School leaver advice

Plan for the future now with our range of useful advice for school leavers. From top tips on how to prepare for university and understanding degree levels to what extracurricular activities to include on your CV, as well as expert careers advice for school leavers, you’ll learn everything you need to stand out from the crowd.

Five helpful courses for each stage of your career

Want to excel in every stage of your career? Here are five free and discounted courses to help get you started…

Leaving school: What to do next

Finishing secondary school? Here are some of the options available to you – and advice on what you could be doing next.

GCSE results day: What are your options?

Here are just some of the things you could do after getting your GCSE results.

What are the different degree levels?

Considering going to uni? There’s more than one way to get a degree. Here’s everything you need to know about the most common degree levels.

Five easy jobs to do without experience

Think it’s not possible to get a job without experience? Think again. Here are five easy jobs you can do without experience. 

Five great retail skills for your CV

Looking for retail skills to help sell your suitability for the role? Here are just five that you should definitely be adding to your CV.

Five helpful courses for each stage of your career

Want to excel in every stage of your career? Here are five free and discounted courses to help get you started…

Leaving school: What to do next

Finishing secondary school? Here are some of the options available to you – and advice on what you could be doing next.

GCSE results day: What are your options?

Here are just some of the things you could do after getting your GCSE results.

What are the different degree levels?

Considering going to uni? There’s more than one way to get a degree. Here’s everything you need to know about the most common degree levels.

Five easy jobs to do without experience

Think it’s not possible to get a job without experience? Think again. Here are five easy jobs you can do without experience. 

Five great retail skills for your CV

Looking for retail skills to help sell your suitability for the role? Here are just five that you should definitely be adding to your CV.

How to kick-start your career if you’re aged 18-24

Aged 18-24 and looking for work? Here are our top tips on how to kick-start (or restart) your career and find a job you love.

Want a job in technology? Don’t worry if you don’t have a degree

Is a Computer Science degree important to work in tech? The short answer is ‘Not necessarily’. But it certainly won’t hurt…

Kickstart scheme: What you need to know

Are you aged between 16 and 24, and looking for work right now? The government’s Kickstart scheme could help you take your next step.

Not going to uni: What to do next

What comes after school? It doesn’t have to be uni. If you’re considering not going to uni, here are a few options of what you could do next:

Revealed: The best city to go to university in 2020

Find out which city has been named the most cost-effective place to attend university, as part of the NatWest Student Living Index 2020.

Six extracurricular activities to add to your CV

Wondering how you can add a little extra to your CV? We’ve already covered whether you should include your hobbies, but here are five extracurricular activities you might want to add to your CV.

Jobs for 16-year-olds

16 and ready to work? Here are a few jobs you can do – and a handful of helpful hints to get your career off on the right foot.

Work experience letter template

Looking to gain some work experience? Our free work experience letter template will help get you started, and learn how to stand out to employers.

Five ways to make the most of career fairs

Want to speak face-to-face with recruiters in your industry? Here are some of our top career fair tips, and how you can learn to use them to your advantage…

Personal statements for university

Here’s everything you need to know about writing your personal statement for university, and a personal statement example to help you get started.

The Gradlife – What needs to go?

To help you work out what needs to take precedence (and what needs to go), Lydia Randall gives some of her top tips on how to get your priorities sorted.

The Gradlife – How to turn a loss into a win

Our graduate blogger, Lydia Randall, explains how learning to embrace losses could help move your life – and your career – forward.

University open days: What you need to know

Not sure which university is right for you? Don’t panic. To help you get up to speed, here’s a quick rundown on how university open days work:

How to: Prepare for your first year at uni

Not feeling ready for uni? We can help with that. To make sure you’re ready to become a fresher, here’s how to prepare for your first year:

Student loans: What you need to know

Confused about student loans? You’re not alone. To help you get to grips with it all, here are a few key things you need to know, and how to apply for them.

Should I go to university?

Let’s face it, university isn’t right for everyone. To help you weigh up all the options, here’s how to find out whether it’s a good fit for you.

How to: Get work experience

Need to get experience without any experience? We’ve already covered what you need to know about work experience, but to help guide you further, here are four top tips to ensure your work experience hunt brings the best results:

What you need to know before you start working

To help ensure your first role doesn’t catch you out financially, we asked Money Advice Service to cover some basics you should make sure you’re aware of:

FAQs

How can reed.co.uk help you write your first CV?

Our school leaver CV template covers everything you need to know about writing your first professional CV. We’ve also got tips on things like good hobbies to add to your CV, and who to contact for a reference – which are especially useful if you’re writing a CV for the first time.

What careers can you go into straight after school?

Lots of careers don’t necessarily need a degree to get started. On reed.co.uk we’ve got some comprehensive guides on jobs available for 16-year-olds and some of the best-paid jobs you can do after your GCSEs, as well as advice for considering your options on A level results day.

Is university right for you?

University isn’t necessarily the right choice for everyone. To help you decide, we recommend narrowing down your long-term career goals, and determining what you need to do to achieve them. If you’re still asking yourself ‘should I go to university’, try talking to friends and family to get their advice too.

How do you write a personal statement for university?

A great university personal statement can really help your UCAS application stand out. Our advice is to focus on why you want to study your chosen course, how your current academic experience is relevant, and your skills and experience. It should be no more than 4000 characters – so try to make it as relevant and engaging as possible.