We are in a time of uncertainty.

This affects us all in different ways. One group are the 17 and 18 year olds who should have been taking their A levels soon and now need to confirm their choices for this coming academic year.

Some had planned on a gap year, but how easy will it be to travel, and do they want to?

Others are questioning if they will have the ‘university experience’ and is it worth paying fees for something that is not the same as their elder siblings and parents had. Socialising is important, and university is a time to make long term friendships.

It’s not an easy choice …

What you need is information

Getting clarity that you have made the right choice of course, one that you will enjoy and that will use your abilities and suit longer term goals.

Seeing how this will fit into the wider picture – if you are going to take a year out, how can you get relevant work experience and use the time wisely.

Both parents and their children want to make sure that the investment in a University education is a good choice. Not all young people want or need a University Education. There are alternatives, such as apprenticeships/ Vocational training or getting a job and for some it is better to wait – 18 is not the right time.

Too many young people opt for university without any in-depth thought on why. Too late they realise it was the wrong degree for their desired career. Others drop out as emotionally not ready, or not getting support to help with the transition from school.

I work with this age group in different ways: through career coaching either alone or combined with highly reputable assessments.

Career Advice for Teenagers comes in 3 options. 

1.  The Highlands Ability Battery

(Almost) ALL my clients who have taken the Highlands Ability Battery wish they had taken it when they were younger as the information is so powerful when making career decisions. My clients ask me why career aptitude tests aren’t more frequently used by schools.

When a teenage takes a career assessment test they get to know what they can ACTUALLY do, which provides essential guidance to make decisions over study choices. But schools don’t have the budget for this type of assessment, relying instead on interest inventories. Just because you are interested doesn’t mean you will have the ability to be successful, and many of us aren’t sure if we are interested in something, or not.

The Highlands Ability Battery is a 3-hour assessment to identify natural ability and comes with 3 colour PDF reports (50 pages) including the Career Exploration Supplement to suggest career options. It also improves study skills and increases self-confidence. You can read more and make payment via this page.

2.  A One Hour Discussion

Prefer a time to talk. You can pay by the session. The first hour is £125.  Add in the Strong Interest Inventory (SII) to assess interests. You receive a 12-page colour PDF report along with guidance notes. These is an additional fee of £40.

Further 50-minute sessions are £89 (Skype) and £99 (F2F)

3.  The Teenager Programme – £527

The teenager programme combines the Highlands Ability Battery and the Strong Interest Inventory alongside 2.5 hours of coaching sessions. One of 90 minutes to discuss the Highlands Ability Battery and 2 x 30-minute sessions – the first to listen to your teen and help them think through any ideas they may have and to gain a clearer understanding of options. Following a discussion of the 2 assessments we have a 30 minute follow up to review research and clarify next steps. All discussions are recorded and sent as MP3s.

Does this sound like something helpful for you and your teen? I’d love to discuss this with you.

Here is the link to arrange a complimentary consultation of about 20 minutes.

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Image by Tania Van den Berghen from Pixabay

Published On: June 7th, 2020 / Categories: Students and Graduates / Tags: , /

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