Too Old To Start An Apprenticeship

Teknobry · 5 Feb 2011 at 23:25

I did an advanced apprenticeship which i started when i was 26, i was surprised to find the average age was about 22, only 1 or 2 16/17 yr olds. I wasn't the oldest either! You might find an employer prefers people around your age as they have (slightly!) more maturity.

pepp77 · 5 Feb 2011 at 23:32

I worked in retail from the age of 16 until I was 27 then I started a telecoms apprenticeship, Im now 33 and an integral part of an excellent telecoms company in central London with useful qualifications.

/Thom\ · 6 Feb 2011 at 00:39

a question to people on apprenticehsips or that have done them;

i studied up until college and then went to uni, failing my first year i have resit this year but i am pretty sure that this way of learning is not for me and have been look at apprenticeships, i'm 21 at the moment and looking at various apprenticeships, mainly based around IT, (the same subject i have been studying at college and uni) is there anything in particular that would help me to get onto an apprenticeship after having done 2 years of uni and not getting along with it i fee this may put a bad light on me.

cheers

Dr.EM · 6 Feb 2011 at 00:44

^ very similar position actually.

eatcustard · 6 Feb 2011 at 07:38

Lakeland said:
I'd say 21 is an ideal age to be starting

This

Wires · 6 Feb 2011 at 10:23

21 is fine to do it, the real question is depending on what you have been doing before can you cope with the lowish pay they will give? I think you could do one at any age aslong as you can cope financially.

cb_linus · 6 Feb 2011 at 10:28

21? When I saw the thread title I thought you meant 30s or 40s (still not too old to consider if it's a carer change to something that'll make you happy

). At 21 you'll bring a bit more life experience / maturity into the apprenticeship I would've thought, and hopefully get more out of it because of that

998cc · 6 Feb 2011 at 10:37

Im 5 months into an apprenticeship and im 26

Netguy · 6 Feb 2011 at 13:00

21 old?

you're still a baby yet

jmc007 · 6 Feb 2011 at 13:03

I started a dental technichian apprenticeship at 29; you're never too old I guess.

.Lethal · 6 Feb 2011 at 13:44

Anyone else thought the OP was going to be about 35?

21 to old? I've heard it all now.

The Funktopus · 6 Feb 2011 at 14:09

27 and I'm on an engineering officer cadetship I started last month. Being the old man of the group has it's advantages, the rest of them decided to have a "beard off". Needless to say, at 18-19 they were churning out mere bum fluff after two weeks, whereas I had epic sea-farer beard going on. They were destroyed.

Third Opinion · 6 Feb 2011 at 15:20

Your not too old but funding can be an issue as it gets greatly more expensive for a company if you haven't been signed onto a course by the time you are 18.

oneale90 · 6 Feb 2011 at 23:12

Third Opinion said:
Your not too old but funding can be an issue as it gets greatly more expensive for a company if you haven't been signed onto a course by the time you are 18.

Never thought about his, but considering it's such a huge company I can't see it being a problem.

I might email their HR department tomorrow and find out if there is a certain criteria I have to fit.

Thanks for the opinions guys !

Josh