Tips for asking a question

When you ask one of our HE Guidance Advisors a question, they want to provide the most useful advice and guidance possible. To help them do this, please provide as much background information as you can.  You may find it useful to take time to plan your question beforehand. These tips are provided to help you organise your thoughts.  It is not a definitive list and you will not be expected to include all the information.  Logical and well organised questions are always useful.  

Always start with your question 

What do you want to know? Aim to be a clear as possible regarding the advice and guidance you are looking for.  

Then provide some background information 

• Which will let us know who you are and what you have achieved to date:
•  The qualifications you already hold and the grades you have achieved (if relevant)
• Any qualifications or courses you are currently taking and when they are likely to finish
• Your work experiences which are relevant to your ambitions and goals   

Please give us some information about your current position (and any future goals if relevant)

At the moment are you:

• Working - including full-time, part-time, self employment and voluntary work?
• Studying – at college, university, part-time learning, distance learning, learning at work? 
• Out of work, between jobs or not working?

Have you an idea of or decided on the career you would like? If you are asking for advice and guidance about careers, please tell us what these are and any other careers you may consider.  

Have you an idea of or decided on the qualifications you would like to take? If you are asking for advice about future qualifications, please tell us which study pattern might suit you best, for example – full-time, part-time, day release, distance learning, learning at work. 

Do you have clear information about the way in which the qualifications and career fits together? 

Do you need funding? If so, consider what you have at the moment, what you can afford, how you would prefer to repay if you need a loan, where you have already looked etc. 

(Please note that we cannot provide specific advice about funding as the information may change on a regular basis. If you require specific advice, please contact your university, college or other training provider in the first instance. However, we can offer general advice - who to approach for funding, how to work out the best way you can pay for courses etc.)  

Please tell us briefly about any work experience and skills do you have that relate to your career goals. Don’t be tempted to discount those which do not relate directly as any experiences can be useful.   

And finally…… 

Plan your question and information before you start – it may help you to write some notes on your computer so you can cut and paste into the query box. 

Think about using bullet points rather than long explanations.