# GCSE options and Animal Care?



## Thea_SRA27 (Jul 19, 2020)

Hi Everyone,

Sorry, posted this on the wrong section and realised it made more sense to put it here!

If anyone has seen me on the forum before you'll know that I'm young but love animals more than anything, and I've been sure for quite a long time that I'd like to do something with animals. There's always a thing with younger children about being a vet or working with animals when they 'grow up', so I just thought it was that and that I wouldn't still want to when I was older, but it's still something in my heart that I'd like to think seriously about!

I have to confirm my GCSEs (exams in England before leaving secondary, for anyone who doesn't know the age or lives far away!) very soon and I'm pretty sure on what I want to do. I would like it if anyone could suggest from them if there was anything I could do with animals? Anything will do! I just want an idea of the sorts of things that what I want to do could lead to. I definitely don't need to be sure of anything for at least a couple of years, but I'd like to get an idea early on. My parents have suggested that I volunteer at a farm/rescue nearby now or next year to see if I enjoy that kind of thing, is that a good idea?

This is what I want to take:
-Biology
-Maths
-English Literature
-English Language
-RE
-Art
-Food Tech
-History
-French
-Possibly either Psychology or Physics, but not sure if I'll do either

I thought that maybe I had to take all sciences or these weren't really the right things to be a veterinarian, but not sure on that and there's so much option when it comes to jobs with animals.

Any ideas, or is this just not the right website for this?? Haha.

Anything would be appreciated!

Thea


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## Patchwork Petcare (Oct 2, 2020)

Hi Thea!

Some excellent questions.

As for volunteering, I absolutely recommend that you get as much practical experience as you can. It is very beneficial when you do apply for colleges and jobs in the future. Farms, rescue centres, and boarding facilities are all good options to try. It will also give you a good idea of the type of work you enjoy most if you try different things.

As for your GCSEs, all sciences, English language, and maths will be beneficial (and in many cases essential), especially if you want to look into veterinary work. Psychology is also beneficial if you want to work in behaviour, and food tech should give you the basics of hygiene, nutrition etc, so lots of good choices there. 

I'd recommend doing a bit of research into different job descriptions, and entry requirements for different college and university courses that interest you. There are several agricultural colleges in the UK, each with their own specialisations, and of course some incredible veterinary programmes if you do choose that route. 

I hope this helps. Best of luck!


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## Thea_SRA27 (Jul 19, 2020)

Thank you for the answer!

I've been looking for places to volunteer near me, the closest rescue/shelter is Bath Dogs and Cats Home but they only take people over 18 to volunteer. There is a farm near me that does animal care for 3 hours every other Saturday (although you do have to pay) for 5-16s where you muck out the animals/do health checks and look after them etc., but I'm thinking really I would rather volunteer say every weekend somewhere, preferably not with loads of other kids! Also the age range is so young that I'm wondering how much I would learn...? My friend does horse riding at a place near me, and I think there's a good chance I might be able to volunteer there just to look after the horses. I wouldn't be wanting any money obviously, so I'm sure there is somewhere nearby I could go nearby. Also being honest, I would much rather spend the whole day looking after animals then stay in doing nothing!

I'll definitely consider doing all three sciences then, I've looked into it a bit further and most places say it's easiest to get a good job with them all. I'm also interested in doing psychology anyway, so I'll probably do that too! I'm still not too sure if I want to do veterinary work or not, because I get really stressed when it comes to my pet's health. I have the ability to do quite a few things, but if I had to do a surgery I know I'd be stressing so much! Maybe I'll just be different in future, I hope so.

I think nearby there is an animal care college which again my parents say would be a good place to go after school if I wanted to do animals (I could go instead of sixth form or other) so I'll ask which one that was and have a look into it's requirements. I think if I did animal care that would be the place to go, there's also lots of different options on what kind of animal care /management you want to do. Another option would be to do T level animal care or agriculture (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introduction-of-t-levels/introduction-of-t-levels) , so a couple of things to look into for after my exams have finished I think!

Thanks again, definitely have a few things to think about 

Thea


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## Babyshoes (Jul 1, 2016)

I looked into studying to be a vet rather a long time ago. I didn't take it too far as the thought of having to euthanase pets felt like something I'd struggle with.

I'm sure the exact requirements will have changed since then, but I do know you'll need *very* good A level marks in science based subjects, as places tend to be limited and a load of people apply. I suggest looking at the current requirements for entry and choose your main GCSE subjects based on what you'll need for A level. If you decide not to study veterinary medicine, they'll still be useful subjects for other areas of study. 

I'd also suggest speaking to local vets, boarding kennels and farms about volunteering possibilities, or perhaps work experience shadowing a vet or vet nurse during the holidays. 

If you think that realistically your marks are unlikely to be high enough for veterinary medicine, there are loads of other career paths that involve animals. Think about where you'd like to work and the types of animals you would prefer to work with. If you like smaller, pet sized animals and fancy working outdoors, consider dog walking/training. If you prefer larger animals, consider a farm or zoo. If you'd rather work mostly indoors, vet nurse or cattery might suit.


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## ForestWomble (May 2, 2013)

When I looked into which GCSE's you needed to become a vet, I remember the list included the 3 sciences, maths and English.


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## Thea_SRA27 (Jul 19, 2020)

Thank you for your answers.

I actually didn't think about that... ah, I would hate to have to put them down myself. I've never been there when they've done it for my pets, they always do it then take them out to me. I was given the option with Storme, but it felt too sad! 

I have been thinking that I would love to work in a animal rescue or zoo. That way I could really look after animals AND maybe not be as upsetting? In rescues they obviously don't all make it and many come in poor conditions, but even so the feeling of giving them a home when they didn't have one would be amazing. I do like dog walking too, maybe I could put up something online saying I'm able to for free? I'm sure there would be a few people then!

I'm also not too sure if I would be prepared to do all sciences, I love science but Biology is my lesson really and I struggle more with Chemistry and Physics. Maybe veterinary work isn't the best option? 

Maybe a rescue or zoo is more for me?


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## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

Hi. It's good that you are thinking about how your career choices may be impacted by what you chose to study.

I also recommend you do all 3 sciences if you can. It opens up a in lot more opportunities not only in animal related careers but they are often welcome subjects in non animal related careers too as you can demonstrate an analytical and systematic approach to problem solving.

If you aren't so strong on the chemistry and physics side it may be worth looking at getting some extra support or lessons in these areas just to give you more confidence . I wish I had done the same with maths when I was your age.

Perhaps talk to the teachers in those subjects and see what they suggest. They will have a good idea of your strongest and weakest subjects and will be able to provide advice about what you could do that might help you with them.

I received a piece of advice when I was making these sorts of decisions which was to try and keep your options open as much as possible. So this means chose subjects which don't restrict your options later on eg for A levels or degree/ vocational courses.

As suggested above, have a look at what university course or vocational training are asking for for a levels and GCSEs and chose your subjects to reflect those.

My friend's daughter was keen to just do subjects she thought would be easiest or least effort but unfortunately that approach restricts your opportunities so don't be put off considering subjects you don't find easy as with hard work and support I am sure you will be fine.

Re volunteering, it's hard to find somewhere these days that accepts under 16s due to insurance etc but if you do have a stables you can help at then that's worth doing. You get used to looking after large animals, feeding cleaning out grooming etc and also will probably get to meet the vet and farrier and perhaps other animal specialists (our stables has been using a chiropractor for example). You won't get paid but you will generally get free lessons or join in on hacks.

Other places you can try are wildlife rescues. Often they are run by volunteers and welcome help.

Obviously with covid getting somewhere to volunteer at currently is hard but it's worth using this time over the winter to get in touch with as many places as you can introduce yourself and find some places for next spring or summer.

The prospects website 
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/planner
has a large number of careers listed so that might be worth exploring. Also to think outside the box a bit... Dog groomers, animal hydrotherapy, physiotherapist, environmental scientist, a researcher for animal health etc etc.

Oh and don't assume that a zookeeper has less emotional upset than an animal rescue organisation. When animals are involved there will be lots of emotional highs and lows. The flip side of some of the sad things you see in animal rescue is the joy in seeing those animals rehabilitate and end up in forever homes.

Good luck!


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## Thea_SRA27 (Jul 19, 2020)

kittih said:


> Hi. It's good that you are thinking about how your career choices may be impacted by what you chose to study.
> 
> I also recommend you do all 3 sciences if you can. It opens up a in lot more opportunities not only in animal related careers but they are often welcome subjects in non animal related careers too as you can demonstrate an analytical and systematic approach to problem solving.
> 
> ...


Hi, thank you for the answer.

That's a good point actually with the sciences, I am considering what to do and I think with most animal jobs you would need at least Biology and Chemistry. I'll put particularly more effort into Physics and Chemistry these next few weeks and see how I do, I don't do badly in either but I just think at the moment maybe not to the standard of choosing them as GCSEs. Lots of people at my school actually do get extra support in certain subjects, so I quite easily could if I needed to I think...?

If you don't mind telling me what you mean, what kind of subjects could restrict me later on?

I've had a little look at university animal course requirements, and the ones I found were that you need mathematics, english language and biology in GCSEs, needing a 4 or above in biology GCSE and ABB-BBB in A-level biology. The 4 in GCSEs wasn't as high as I expected for animal care, but then again that could just be because it's GCSE not A-level?

It is hard to know how much work would be 'too much' - or if there's such thing. I'm very likely taking Art which is my 'best' subject, but there's so much work involved so wold taking three sciences on top of that be too much? I'm not really sure what I'm capable of yet when it comes to those sorts of things.

Yes, I can imagine it's quite hard to volunteer under 16, which is a shame really because I would love to and I know I can do it! I think there is a pretty good chance though that the stables will let me, my friend who is the same age as me has lessons there and often goes down after school to muck out the horses etc.

I've just realised another very possible option. There is a kind of wildlife rescue near me as you said, with a wide range of animals from ponies to squirrels and birds. I know lots of people volunteer there, not sure if you have to be a certain age but just to feed the animals and muck out the ones that need it surely wouldn't have an age requirement? I'll have a look at the volunteering there now, and the volunteering at the stables near me.

I haven't looked at the website you sent yet, but that sounds really good and I would love to have a look for more things I could do.

I actually didn't think about that with the zoos, I see just what you mean though. There must be so many animals that come unwell or with a bad past. I think it would still be amazing to work in a zoo though, and also to see animals that are just so unusual! I have seen a few things though about the space in zoos for animals, would that be an issue? Particularly for monkeys, a lot of zoos don't provide enough space. Maybe it would just be a matter of finding a better zoo?

Thea


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## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

Hi Thea,

I think a lot of animal related roles these days are being filled with people who have degrees or some form of higher qualifications partly because there is so much competition and also because having a higher level of qualification allows you to develop and progress in your role and leads to greater opportunities.

That said there are lots of animal related roles that don't need higher qualifications so there are options without them but there is obviously a lot more competition for those positions and they won't be as well paid or have the same advancement opportunities.

I personally think adding chemistry to your choices is a good move. You will then have two sciences and that will make applying for a wider range of higher education/vocational courses more possible when you reach that point.

My comment about keeping your options wide open is that if you just take one science like biology for instance for GCSEs then you would only have the option of doing biology at A level. Many animal/zoology/biology/environmental courses require 2 sciences (often biology and chemistry). Even if they state they only need biology bare in mind that this is a minimum requirement so having more relevant qualifications will make you more likely to obtain a place on a higher study course (whatever you chose that to be).

For example a zoology degree needs biology and chemistry. You could probably get in with just biology in some places but you would be competing against people who have a additional qualifications.

So think ahead about all the possible things you might like to do and make a list of all the qualifications you will need to get into those roles. Don't just look at what the minimum entry requirements are, check what those jobs are actually asking for. To do this you can look at job adverts on line and see what they asking for.
The indeed website is one place for example you could look but there are lots more. For example by typing animal into the search field on of the jobs was this one. In it they list the qualifications and subjects you need...
https://www.indeed.co.uk/m/viewjob?jk=3e71892b91771209&from=serp
Once you have worked out the range of qualifications and experience the jobs you are interested in ask for then work backwards.

So if they want a degree in zoology what do you need to get in to that (minimum requirements and extras that they suggest); an animal management diploma, what's needed for that? And so on. Once you have that figured out you can then work out what GCSEs you need to get those qualifications.

It probably sounds like a lot of hard work but it will be interesting and doing it this was you will find out about lots of jobs you have never ever thought of doing before. You will also discover what sort of work experience and other skills those roles value and they may suggest places you can volunteer.

Like this information on the Chester zoo web site has some useful advice about what a range of roles need and volunteering ideas... https://www.indeed.co.uk/m/viewjob?jk=3e71892b91771209&from=serp


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## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

Thea_SRA27 said:


> It is hard to know how much work would be 'too much' - or if there's such thing. I'm very likely taking Art which is my 'best' subject, but there's so much work involved so wold taking three sciences on top of that be too much? I'm not really sure what I'm capable of yet when it comes to those sorts of things.


About this bit, only you and your teachers know the answer to this. Perhaps if you do some research first and come up with a list of possible subjects then speak to them and see if they think you will manage.


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## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

Thea_SRA27 said:


> I've just realised another very possible option. There is a kind of wildlife rescue near me as you said, with a wide range of animals from ponies to squirrels and birds. I know lots of people volunteer there, not sure if you have to be a certain age but just to feed the animals and muck out the ones that need it surely wouldn't have an age requirement? I'll have a look at the volunteering there now, and the volunteering at the stables near me.


This sounds like a good idea if you can get a place there, even if it's just short term.

Also it can help to talk to people who are in the roles you are interested in. When lockdown or other restrictions in your area are lifted visit places like your local vet or call them up and ask whether someone would be prepared to have a 10 minute chat about what their job involves. People may be too busy but even if they say no they may know somewhere else you can ask.

One of the things that will be helpful is to get as much practical experience as possible so go looking for opportunities. They don't have to be big or long term things but make a note of them and add them to your CV. Also think of ways of getting other experience... writing articles about animals, computer skills, teaching and educating experiences, dealing with people and the general public (lots of animal roles require interactions with people), environmental awareness etc.

Be prepared to be a little cheeky but polite and ask people about their experiences and what advice they would give. It might not all be relevant or useful but take whatever sounds helpful.

You sound very forward thinking, practical, intelligent and articulate so I think you will reach your goals. 

Ps absolutely keep art and subjects you really enjoy and are passionate about. There is a balance between studying subjects for a future career and doing those that make you happy.


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## Thea_SRA27 (Jul 19, 2020)

Hello, and thank you for another reply!

I completely understand what you mean with the comparison ways or minimum entry. It makes sense that even though you get the job, you won't be as good or have as many abilities as many others, therefore may not get as good a job. I would like to try to do all sciences for my own benefit and also because I enjoy the lessons, I also like to put myself through challenges especially if they will eventually help me!

But yes, Biology is obviously essential and Chemistry very helpful for medicines etc., so those two I think I will need to do anyway. Funnily enough I'm not sure if my school does Psychology GCSE (I go to a small school, but you can still do exams there obviously), but there's a good chance I'll be able to go to another place to do Psychology if I want to and if it will be a good addition for animal care, and I could do Physics too but might need extra support on that one. I'm not too sure at the moment, I'm just trying to figure out how to fit everything together with what I can do. 

I see what you mean with the wide options as well, I suppose if I took all sciences and decided I actually preferred Chemistry or Physics to Biology after all I would have the ability to change that. I currently am most interested in Biology (I enjoy human and animal Biology anyway), but that may change as I still have a couple of years until my GCSEs end when I'll know better. 

I've had a good look at the grades and requirements on the website you sent me, many did not specify in what sciences but just said for an example 'Requirements: B in GCSE science (6) or above'. I'm not sure if that means you need to take all sciences. Most didn't say what degrees or courses you needed but if I look further I'm sure I'll be able to find them and figure out what GCSEs I need to take. Obviously it doesn't matter area-wise, because I'm not actually applying for a job!

I'm still not sure what the age is on the animal centre nearby, I don't think it says on the website unfortunately. But my parents and I are looking into places nearby and possible places to volunteer. I messaged my friend last night to ask about the stables she goes to and if I could volunteer, she hasn't replied yet but I could always ask her in person because I think I might be able to go there (although I'm not sure if you need experience with horses in particular before helping there). If I'm not able to do something like one of these until next summer, I might do something more personal like looking after people's pets when they're away or helping to care for the animals in a smaller pet shop on weekends.

I'm not sure whether or not my vet really would be able to talk about their job etc. to me, but my parents quite likely know a couple of people who work with animals? I could ask them, because maybe then it would be easier to have a chat about their job and what they did at my age. I also have a neighbour who lives a couple of doors down who works with horses so my dad suggested that I might be able to ask if I could help her with her horses for now while I'm looking into what I could volunteer with.

Thank you so much, I really do hope I get to the place I want to in the end but I definitely have a way to go before I get there!! 

I'm sure I'll still do art but make sure to have an equal focus on the other subjects. Most likely I'll just be doing Art for enjoyment, but who knows, maybe I'll go somewhere completely different to what I think I will in the future!

Thea


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## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

Thea,

It sounds like you are coming up with lots of good ideas. About the stables, it won't matter if you don't have experience with horses as long as you are enthusiastic, are willing to do the jobs given to you and follow instructions correctly ( the last one being especially important for your own and the horses safety).

Good thinking about talking to people your parents know and your neighbours about their work experiences. If there is one thing I have learned it is that connecting with people opens up opportunities. The more people you speak to the more you will learn all sorts of useful things. Most people enjoy helping others so as long as you are polite and considerate you will find people are more than willing to share their knowledge and experience.

I once met a lady when we on a family trip to London who was there with her Huskies. She had got a place to show them at Crufts. After admiring her dogs she invited me along to come and help her. She genuinely meant the invitation and it was a real shame I had to decline as I had other commitments. But that's an example if an opportunity that turns up if you get talking to people about things.

I did eventually make a visit to crufts many years later but it would have been fun going there with someone who knew all about it.


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## Thea_SRA27 (Jul 19, 2020)

Hi and thank you,

I'm glad to hear about the horse work, I'm definitely willing and I think now is a good time because I currently haven't got an overload of homework (but will do next year!!) so I'm free on Saturdays mainly. My friend replied and said that you can volunteer if you're over 13 so I think I'll go in (maybe with her, but maybe on my own) soon to help with whatever is needed. Of course I can't go in for a few weeks because due to lockdown the stables are closed until December 2nd, but after that I'll try to go in for a couple of hours on Saturdays and see how it goes. I'm glad something like this has been sorted out so early on! I will of course try a few different things, another friend who is a couple of years older than me lives on a farm so I can come and help her in spring next year to feed the calves and do whatever needs doing when they're born! Hopefully I'll find something I particularly enjoy 

That's also very true with talking to people. That's amazing that you could have gone to Crufts to help just after talking to your friend, that just shown how much can happen with one conversation! I would like some opportunities like that to spring up, because there's so much variety in animal care and it might take 2 or 3 years to make a final decision but trying what different people do might really help. 

Thank you for the great help over the past few days, I'll update if anything happns!


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## Patchwork Petcare (Oct 2, 2020)

Thea_SRA27 said:


> I would like some opportunities like that to spring up, because there's so much variety in animal care and it might take 2 or 3 years to make a final decision but trying what different people do might really help.


Just a quick note, from my own personal experience. Even if it takes you longer than that to know what you're really passionate about doing (for me it took 11 years!), I 100% see this as a good thing. Once you've had more experience within the animal care industry in general you might find, as I did, that you're actually interested in a career path that you hadn't previously considered, or maybe didn't even know existed! It's great that you're keeping your options open with the subjects you plan to study and willing to try different things, because it will make it so much easier for you when you do find your specialty, as you will have a wider variety of transferable skills and experiences (including the bad ones. As kittih said, animal care has a lot of ups and downs, and you can learn a lot from both).


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## Thea_SRA27 (Jul 19, 2020)

Thank you for that! Obviously it could take ages, and even if I think I know what I want to do, it really might not be my final career choice. I'm really excited to find out what I might do though, and that there's so many things I COULD do! I might go in wanting to be a zoo keeper or similar, and come out being something entirely different


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## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

Thea_SRA27 said:


> Thank you for that! Obviously it could take ages, and even if I think I know what I want to do, it really might not be my final career choice. I'm really excited to find out what I might do though, and that there's so many things I COULD do! I might go in wanting to be a zoo keeper or similar, and come out being something entirely different


One thing I have discovered having been working for many years is that there are a whole load of interesting jobs out there that you never get told about at school or college.

I had a really clear idea of what I wanted to be from about the age of 15 after I gave up the idea of being a vet but many people just drift into jobs. It's good to have an idea about the sort of thing you want to aim for (it certainly helps with making decisions) but keep and open mind about things and don't be surprised if looking back in 15 years time you find yourself working in a job you had no idea existed now.


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## Thea_SRA27 (Jul 19, 2020)

Hi again everyone 

It's been 4 months since last saying anything on here but up until now I haven't needed to at all. I was going to start volunteering at the horse stables in late November, but unfortunately I had to go into isolation and then very soon after was the start of this lockdown so I am still yet to organise that. I'd love to do that as soon as possible though, I believe around May is the time that I would be able to, but could be earlier or later depending on what happens.

I have been thinking more seriously about my options and today I was given a guide booklet to help me decide better - and I'll be working through that more later. I am pretty sure of what I want to pick, but again I want to check that these options would be okay for some kind of animal care. What I want to do has changed quite a bit since November, when I made this post. I'm going to be picking my final results in 2-3 weeks, but I don't have a date yet.

The absolute basics in my school are both kinds of English, Maths and RE so I have to do these three. I also have to pick a language (I'll be doing French) and at least one science (Biology - although I am certain I want to do Chemistry too). As I decided earlier I don't think what I'd want to do would be a kind of vet as in all honesty I think I possibly couldn't for a few reasons: 1) I don't think I would be able to cope with dealing with surgeries, and also having to put animals to sleep so often 2) I think I'm a far too anxious person!

Anyway, here are my choices:
- Art & Design (I had to think quite a lot about this one since I know it is such a time consuming subject, but art has always been my 'thing' aside from animals so I feel it would be wrong not to)
- Biology
- Chemistry
- French
- English Literature
- English Language
- Maths
- RE
- History

Pretty much asking the same question as before (sorry), would these be okay options? I'm sure there's _some_ animal related jobs out there that I could do with these choices, but I would like to be able to have quite a wide range of options if possible, and I do know many animal jobs depend on your gcse choices a little more perhaps than some jobs.

Again I struggled with Physics - it isn't really for me and although I know it is pretty good to have if you want to do vet work, are there other animal careers that do not need Physics? I have heard that you can be a vet with just Biology and Chemistry (and in some cases, just Biology depending on the kind of vet), but it is quite a bit harder to get a job sometimes.

Anyway, thank you all, any advice or replies would be so much appreciated 

Thea

edit: There is also a rabbit and guinea pig rescue around 15 minutes away from me, so that could be a good option too if the horse stable idea didn't work out, maybe?


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## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

Hi. I am sorry to hear that you didn't manage to start at the stables but starting in May if you can seems to be a good option. The rabbit and guinea pig rescue also sounds good.

Being a veterinary surgeon is highly competitive so having all three sciences I think is probably recommended. However there are lots of animal related roles that don't need all three sciences. I think your selection of subjects is good. You have included what you love (art) two sciences, humanities and a language. Good grades in English and Maths are also sought after.


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## Thea_SRA27 (Jul 19, 2020)

Thank you for the reply 

I'm glad to hear that the choices are probably appropriate for some kind of animal care, as I really do think these options work for me. I've heard about good English and maths marks being needed for animal careers too - I'm fine with this as I like both subjects, but is there a reason for this? (just out of interest)


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## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

Thea_SRA27 said:


> Thank you for the reply
> 
> I'm glad to hear that the choices are probably appropriate for some kind of animal care, as I really do think these options work for me. I've heard about good English and maths marks being needed for animal careers too - I'm fine with this as I like both subjects, but is there a reason for this? (just out of interest)


Good English and maths results are helpful in most areas of working life. Being able to write reports and articles and keep accurate records about the animals in your care is important. Depending on the animal related jobs you are interested in being able to share information and communicate to the general public in written and spoken English can be essential. Maths is useful for anything involving financial transactions buy also providing medications for example, weighing and general housekeeping. It is also the basis of analytical skills which can be sought after in animal/biology related degrees, further studies and problem solving regarding animal care.

Choosing exam options is partly about giving you options in later life which can be hard as you don't always know what you will be particularly interested in and doing subjects at GCSE which you enjoy and are enthusiastic about.


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## Thea_SRA27 (Jul 19, 2020)

Thanks, yes I can see that when you think about it there's actually quite a lot of reasons for needing those subjects. 

Yes it's hard to know as in 10 years I could decide I don't want to do animal work, but I've had the same sorts of interests for years and I've always wanted to do a subject that was either working with animals, or with people, so hopefully in future those are still the sorts of things I want to do! Of course, GCSEs don't determine what you can do in future nearly as much as what you do at college/university does, but it's still helpful to have certain subjects for sure so for now I think I'm just going to do what I think I can do well in, at the same time as things that are needed.


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## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

Thea_SRA27 said:


> Thanks, yes I can see that when you think about it there's actually quite a lot of reasons for needing those subjects.
> 
> Yes it's hard to know as in 10 years I could decide I don't want to do animal work, but I've had the same sorts of interests for years and I've always wanted to do a subject that was either working with animals, or with people, so hopefully in future those are still the sorts of things I want to do! Of course, GCSEs don't determine what you can do in future nearly as much as what you do at college/university does, but it's still helpful to have certain subjects for sure so for now I think I'm just going to do what I think I can do well in, at the same time as things that are needed.


If it helps I wanted to do science as a career so my O Levels (GCSE equivalent) were maths, english language and literature, biology, chemistry, physics, Latin, one modern language and general studies which was RE plus general moralistic type discussions. For A levels I passed Chemistry and Biology and went on to do a biology degree. I have subsequently done further study more specific to my work.

I could have done the Alevels I chose without physics and could have easily swapped Latin for art if I had wanted to and still got the same outcome. I actually took three A levels but failed one. But I did the same subject again as part of my undergraduate course and passed so it wasn't an issue.

The best thing to do is keep your options open. In later life there are always opportunities for doing further studies if you want to go in a different direction.

My personal view is it's always good to have at least one science as employers see that you can show the ability to problem solve and be analytical. So doing Chemistry and Biology is attractive to all sorts of employers not just science and animal related ones.

At GSCE level it's good to also do stuff you enjoy as long as it's for the right reasons ( and not just because the subject is easy and you don't have to work hard as the reason one of my friends children used to decide on subjects).

I wish I had done Geography at the time but there is nothing stopping me doing courses in it as an adult.


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## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

My son didn't do well in his GCSEs , he was diagnosed dyslexic during his first term at 6th form college and with the extra help offered finally got his GCSE in English on his 3rd attempt. He didn't do well in A-levels either but managed to get a Foundation Course at University, then changed his degree choice from electronics to Forensic Science which he loved! He now has his dream job related to his degree and is doing really well in it.
My point being that while it's great to have plans for the future , life has a strange way of taking unexpected twists and turns, just keep an open mind.
Good luck in whatever you decide.


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## Thea_SRA27 (Jul 19, 2020)

Thank you both for the replies 

kittih - yes I have thought about this, I'm not really old enough yet to decide what I want to do in the future and never change it (I could, but I want to make sure I can do other things too as I could well change my mind at some point) so I think whatever I choose it's important that I can do a number of things with it. I also agree with you on the subjects you enjoy - I love art but I've been warned that it will not be easy and it'll take hours of my time.

SusieRainbow - that's a very good point. I've heard a lot of stories of people not doing well but ending up with a career that they love!


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## Guest (Mar 25, 2021)

Hi, I am also about to pick my GCSEs. I definitely know I want to work with animals when I am older but I know I don’t want to work as a vet because I have several medical phobias. I think I want to work at rescue centers and mabye even start one myself when I have a lot of experience.
I am going to do these GCSEs.
-Art
-Philosophy (includes religious studies)
-Geography
-Food tech
-Double Science (we study all 3 sciences but only take exams in 2)
-Maths
-English literature
-English


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## Thea_SRA27 (Jul 19, 2020)

Those sound like good options to me Gerbil365  Let us know what happens!

I've been given my options paper, and I'm doing all of the ones I said a few days ago, but I think Geography instead of History. I am worried that doing art will be a problem since it's such a time consuming subject, but I love art so I think I'll just need to be extremely hard-working!

I emailed the stables today as I saw on their facebook page that they were open from next week, but unfortunately since they're not allowed new people at the moment but said I may be able to soon.

I'm thinking of asking the rabbit and guinea pig rescue now, because I saw on their website that you could volunteer a couple of hours a week. I'm just going to ask places until I find somewhere!


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## Guest (Mar 27, 2021)

Thats great. I really want to volunteer at a rescue centre but I am probably to young, mabye not though I will do more research!


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## Thea_SRA27 (Jul 19, 2020)

I've looked at rescue centres too but most of the time you need to be either at least 16 or 18 to volunteer. Of course there are smaller rescues like the rabbit and guinea pig one that may let you volunteer though, or you could email a stables like I did if you were interested in horse work


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## Guest (Mar 28, 2021)

Ok, I will probably have to wait a while then to volunteer, I am actually going to start horse riding after lockdown is over so there will probably be stable work included in that.


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