­If you have decided to get a job after school, you will need to work out what sort of job you want and how you are going to get it.

There are plenty of individuals who can help you including teachers and your school’s Careers Adviser. Once you have decided on what you want to do, you will need to find a job.

To find a job, you can speak to friends and family, contact employers, ask colleges or training providers to help or use job websites.

If you see a job you are interested in, you will need to check where it is, to make sure you can travel there and if you have the right qualifications and skills for it.

In most cases you will need to fill in an application form or send a CV to the employer.

Alternatively, you might be interested in finding an apprenticeship or internship. These are all very similar to jobs but involve working towards a qualification as well. You can find apprenticeship vacancies here.

For more detailed information on finding employment or on apprenticeships click here.

If you’re unsure of your options or want to find out more, speak to individual providers or speak to a qualified careers adviser through your school, college or other provider, local authority or via the National Careers Service.

There are lots of ways that you might carry on with your learning. One option is to stay at your current school and study some new qualifications.

You can do this by joining the school sixth form. What you study will depend on what qualifications your school offers.  This might involve taking GCSEs, A levels or different types of vocational qualifications, which are focussed on particular types of work.

All of these types of qualifications will differ in how they taught and some will involve exams whilst others will be based on course work. You will have to decide which option bests suits you.

It is best to study subjects that you like or are good at or are linked to a job you might be interested in. 

Once you finish sixth form, you can start looking for a job or, depending on what you have studied, you might be able to go to college or university.

For more detailed information on different qualifications that may be available at your school, click here.

If you’re unsure of your options or want to find out more, speak to individual providers or speak to a qualified careers adviser through your school, college or other provider, local authority or via the National Careers Service.

You might decide you want to leave school and go somewhere else to study new qualifications or your school might not have a sixth form to go to.

If so, colleges and some training providers offer lots of different vocational courses that allow you to learn knowledge that will be useful in a job or help prepare you for further study. They will all also allow you to learn new skills and many involve some form of work experience.

The types of courses that colleges and training providers offer are in subjects like cooking, hairdressing, construction, IT, art, music and engineering.

It is best to study subjects that you like or are good at or are linked to a job you might be interested in. 

Once you finish your course, you might go onto another, higher level course; look for a job, apprenticeship, traineeship or internship or, depending on what you’ve studied, you could go onto university.

For more detailed information on different qualifications available at colleges or training providers, click here. 

If you’re unsure of your options or want to find out more, speak to individual providers or speak to a qualified careers adviser through your school, college or other provider, local authority or via the National Careers Service.

If you’re not ready for work, don’t want to carry on studying or don’t know what you want to do yet, volunteering is a good way to do something you like and to find out if you would like to do it for a job later on.

Not every organisation has places for volunteers, but lots do and are happy to let people volunteer for them – for either a short placement or longer term.

Though you will not get paid for volunteering, you will gain experience, develop important life skills and the organisation you are volunteering with might provide you with some free training.

To find a placement suitable for you, speak to friends and family, as well as teachers and other adults at school or visit the following website that has details of voluntary opportunities: Click here

If you’re unsure of your options or want to find out more, speak to individual providers or speak to a qualified careers adviser through your school, college or other provider, local authority or via the National Careers Service.

Some young people are not ready for work or further study when they finish school or would find it difficult to find the right job or course.

For these young people, there are organisations who can help you prepare for independent living. This means that they will help you to learn how to do things better on your own such as cleaning, cooking or do your washing – all really useful skills for life. 

Helping to develop your independent living skills, might lead to you discovering something about yourself, that helps to decide what you want to do in the future. This might involve going to college/training or looking for a job.

You might find that you gain skills that inspire you to set up your own business become self-employed. Parents, friends, teachers and careers advisers can all help you to work this out.

If you’re unsure of your options or want to find out more, speak to individual providers or speak to a qualified careers adviser through your school, college or other provider, local authority or via the National Careers Service.