By Niamh Dwyer, Chairperson of the Kerry Branch of Guidance Counsellors

At this stage of the year Leaving Cert students tend to be exhausted. It has been very busy since September working hard to complete courses, to make progress with projects and to settle into the routine of study.

The Christmas holidays will bring a much needed break from school and the opportunity to rest and recharge the batteries. Spending time with family and friends will bring a welcome and well-earned break from the books. With six months to go until the exams start, now is the time to relax and re-energise.

Research the detail

It is also the ideal time to review your career plans for after school. When you go back to school in January it will be really busy preparing for the mocks so it would be great to have one less thing to worry about. Being off school means that you will have the headspace needed to research your options carefully and make important decisions. Now is the time to look at the range of options available in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) through CAO, in Colleges of Further Education, apprenticeships, traineeships and other training programmes. It is important to research the detail carefully – entry requirements, module content, work placements, opportunities to study abroad, career pathways and progression to further study on completion. Think about how you learn best and choose options that reflect that.

Applying to CAO

If you have not already registered for CAO, do so over the Christmas holidays on www.cao.ie. There is a ‘demo version’ of the form on the CAO website which you can use as a practice run. Once you have registered you have until February 1 at 5pm to complete the application and add in your course choices. You have the options to list 20 choices on CAO in total, 10 choices at Level 8 and 10 choices at Levels 7/6. You will have plenty of time to change course choices later on when the Change of Mind facility opens in May, but if you are applying for courses that are ‘restricted’ they must be added in by the February 1 deadline. If you register by January 20 you can avail of the discounted fee of €30 which increases to €45 up to February 1.

Options outside of CAO

Colleges of Further Education are accepting applications for courses starting in September 2022, many of which have progression routes on to Higher Education on completion. Check them out on www.fetchcourses.ie where you will also find information on traineeships. Applications for a wide range of apprenticeships are advertised on an ongoing basis, see www.apprenticehip.ie for details. If you have plans to apply for colleges outside of Ireland take note of upcoming application deadlines. Applications to Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales must be made through www.ucas.com by January 26 at 6pm and require you to complete a personal statement and get a reference so don’t leave it until the last minute. Check out the deadlines for European colleges on www.eunicas.com and www.medicalpoland.ie.

Taking time to explore all options, while you have the time to do it over Christmas, will help you to make an informed decision and ease the pressure and stress coming up to the application deadlines. Remember you will still have lots of time to review your options and change your mind later, but for now focus on exploring all the different options open to you. Read the detail, get familiar with the relevant application processes over the holidays and where possible complete them, so you can go back to school in January with a clearer focus, looking forward to what 2022 will bring! Wishing you an enjoyable and restful Christmas!

Niamh Dwyer is a Guidance Counsellor in Scoil Phobail Sliabh Luachra, Rathmore, and Chairperson of the Kerry Branch of Guidance Counsellors. She is also a Career Consultant. For details see www.mycareerplan.ie.