“You can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” Steve Jobs
Senior School Opportunities
There will be plenty of opportunity for you to find out about a wide range of potential careers as well as the chance to develop your employability skills and learn more about yourself – your strengths, weaknesses and values through our Careers programme. This includes off-curriculum days, PSHE, via academic subjects etc.
Higher Education, Careers & Gap Year Fair
All students are invited to attend this annual event hosted at school. It offers a “one-stop shop” to introduce you to as wide a range of higher education and careers opportunities as possible in a single evening. Advice and guidance will be available from around 50 universities / higher education establishments as well as employers and gap year providers. There will be a series of speakers talking about Oxbridge entry, apprenticeships and taking a gap year.
“The evening definitely inspired us to think seriously about our futures and enhanced our understanding of the various pathways available to us after school. The helpful contacts from the extensive range of institutions ensured that any of our questions were answered and myself and fellow students were certainly left feeling more prepared to consider the choices ahead of us.” Year 12 Student
Careers Enrichment Newsletters
Termly newsletter highlighting external careers insight events, courses, competitions, online offerings and work experience schemes, which allow you to develop valuable experience and explore your interests in more depth.
InvestIN Education
Berkhamsted School has entered a partnership with InvestIN Education. The company offer a wide range of immersive careers experiences in the fields of engineering, journalism, law, politics, medicine, computer science and psychology. Due to our partnership arrangement, you are entitled to a 10% discount by applying code Berkhamsted19.
Sixth Opportunities
In addition to a comprehensive programme aimed at all students, we run a series of optional events and signpost students towards external activities tailored to their individual interests:
Careers Lunches
On Fridays during the Michaelmas and Lent terms, a series of different external guests are invited to give an insight into their careers and their individual journeys leading to those careers. You are free to sign up for as many of these as you wish, giving you the chance to hear first-hand about careers as diverse as Art, Marketing, Finance and Politics within a working lunch format.
Higher Education, Careers & Gap Year Fair
See entry in Senior School entry above.
Law & Healthcare Taster Days, Medicine Interview Day
Aimed at those of you interested in finding out in more detail about careers and entry routes into law and healthcare (medicine, dentistry, physio, veterinary). These full-day events are run at the school by specialist external facilitators.
Student Consultancy & Young Enterprise
Students are also encouraged to join programmes such as Student Consultancy and Young Enterprise, which build up valuable skills.
Careers Newsletters
We send out regular newsletters highlighting a wide range of external careers events and resources. We also encourage you to apply for Headstart and Smallpeice Trust courses during the Michaelmas / Lent Term of Year 12 if you are considering studying STEM subjects at university or applying for apprenticeships. See also entry in Senior School entry above regarding our partnership with InvestIN education, who run a wide range of careers events.
School Awards
Each year, the Old Berkhamstedians kindly offer the opportunity for Year 12 students to apply for a Travel Award towards the cost of trips, which will develop individual skills and broaden minds. There is also the chance to apply for a fully funded 7-10 Day Tall Ships trip in the summer holidays through the Knox-Johnston Award.
