colleges to design their own courses just as they do for full degree courses and in how and when to assess students' work. For HND programmes, they may only choose options from those already designed and offered by the exam board Edexcel. They are also free to deliver them through any combination of days spent in industrial training, days in college and some distance learning.

You could do a foundation degree in one of more than 70 career areas. If you look on the Foundation Degree website you will see a list showing you which are available as full-time, part-time or distance-learning courses. It's a pretty impressive list, including technical and scientific ones like aircraft engineering, forensic science, IT and ophthalmic dispensing; creative options such as commercial music, creative arts and media and multi-media design; social care ones like health care, classroom assistance, housing and police studies.

Not all are open to students wanting to study on a full-time basis but are offered only to people already in employment. Examples of these include the ones in classroom assistance, police studies and housing.

USEFUL WEBSITE
www.foundationdegree.org.uk

WORK OR TRAINING

Last is the work or training scheme option. This might be right up your street. Training for a good job doesn't have to be done through a full-time course. There are still employers who recruit A-level students and train them in the workplace. This route has the advantage that you earn while you learn. But it's not a soft option because if you are going to obtain a professional qualification you will have to study in your spare time. What could you do? All sorts of things from law to accountancy, tourism to police work, insurance to joining the diplomatic service. Sometimes, employers expect you to follow the training programme specified by a professional body.

On a Modern Apprenticeship you might receive a training allowance of £40-£50 a week or you might be lucky enough to find one of the employers who tops up the allowance to pay you a salary. You would be trained to do your particular job - and also learn general vocational skills you can apply to any job, such as problem-solving, teamwork and possibly special skills such as foreign languages.

There are different levels of Apprenticeship. With A-levels, you should enquire about the level known as Advanced Modern Apprenticeship in England or Modern Apprenticeship in Wales. There is a lower level known as Modern Apprenticeship and National Traineeship, in each country respectively. In Scotland, you should enquire about training under the Skillseekers' Initiative. Ask at your local Careers Service.

RETAKING YOUR EXAMS

KIM VERSTAPPEN 19, from Brentwood

I felt I was always put down at school. All my English teachers used to say, "You're a D-grade student" - and that's just what I got last summer, in addition to a D in theatre studies and a C in French. I felt so low and I didn't think I had a hope of getting on to the course I really wanted to do at RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts). I had put on a production of Steel Magnolias at school, therefore had some experience but didn't feel any confidence in myself then.

But I enrolled at Davies Laing & Dick Tutorial College to retake English literature and do theatre studies and media studies A-levels in a year. In the first week I was told that I would achieve at least a B in English. I got the B in January and was also offered an unconditional place at RADA to do a two-year technical and stage management course. Even though I don't need the other two A-levels, I decided to continue for my own peace of mind. I still won't be happy if I don't get and A or a B in those two subjects.

If someone puts you in a different mentality and says you can do something, it makes you believe you want to do it. I'm just a completely different person from a year ago.

TAKING DIFFERENT COURSES

PHILIP ROWLAND 19, from Hartlepool

When I completed my BTEC National Diploma in mechanical engineering I obtained an average of distinction grades. This meant that I could have applied for various different honours degrees, To be honest, I was unsure about which field of engineering would interest me most and wanted to keep my options open. That was the main reason the foundation degree suited me. The first year is broad-based so it helps you get a feel for the different engineering disciplines. As a result, I know now that I am interested in manufacturing management.

There is a very good mix of theory and practice on the course itself and over the summer I'll be doing a work experience placement with a small engineering firm that makes vibration plates.

If that went well and they offered me a job, I would have the options of accepting it and completing my foundation degree on a part-time basis or continuing straight into my second year as planned.

Eventually, I intend to convert it into an honours degree in manufacturing management at Teesside.

WORK OR TRAINING

CAROLYN BAWDEN 22, from Bristol

I'm nearly qualified now as a legal executive. Four years ago I'd never heard of the job. They assist solicitors, see clients, do preparatory work for court cases, draft documents and wills - and might specialise in one aspect of law - like family or matrimonial.

I was holding a firm offer for law and sociology - and did get the grades. But suddenly I felt that I wanted to know more about law before committing myself to a degree course. By chance, I saw a legal secretarial job advertised. I had no experience, but applied and explained that I might only stay for one year. I got the job and was told about the Institute of Legal Executives' training programme. I would get training and work experience with the firm and attend college part-time, though I would have to pay my own fees. I accepted the job and I later withdrew from the degree offer when I realised that I was in the right place.

It isn't a soft option, fitting in study on top of working, but I'm glad I did it. I shall probably train next as a solicitor. I'll be exempt from the full-time postgraduate course - so I will have qualified much more cheaply than if I had taken the degree route. Although I've had to pay about £1,000 a year for tuition fees and textbooks, I've had a salary all this time and have no debts or loans to repay.

USEFUL INFORMATION

www.realworkrealpay.info

For information on Modern Apprenticeships Jobs & Careers After A-level and Equivalent Advanced Qualifications, a book by Lifetime Careers Publishing