Advice on Education/Qualifications?

[Tanllwyth]

Hi everyone, I'm 15 turning 16 this year, and in school year 10. We're considering moving back to Australia, we moved here when I was 7 or 8 due to a divorce...won't go into it now but we're in Wales now with my mum's side of the family while my dad and his lot are all in Australia. We've been back 3 times and we're just sick of switching back and forth, so yeah mum is considering moving back. We're all dual-citizens so it isn't too complicated and some of our Welsh family are there too. It's just...I'm halfway through my GCSE years, followed by A-Levels in year 12 & 13. I'd be almost 19 going to uni and I'm failing to understand how in Australia I'd finish year 12 by Xmas 2015 at 17, and go to uni? I've always wanted to go back my whole life, but now I'm older it just seems really unrealistic...by the time we move, I would have taken 3 GCSE science exams but they won't let me take English/Maths until year 11 due to league table results...all my coursework is done though, it seems like such a waste.

 

I'm also really interested in classical music, I play flute (ABRSM Grade 8) in county orchestras and national eisteddfods, and was aiming to enter the Youth Orchestra of GB this year and eventually try for a conservatoire...are these musical opportunities available in Australia? Would it be dumb to move away from all this?

 

I've talked to the school I'm planning on attending, and they said I could join halfway through year 11 if I was prepared to work really hard to catch up, otherwise drop back a year. Here in Wales, I'm the oldest in year 10, but I'd be one of the youngest in year 11 Australia. I'm prepared to work hard, and I don't mind skipping out GCSEs as long as the qualifications in Australia are equivalent to A-levels, and I could maybe return to do conservatoire in the UK if I chose to.

 

So basically, do you think it's a drawback leaving school so early in Australia, when in the UK we have to do an extra 1.5-2 years to get our A-Levels?

 

Do Australian Qualifications carry well internationally?

 

And...are there musical opportunities in Australia too?

 

Thanks for your time

[Quoll]

A levels are going to be better than an Aus Yr12 equivalent - you'd need a very very high Yr 12 score to get into a very ordinary UK uni and you might have to do a foundation year. Added whammy is that if you're out of the country before you want to start Uni you will be up for International fees (£££)

 

if you were to return, you could start yr 11 Jan 2015 and not be out of sync with your cohort. Anything after that would be a bit risky.

 

Of course there will be musical opportunities in Aus but it's a small pond and serious musicians tend to spend some time in Europe as part of their education. It sounds like you're well on track in UK TBH. As you have citizenship (I assume) you have the luxury of time but in general it isn't the greatest of ideas for kids in their mid/late teens to chop and change education systems in either direction.

[Marisawright]

Hi everyone, I'm 15 turning 16 this year

 

I'm also really interested in classical music, I play flute (ABRSM Grade 8) in county orchestras and national eisteddfods, and was aiming to enter the Youth Orchestra of GB this year and eventually try for a conservatoire...are these musical opportunities available in Australia?

 

If music is important to you, then I'd suggest staying in the UK because the opportunities for further study are much, much better. In the longer term, the career opportunities in music in Australia are far, far less than in the UK, by a country mile. I'm a dancer and I know several musicians who have emigrated here. They were all shocked how incredibly tough it is to make a living from music here compared to the UK or Europe. Most of them have had to get a part-time job at least, to help support themselves. For one thing, Australia has only a third of the population of the UK, so the audience is much smaller. Also, it's so cheap and easy for British musicians to travel around Europe to get work - whereas it's expensive to go anywhere from Australia.

[starlight7]

Do the IB- a lot of schools here do it and it is a good international qualification.

[Shellybingobingo]

My son is 16 , wish I had of waited till he finished in uk if I'm honest , I feel like I've cocked him right up , due to different things jobs and moving and we were in wa , & the education system is different in qld than wa , my boy may well have to sit a year back now haven't told him yet because he's going go off his rocker lol , my oh has told me stop worrying but I carnt help it , my oh said it's not too late for him to achieve anything . Don't know what to say to you it's a big decision but if I knew what I knew now stay put till uve finished .

[Tanllwyth]

Thanks everyone for your responses, I guess I just miss Oz and don't want to face another 3.5 years of school here to get decent qualifications...plus I feel like something will always be holding me back and it will only get worse the longer I stay, eventually it will be A-Levels, uni and then employment

 

A levels are going to be better than an Aus Yr12 equivalent - you'd need a very very high Yr 12 score to get into a very ordinary UK uni and you might have to do a foundation year. Added whammy is that if you're out of the country before you want to start Uni you will be up for International fees (£££)

 

So you think british universities would charge me international fees, even if I'm a citizen? How about vice versa: If I applied to an Australian university as an Aussie citizen but with British qualifications, would I get charged as an international student?

[Quoll]

Thanks everyone for your responses, I guess I just miss Oz and don't want to face another 3.5 years of school here to get decent qualifications...plus I feel like something will always be holding me back and it will only get worse the longer I stay, eventually it will be A-Levels, uni and then employment

 

 

 

So you think british universities would charge me international fees, even if I'm a citizen? How about vice versa: If I applied to an Australian university as an Aussie citizen but with British qualifications, would I get charged as an international student?

 

Yes UK universities will charge international fees if you are not in UK for 3 yrs preceding your degree even if you are a citizen. You would need relatively lower A levels to get into equivalent degrees in Aus and if you are a citizen you will pay domestic fees. Then you will have a 4 yr degree to honours compared with 3 yrs in UK.

[Diane]

Just wanted to say that musical opportunities are excellent here in Australia unlike as some have said above. My son is a classical guitarist and hoping to study at the Conservatory of Music which is part of the University of Adelaide here. They have excellent courses, tutors, and contacts - in fact the International Guitar Festival is being held here in a few months and he is playing in one of the ensembles in that. Sydney also has the Australian Music Institute which has an excellent worldwide reputation.

[LukeM]

Honestly - I would do A Levels.

 

The only time that I would say do year 11 + 12 in Aus is if you were:

1) in a position where you had to move with your whole family in a short space of time and you didn't have anyone to stay with/you were totally torn over not being able to move to Aus.

2) uncertain about going through the school system in Aus.

 

If you're academically bright enough to adapt and you have no intentions of going back to the UK/you don't want to go to Uni over there, then you should be fine - as long as you're OK with finishing school a little younger and going to Uni a little younger.

 

If you want to keep your options open completely - do the A Levels.

 

The IB is also a great option and someone else mentioned it here previously.

 

I did A Levels. I wouldn't have wanted to go to school, and I would've also been a bit old! Ha. But you're at an OK age. But I would say finish your GCSEs and see how you feel would be my advice. Good luck.

[Tanllwyth]

 

If you're academically bright enough to adapt and you have no intentions of going back to the UK/you don't want to go to Uni over there, then you should be fine - as long as you're OK with finishing school a little younger and going to Uni a little younger.

 

 

 

I guess that's what I'm worried about; being faced with the idea of university much sooner than I expected. Here in Wales I've got another 3 years before I have to even think about it, but in Australia it's kind of crept up on me how young you leave. I initially thought it's great to leave earlier, but I honestly don't know what I want to do. I like music as I've said before, and conservatoire is an option for me over here, but I wouldn't mind doing medicine or veterinary science either. James Cook/Griffith/Bond university looks awesome, but I cant believe I'd start at 17!

 

Also, if I stay for GCSEs I won't have the option to move any more because my year would be leaving that xmas, and I'd be in school with people a lot younger. Apparently GCSEs aren't even recognised in Oz either, that's why I'm pretty annoyed about doing them. It seems that the UK is the only education system with two major sets of external exams, and maybe that' the reason we have a year 13? Who knows.

[Tanllwyth]

Just wanted to say that musical opportunities are excellent here in Australia unlike as some have said above. My son is a classical guitarist and hoping to study at the Conservatory of Music which is part of the University of Adelaide here. They have excellent courses, tutors, and contacts - in fact the International Guitar Festival is being held here in a few months and he is playing in one of the ensembles in that. Sydney also has the Australian Music Institute which has an excellent worldwide reputation.

 

Thanks, I was starting to worry that I'd lose music as an option. I've found out that there are conservatoires in Oz but they're called "conservatoriums"...Brisbane would be my nearest, but Sydney looks really good too. Do you know anything about the Australian Youth Orchestra?

[Tanllwyth]

My son is 16 , wish I had of waited till he finished in uk if I'm honest , I feel like I've cocked him right up , due to different things jobs and moving and we were in wa , & the education system is different in qld than wa , my boy may well have to sit a year back now haven't told him yet because he's going go off his rocker lol , my oh has told me stop worrying but I carnt help it , my oh said it's not too late for him to achieve anything . Don't know what to say to you it's a big decision but if I knew what I knew now stay put till uve finished .

 

It's a long time to wait though Has the school dealt with your son joining easily? I'm hoping that where I am supposedly going (Hervey Bay area) is used to migrants joining school at random times of the year. It can't be too complicated because loads of people move, right? I really don't know what to expect in school, if I'll be behind or ahead of my class. I'm the oldest in my year here, but I'll be one of the youngest in Oz year 11 so it might be a shock! How's your son finding it?

[LukeM]

From my view of the situation it sounds like you want to come to Aus Which is great. But I can see you're obviously worried about the age gap too. Age is merely a number. You might be a little more mature than your classmates but it doesn't mean to say you can't find a good community of friends in school just because some are a little younger/older than you.

 

You mentioned a few different Universities too. You're doing your research - but you mentioned Hervey Bay. That's pretty far away distance-wise from those that you have mentioned.

 

I do understand your apprehension of starting Uni early. I had an 8 month gap between finishing A levels and starting Uni in Qld. I was errr 18 then! But you'll learn a lot about yourself by going to Uni how ever old you are and you certainly won't be alone if you go to Uni younger, because that's just how the system works here!

 

GCSEs aren't counted for anything, as you've heard. Which is why, as I see it, from your posts, it sounds like you want to come here and you could be in a position to do so.

 

If you really think you're not ready for Uni, you don't have to go straight away! See I remember how it was in the UK (when I did it!) - you had to go through GCSEs and then you had to pass them with C or above in Maths/English/Science(s), and then you had to go straight on to them in September after GCSEs. You couldn't come back to A Levels later and they were the best (and for many, the only) way in to University. Meanwhile in Australia... you can go to high school and do year 11 and 12. Get your OP or rank. If it's not the OP or rank you desire, there's ways of doing further study elsewhere in an area of interest to you (at TAFE - do a Diploma, or a Tertiary Prep Program) that allows you to improve on your rank for entry. Lots of people finish school, go do something else or go do TAFE and go to Uni when they're a bit older and have decided what they want to do. I think it sounds like your concerns about age gaps and such could take you on to this path and you may be happier this way.

 

It may be of interest to you to know that recent research and figures published state clearly that Queensland has the highest drop-out rate of students in Universities. Why? Because, as you were saying, it just seems too young. I think (not 100% sure) the other states start Uni a bit older than us Queenslanders.

 

Hope that helps reassure you a little bit, and, good luck with your decision.

[Tanllwyth]

Thanks for your help! Ok...it's good to know that there's lots of different options, seems to be more available than over here to be honest. And yeah, you're right, I'd love to come back over to Aus, just wanted to be clear on how the system works

 

I had an 8 month gap between finishing A levels and starting Uni in Qld. I was errr 18 then!

 

 

How did you decide if you wanted to do A-levels or Aus year 11+12? And where did you decide to study?

[LukeM]

No worries - I agree, definitely a lot more choice!

 

I didn't really get a choice. It was just that when we applied for our visas, that it worked out that they were granted just before I started year 13/second year of A Levels. So we just decided to activate the visa (2 week trip) and then return to the UK so I could finish my A Levels and my brother could finish GCSEs and then just move as soon as those were over.

 

We had certificates posted over for my A Levels for my Uni application. If I had failed and not got a good enough rank, I'm not sure what I would have done (like if I had failed, I don't know if I would have gone and done a part year 11/all of 12 or if I would have gone to TAFE) but it turns out I didn't need to do either so it was all good.

 

My brother went back to school even though he had finished his GCSEs and did part of year 11 + all of 12.

[Diane]

Thanks, I was starting to worry that I'd lose music as an option. I've found out that there are conservatoires in Oz but they're called "conservatoriums"...Brisbane would be my nearest, but Sydney looks really good too. Do you know anything about the Australian Youth Orchestra?

 

Don't know much about them but thought you might be interested in this http://artology.org.au/fanfare/

[Shellybingobingo]

It's a long time to wait though Has the school dealt with your son joining easily? I'm hoping that where I am supposedly going (Hervey Bay area) is used to migrants joining school at random times of the year. It can't be too complicated because loads of people move, right? I really don't know what to expect in school, if I'll be behind or ahead of my class. I'm the oldest in my year here, but I'll be one of the youngest in Oz year 11 so it might be a shock! How's your son finding it?

 

 

Sorry tanllwyth for late reply had no internet until last night due to moving wasn't being rude by not replying .

 

the school he's at now has been great to join him soon as we were in catchment for this one , the first one we tried wasn't so great anyway that's another story .

 

My my boy only been at this one a week so far so good he's liking it made friends already , he hasn't took the path of op subjects to get you into uni straight away , he's took the more practical path not academic , because I didn't want to put pressure on him because of the work he's lost , my hubby swears by the apprentiship route anyway , and taffe / college , that's the path he chose and paid off , not because he wasn't academic he was always that but not so much right away at school , but always had the ability in him , but hubby swears by traineeships in the field you were thinking because although it takes longer you come out with the quals and experience aswel .

 

This is is our opinion though . My hubby mentors graduate engineers now , although they have the degree fresh out of uni , not a scrap of experience which takes years in some jobs to achieve , but that piece of paper you still need to prove your ability and give people the confidence that you have studied that field but hubby does think apprentiship aswel as studying is the way to go for some depends really because not every kid knows what they want do up on leaving school my boy doesn't know he's just aving fun and aslong as he's happy and not under any pressure that's the main thing for me he's had to deal with enough over the last couple of years without putting added pressure for him to achieve well right away we will just go with the flow you can only do your best . You sound very focused on what you want or need to do just go with what feels right for you .

[Guest littlesarah]

Thanks, I was starting to worry that I'd lose music as an option. I've found out that there are conservatoires in Oz but they're called "conservatoriums"...Brisbane would be my nearest, but Sydney looks really good too. Do you know anything about the Australian Youth Orchestra?

 

I don't have first-hand experience, but the community orchestra I play with includes a lot of young people who are pursuing music careers - most go to Sydney Conservatorium, & several are members of AYO. AYO undertakes tours in Australia &, I believe, abroad. I know at least a dozen professional musicians, & they all make a living performing & teaching (we have a local conservatorium for school age kids that offers various programs, it seems very much like the Borough music set-up I enjoyed in my youth). But I should point out that I live on the Central Coast, so I can only speak for that area. Also, Uni of Newcastle has a conservatorium - don't know much about it other than the academics I've met seem enthusiastic.

 

Hope that is of some help, & apologies for any typos (trying to type with baby in my arms!)