Careers Advice for Students
Useful Information
See links for Careers and Futures Pathways below
National Careers Service website
Prospects website
Careerpilot website
Careerometer website
UCAS calculator
Post 16
Post-16 Application Timeline
Current Year 10 students will begin applying for their Post-16 destinations in Autumn 2026. Applications for sixth form, college & apprenticeships take place throughout the academic year. Below is the projected timeline for 2026-2027:
Ongoing support (Year 10 & Year 11)
All students are offered a one-to-one or small group interview with a qualified Level 6 Careers Adviser. Appointments can be booked via: srooney@willingdonschool.org.uk
These meetings can help students:
Explore career ideas
Discuss sixth form, college and apprenticeship routes
Make informed decisions
Spring & Summer 2026 (Preparation Phase)
12 March 2026
Careers Fair – Eastbourne Sports Park (90 spaces available)
May - June 2026
In-school Post-16 Event with college, sixth form and university representatives
June 2026
Personal statement guidance in English lessons and coaching time
Year 10 Mock Interview Workshop
June – July 2026
Taster days at local colleges and sixth forms
Personal statements completed during coaching time
Personal details and statements uploaded to Careers East Sussex (college application website) by the end of Term 6
July 2026
Year 10 one-to-one employer mock interview
Autumn Term 2026 (Application Phase – Year 11)
1 October 2026
Sixth form and college courses for 2027–2028 entry published on Careers East Sussex
October – November 2026
Open days and evenings at local colleges and sixth forms
1 October – 4 December 2026
College applications completed (in school and at home)
4 December 2026
Internal deadline for all college applications
December 2026
Year 11 one-to-one employer mock interview
Spring & Summer 2027 (Offers & Decisions)
December 2026 – February 2027
Students invited to sixth form and college interviews
February – March 2027
Students begin receiving offers
March – Aug 2027
Students accept or decline course offers
May – June 2027
Apprenticeship vacancies advertised online
September 2027
Most college/sixth form applications close (limited late/clearance opportunities may remain)
Apprenticeships
Students can search and apply for apprenticeships through the government website:
🔗 https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/
Apprenticeship and traineeship applications run throughout the academic year
Students must be 16 and have completed full-time education before starting
Apprenticeships have a more detailed application process than sixth form or college
Students are responsible for securing their own placement/employer
Competition can be high, so early research is encouraged
How Parents Can Help
Attend open evenings and parent forums
Discuss career interests regularly at home
Encourage early completion of personal statements
Support preparation for interviews
Help monitor application deadline
Work Experience Opportunities Page
Careers Event Letters
Work Experience
WEX - How to contact an employer
WEX - Find your own placement letter
College/University Information
Apprenticeships
What is a degree apprenticeship
Apprenticeship levels explained
Finding the best apprenticeship for you
Apprenticeships UK - Click here
Careers Magazines
Compare your options after GCSE
FIND OPPORTUNITIES - Register & Be Found By Top Employers
Applying for Further Education
Career Quizzes
Student Voice
College Interview
"Earlier today I had my college interview for Lewes and I think it went very well. At first I was nervous, but I became more confident as the call progressed. I must thank you for organising the mock interviews for us, as it gave me more confidence and it was really helpful! In my mock interview, I was nervous throughout, but I felt less nervous this time round!!"
Leonor Ramos Monteiro
Former Student
Choosing a Career Path
Choosing the right career option is a difficult process and only a lucky minority manage to choose the right path for them from a young age, while the majority of people find themselves questioning what is right for many years, even beyond GCSEs and A levels.
So what is the right career path for you? Maybe it’s medicine, maybe it’s hospitality or maybe it’s a completely new business endeavour. Whatever it may be, you do not need to decide straight away. Although people might tell you how important choosing the right career path early on is, the truth is that you have your whole life to choose!
However, people usually give this advice for one very important reason - your decisions now will either restrict you or open up any door you may wish to explore in the future. Decisions we make now will sit on our CV’s, and for future employers, these pieces of paper are extremely important in deciding whether or not to employ you. Therefore, you need to make sure that you are fully equipped.
How do you start this process to give yourself the best possible chances in the future?
1) Do your absolute best at school: Yes, school is a fun place to be with friends but to make more friends and have incredible opportunities in the future you need to make sure you do your best at school and get the GCSEs and A levels you deserve. If you want to travel with your friends at university, the only way you will be able to get to university is to do the best you can at school.
2) Gather as much evidence: Accumulate as much proof as possible to show you are the best and most interesting person for any future job. We’ve all had those super boring conversations with someone where we ask them their interests and they say ‘oh nothing really, I just like to sleep’. As much as we say that to our friends, a future employer is not going to want someone who lies around all day. Become part of your student council - maybe think about applying for Head Girl or Boy, like Michael and I. Volunteer outside of school - local farms, stables, libraries and many more are all looking for people. Do work experience - work experience is great for helping you to make decisions about your future career and it gives you lots of evidence to prove how hard you can work. Create your own business - future employers love to see a good work ethic and during covid, there are loads of online courses for work experience which are great! There are so many opportunities out there for you to gain interesting life experience, you might not enjoy them all but at least you have learnt something from it. If you never try, you’ll never know!
3) Look at what your future could hold: These can be short term or long term goals but one thing that helps me is planning. For example, my short term goals are for my GCSE grades to all be Grade 7’s and above. Whereas, my long term goal is to move to France. You don’t have to think about your career in this part yet but if you know where you want to move to in the future or what your interests are, you can understand what career is best for you and what money you will need and how flexible it will need to be.
My future will hopefully be within veterinary medicine. This is something that I have always wanted to do but in the last few months, my interests and long term goals are have led me to research veterinary medicine within the army. This just goes to show how quickly and easily your perspective can change, so don’t be hard on yourself about your career. As you grow and gather more experience your understanding of jobs and what is right for you will change. The one thing you must remember is that your future is impacted on what you do now so give yourself the best starting point you can!
Lowri Lambird-George
Former Student
Careers Feedback
We are always looking to improve our Careers provision and welcome your feedback regarding the Careers section of our website.