From T Level Student to Civil Servant: How a DfE Placement Launched My Career

Pathways after GCSE's

When considering the pathways open for me following my GCSEs, I felt that work experience would be beneficial for me, not only to gain real employment experience, but it would also look positive for any future employment opportunities. I enjoyed studying business at GCSE level, so I thought a T Level in ‘Business Management and Administration’ would be a positive step for my future and it would be something that I would enjoy and gain valuable practical experience from. 

I chose the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) for my placement because I could see it was such an important area of work, it looked very interesting, and where I felt I could make a positive contribution and an impact. My placement was very important to me as I felt that this would allow me to gain valuable experience and skill development before I left sixth form/college, which is something that I believe is difficult to find for people my age. 

Even though I wasn’t required (or expected) to attend during the summer holiday period, I chose to do so and continued to attend the office during the holidays and continue contributing to the work.  I made this choice because I felt that the work I was doing added a lot of value and it was very important to me that I could come in consistently and make a difference and be seen as a real team player.

Industry placement

While attending my work placement, I was provided opportunity to work in various teams within TRA, including casework, hearings delivery team and finance. For me personally, I think that is why the T Level pathway is so valuable; classroom learning will only develop a small range of skills whereas I believe getting real hands-on experience in a role has allowed me to develop a plethora of skills all at one time. 

When I joined TRA, I was told that if there were any opportunities that looked interesting to me, the team would try and accommodate and involve me in the work. This allowed me to get involved in a wide breath of work, including training events for our Independent Professional Conduct Panellists, engaging with senior lawyers from our Presenting and Legal Adviser firms which not only allowed me to see a lot me of the processes we follow, but gave me valuable experience in engaging with stakeholders from different backgrounds. 

This inclusion provided me with confidence that I would not only gain valuable experience from my placement, but really enjoy my time whilst at my work placement with TRA, and it is one of the main reasons that early on in my placement I made it clear to Stuart Blomfield (who is the Head of Teacher Misconduct and was overseeing my placement) that I would be interested in staying in a more permanent role after my placement. When a permanent position came up, I was able to draft a CV and apply for the role, being in a strong position to put real work examples I had experienced to support my application. 

Progression from T Levels

I would recommend T Levels to students who are confident in subjects that are offered. I strongly believe the T Level and my placement have provided me with the skills, knowledge and confidence I needed to move into full-time employment within the Civil Service. Without this experience, it is unlikely I would be in the position I am now. I am continuing with on-going learning, and I am now undertaking a Level 3 ‘Public Sector Compliance Investigator and Officer’ Apprenticeship.