How to use the Bitesize Careers site when home educating

When you’re home educating your child you’ll need to either look externally for careers advice or instigate some of those discussions yourself.

It can feel overwhelming, so use Bitesize Careers to find advice for home educated children by subject, by industry, by qualification or alphabetically by job title.

Have a look yourself first, so you can point your child in the right direction.

“The more you can open up conversations about jobs, skills and future possibilities, the more you’ll help your child find their best next step.” John Yarham, The Careers & Enterprise Company

The best way to approach careers conversations is through curiosity. Ask your child what they’ve seen or heard about jobs and what they know already:

• Chat about jobs you and other family members or friends do
• Discuss jobs they’ve seen on TV or on social media
• Develop their self awareness and talk to them about what they’re good at
• Try a quiz, such as: What is your perfect job?
• Research a different job every day with them, using Careers A-Z

John Yarham, Chief Executive of The Careers & Enterprise Company, says: “Start by talking early about [your child’s] interests and strengths and look for opportunities that connect those to real life experiences… Parents and carers play a huge role here.”

Chat about how you chose your career: what jobs did you try, how did you discover what you do and don’t enjoy? What’s the best and worst job you’ve ever had?

With older children, you could start them off with the Bitesize Careers podcast episode Help! What am I good at? And then:

• Listen to other episodes of the Bitesize Careers podcast
• Write a list of their interests and how to turn their passions into jobs
• Take a quiz about future jobs, such as: How do your job choices compare to the crowd?, Which emergency service would suit you best? or The tricky games industry quiz
• Research careers by industry
• Make a note of the skills they have and how they translate to different jobs

When you’re offering careers guidance to your home educated children, talk to them about their values and what they want to get out of their career.

Ask what’s important to them, how they might want to make a difference in some way and where they see themselves in ten years’ time.

It could also include whether they want to work shifts, work with other people, be their own boss, etc.

Here are five questions they can ask themselves to find their future job.

There’s no limit to what a home educated child can do! But like any other kid they may need particular qualifications and work experience. Once your child has researched the type of job they might want, they’ll need to think about how they’ll get there.

Talk to your child about GCSE options, and if they're taking exams, sign them up, then discuss their options around apprenticeships, university or work.

They may also need some work experience, which you’ll likely need to arrange yourselves. Social mobility charities offer work experience placements to children aged 14 to 19.

John Yarman adds: “Volunteering, community projects, online work experience programmes and local employers willing to offer short placements can all help young people build confidence and insight.”

Parents who home educate say they often approach local businesses themselves to ask about work experience or work shadowing opportunities.

You might want to consider safeguarding and some of the legal frameworks employers have in place before you commit to a placement.

Your child could also get a part time job or set up their own small business to learn some valuable hands-on skills. Some larger companies offer internships though it may depend on your child's age or stage.

Don’t forget other opportunities, such as your child taking a gap year, can be enriching, especially if they work or volunteer. And if you’ve been worldschooling, your child may already have picked up knowledge and skills they can apply to a job area they’re interested in.

Employers and universities are interested in applicants’ external passions, so use this to your advantage if your child has already been pursuing their own interests and hobbies. They may also have picked up transferable skills they’re not aware of.

If your child is already quite independent, they may want to consider a freelance or entrepreneurial career over being employed by a company.

The Bitesize Careers site is full of useful tips and advice to help your teenager whether they’re planning their future career, deciding what to study or just curious about the world of work.

There are hundreds of job profiles which explain the realities of working in sectors such as healthcare and frontline services, science and technology, law and government, sport, media, and many more areas.

Curious minds can watch the ‘Career We Go’ workshop and try quizzes to guess what jobs people do and find out how AI (artificial intelligence) may affect their future careers. Plus, articles and videos around forging your own path and writing a great CV.

The BBC Bitesize home education collection is designed to support you and your child’s learning at home with free resources for early years and foundation stage (EYFS), primary and secondary-age students.

Bitesize Parenting is the go-to place for the whole parenting community to find stories, expert advice and fun activities.

If your child has special educational needs and / or disabilities, be sure to check out the Parenting SEND collection. Bitesize also has a collection of Sensory Stories, an immersive video series that transports you on unique sensory adventures, for children with additional or complex needs.

For more information about home education, these BBC News articles cover the rise in families deciding to educate their children at home and, from 2021, the impact of Covid on home education.