Alternatives to University

Other Options Post A level

In 1933, an eighteen year old boy with an exceptional talent for studying classical and modern languages, including Greek, was expelled from his elegant private school. You may have more sympathy for him when you learn that the reason for his expulsion was ‘holding hands with the greengrocer’s daughter’. Seriously!

Having been ignominiously ejected from his educational home, the normal paths for furthering his studies were suddenly closed off to him. With his academic skills, he might have been expected to go to Oxford or Cambridge to study classics, whilst his athleticism also marked him out for army officer training at Sandhurst.

In fact, he did neither. Knowing that he was well-connected amongst the minor aristocracy of Europe and that there would always be a chateau or schloss he could stay in nearby, he decided to walk across the continent, from the Hook of Holland to Istanbul.

The journey took him two years. It was an interesting and poignant time to be walking across Europe. Nazism was on the rise in Germany and the impending calamity of the Second World War would soon re-draw the map of the continent forever. The young man’s name was Patrick Leigh Fermor and, decades later, the account of his journey, full of history, culture, art, eating and drinking and titled A Time of Gifts, won numerous literary prizes.

In fact, Leigh Fermor never went to university, and never needed to. Shortly after reaching his destination, he decided to remain in Greece, where he ended up riding with its army in the last cavalry charge ever as part of ending an attempted coup d’etat.

When the Second World War began, Leigh Fermor became an army officer after all. With his knowledge of languages and culture, he was parachuted into Crete to fight with the partisans and led the successful capture of a German general, subsequently held as a bargaining tool. He lived and wrote in Greece for the remainder of his long, remarkable and creative life.

There are numerous stories of people who have made a great success of their lives without following the conventional path to university. Richard Branson’s story (also expelled from a smart private school) and then starting the Virgin Records business as a teenager from a public phone box (remember those?) is a famous example.

I chose the Leigh Fermor one, though, because it is a personal favourite and may be less well-known. As students wait for their A Level results and wonder whether university is right for them or even open to them if results are not what they wanted, it is well worth giving serious consideration to alternatives.

What is university for?

Meanwhile, we ought to think about what university ‘does’, or what it is ‘for’. University continues one’s education and/or, in the case of certain vocational degrees such as medicine, architecture engineering, law or accountancy, it provides the first stage of a training leading to a professional qualification. In addition, since, in this country, students traditionally leave the family home to go to university, the experience can provide a valuable ‘rite of passage’ for a young adult to learn independence and self-reliance.

However, here we must pause; for it is not necessary to get both of these experiences at the same time and in the same place. Getting education and qualifications is, undoubtedly, valuable but you do not have to do it by living hundreds of miles from home. Evening classes or (as the pandemic has recently shown us) online learning can do the job equally well. And a year or more spent living, working or volunteering abroad or in another distant part of the country will also provide the memorable ‘rite of passage’.

If you are thinking of going to university, then, consider what are your reasons for wanting to go. Do you want to carry on studying a subject or area you love, or do you want to begin the training which will prepare you for the occupation to which you aspire?

Or do you simply want the experience of university – the companionship, the social life and so on?

Any of these (including the ‘experience’ one) are valid reasons for going to university. But knowing what you want to get out of it will make it easier to make the decision as to whether to do it at all.

If you do not think university is right for you, your options are infinite, interesting and various, as, I hope, the story of Patrick Leigh Fermor illustrates.

Degree Apprenticeships

If you want some sort of study and progression, and you have acceptable A Levels, a degree apprenticeship may be right for you. These programmes are mainly available in science, technology and engineering and involve a mixture of work and study, in a ratio of around 3:2 or 4:1. Your employer pays you for your work and covers your university fees.

Foundation Degrees

Lack of suitable A Levels will not stop you gaining a place on a foundation degree, which is ‘worth’ two thirds of a full degree. On completing the course (normally two years full-time), you can ‘complete’ your degree with a further year’s study or go straight into relevant employment.

Higher Apprenticeships

Five GCSEs in the right subjects can take you to a higher apprenticeship, which also means paid work and the equivalent of a foundation degree (see above).

Information on all the above is available on the UCAS website, which, despite its name, is not only about university!

Traineeships

Traineeships are available in a wide range of industries and occupations. They can last for anything from six weeks to one year but are not paid.

There are also opportunities for work experience and internships, which your network of contacts (like Patrick Leigh Fermor’s!) may be able to arrange for you. Again, though, remember that such opportunities are unlikely to be paid.

Entry Level Employment

Many organisations will offer you an entry-level job, which means that you can start earning money straight away. Do bear in mind, though, that employers almost always prefer to take on people with some relevant experience, training or education, or an employee who will accept the training route they will provide. Look at it from the employer’s point of view: a trained or experienced worker, or one who wants to develop their skills through training within the organisation immediately adds so much more value to the employer’s activity.

Gap Year

Articles of this type on alternatives to university usually include a mention of the so-called ‘gap year’ between school and university. This is less popular than it used to be and, in my view, should be re-named anyway.

A ‘gap’ suggests a waste of time or a pause before you do something more important. What you do immediately after A Levels may not be that at all. If you decide not to go to university after completing A Levels but to take up an interesting opportunity instead, particularly one that involves teaching or volunteering somewhere overseas, that may, in turn, lead you to new openings and adventures which are sufficient in themselves and worthy alternatives to university.

I worked on a ship offering educational cruises and went to Florence to start learning Italian in my gap year. Although I don’t regret my decision to go to university to start my course after those experiences, either of them might have led in interesting directions.

Alternatives to University – Closing Thoughts

As well as the above, it’s important to think about timing. Universities quite rightly allow students of any age to attend courses, providing they meet the right entry requirements. It’s important not to feel you have to attend university at a set time. It’s entirely possible to do something else, get your career going and attend later. It might even inspire you study something different.

As we have seen, there are a variety of options post A-level that are open to you. Whether you decide to head to university, join the work force or travel, we want to wish you the best of luck with the next step on your journey.

Useful links

www.ucas.com

https://www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/traineeshipsearch

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