#flapplications

Rachel is a Business Development Administrator from St Austell, Cornwall. In her spare time she also works on a voluntary basis for two learning institutions, one of which educates criminals, and is Editor of her parish magazine. She discovered FutureLearn through members of a book club she attends.

“Several of the women regularly spoke about amazing courses they were studying and spoke very highly of the FutureLearn site. I checked it out and signed up immediately. I find studying so satisfying and rewarding. Learning is fun and I was impressed with the variety of courses available”.

Rachel initially joined FutureLearn for fun and to feed her passion for learning but was made redundant in September 2015 and found it very difficult to find a job.

“I have a very high IQ but a car accident affected my ability to retain certain information and perhaps knocked my confidence in job interviews”.

Rachel completed 9 courses before signing up to How to Succeed at Writing Applications and How to Succeed at Interviews by The University of Sheffield.  She also purchased a certificate for Logical and Critical Thinking, “I thought it might help in a job environment”.

“Being out of work for so long can be very frustrating and disheartening. I attended 26 interviews with no success and could not understand why. I found the Job Centre’s application and interview advice dated and it did not seem to help me. The FutureLearn courses were very impressive, well put together and from reputable universities with up to date tips and latest trends. I attended 3 interviews after completing the courses and they went a lot better than the previous ones”.

Alison is a DTC administrative assistant at the University of Edinburgh and currently works with Phd students in Neuroscience and Neuroinformatics Research. She was first introduced to FutureLearn through Barnado’s, the adoption and fostering agency, as her and her husband are looking to adopt.

“One of the things that was suggested by Barnado’s was to do the 6 week course called Caring for Vulnerable Children on FutureLearn.”

“Whilst doing the Caring for Vulnerable Children course, it was fascinating to hear what was happening in people’s daily lives; people who actually work in social work and have that experience of dealing with vulnerable children.”

“Some of the things we were asked to do on the discussion forum meant we had to put in writing our own ideas, which isn’t always that easy, so it was good practice. We had a mockup of a young boy in a difficult home situation, we had to talk about in discussion forum what we would do in that situation and what made that child vulnerable.”

Alison also went on to purchase a Statement of Participation, in order to better demonstrate her commitment to adopting. “The statement was proof that I had done the Caring for Vulnerable Children course and was more equipped for adopting or fostering”.  

As part of the next phase in the adoption process, Alison and her husband have to commit to 12 months of volunteering with vulnerable children. To be approved to do this requires the completion of a very comprehensive befriending application. Alison therefore went on to do the How to Succeed at: Writing Applications course.

“We will be volunteering with children who are struggling or in a vulnerable situation at home. You get to spend time with a child every week. So doing the application course has helped me express myself better and hopefully improves our chances of being approved”.

“My husband and myself already volunteer with the Bethany Lunch-Time Care van in Edinburgh that goes out and gives free food and hot drinks to homeless people. We are already used to dealing with people who can be little aggressive or upset about things, and learned how you deal with that.”

When asked about some advice she might give to others looking to adopt, Alison says:

“Be honest about what you are able to give and also what you are looking for in terms of support from the adoption agency.  A child who has adults going in and out of their lives doesn’t want someone else coming in and out of it.”  

“We thought initially about volunteering with Barnado’s and we looked honestly at the setup they had. I didn’t feel comfortable with it because I couldn’t commit to their schedule.  We decided to instead do something with another organisation run by the Church of Scotland.  I felt more supported as the training suited my schedule better.”  

“Through the Church of Scotland, we’d be responsible for having input in a young person’s life whose parents have drug and alcohol abuse problems - I want to give the very best I can. I want to be in an environment where I was able to get that support that I needed, if and when I needed it.”

The How to Succeed in: Writing Applications course continues to benefit Alison even more widely, as she looks to progress her career at the University of Edinburgh, hoping to move towards the medical side and dealing with people who work in the NHS.  

“What I liked about the course was that you had to really reflect on yourself. I enjoyed the feedback given, the videos were good and made me really feel like I was connecting with the person who was teaching.”