GB8: Personal Guidance

Click here for some sources where you can get online advice any time.

You can request and receive impartial personal careers guidance at any time from Year 7 through to Year 11. This could be advice on:

To request advice please complete this Google Form. (NEED TO CREATE)

Post-16 Options

During Key Stage 4 students at XP Gateshead study a broad core offer of the following GCSE level qualifications:

Along with the option of studying additional GCSE qualifications through the 'Leading Our Own Learning' part of our curriculum, this sets students up to be able to follow any path from Key Stage 5 onwards.

Apprenticeships and Finding Providers for Post-16

Aprenticeship information for families

The resources on this government site have been tailored for parents, guardians and carers to help them support young people in making informed career choices.

You can use the North East Ambition Provider Portal to find providers of:

You can search by type of course, sector of employment and location.

For A-Levels there are many local providers including:

School sixth forms:

Sixth Form Colleges:

These providers will also have a range of other qualifications too.

Your questions answered...

Thanks for your great questions! Where you have very specific questions Mr Said or your Crew Leader will talk to you. To ask us questions just click here.

What GCSEs do you need for specific jobs?

Different jobs will all have slightly different pathways in terms of which qualifications are needed and to which level - e.g. bachelor's degree, level 3 apprenticeship etc..

What skills are most important to practice for future jobs?

Different jobs will also all have slightly different skills that are needed. For example if you want to be an engineer you need to be good at solving problems using your knowledge of maths and science  in particular, whereas if you are going to be a nurse you need to have excellent communication skills to help people to feel comfortable.

The best thing you can do when studying at GCSE level is to make sure you have a broad and balanced range of subjects that play to your strengths.

To find out more about specific qualifications and skills needed for jobs, use the explore function on your Start Profile.

You can always ask us if you interested in specific jobs too.

What if you don't get the job you want?

It is true that certain courses, training or jobs need certain levels of qualification and certain grades.

During secondary school the best things that you can do to ensure you are successful is to read lots, attend school and of course work hard, get smart and be kind. It is worth being on the look out for things that can set you apart from other young people too such as Duke of Edinburgh, summer schools or volunteering opportunities - always make sure these are from safe providers though!

We post opportunities here.

Some jobs are more competitive than others. For example lots of young people say that they want to be a professional footballer or a doctor - it is great to have these ambitions but it is also important to realise that very few people end up in these roles because they are so competitive and require extremely high levels of skill and professionalism.

It is always worth having a 'Plan B' for whatever it is that you are aiming for.

Where can I go for education that doesn't cost loads of money?

Education up to the age of 18 years of age is free. That includes A-Levels, T-Levels and applied courses such as BTECs.

Apprenticeships are courses where you get paid to train whilst doing a job. At least 20% of your time is spent studying and the rest of the time you learn through doing the job,

There is a cost for university courses - most universities charge around £9000 per year to study. However it is really important that you know that you do not need to pay this money up front.

Most students borrow money through a student loan and then only have to start to pay back their tuition fees when they are earning enough money. 

It is also the case that graduates with university degree do earn salaries on the job market that are on average higher than those of non-graduates. A recent report by our government said that graduates earn on average £10,000 more a year than those who don't go to university.

In most cases university education more than pays for itself in higher earnings during your lifetime.

If I go to university and higher education does the university provide job options when I leave?

Not all jobs need a university degree.

However there are many jobs that need you to be educated to degree-level. Many undergraduate university degree courses will include some industry experience but typically they do not automatically lead to a job at the end. Most students studying degrees start applying for jobs in their final year of their studies.

Degree-level apprenticeships are courses that do tend to lead directly to employment though. These apprenticeships are offered in partnership between an employer and a university.

After university some people choose to continue studying to achieve an even higher level degree called a master degree, and then possibly a PhD.