Interviews can be daunting, so we want to give you a few top tips that might help you navigate them.Â
Our interviews aren’t designed to trip you up with trick questions or tense atmospheres. They are a meant to be a supportive process where you find out just as much about us and we about you. But there are a few things you can do beforehand that might help you navigate them.Â
Think about your future. No interview is ever the same. There’s no rigid script and different interviewers will approach matters in different ways, but questions will usually explore the following areas:Â
Do you know what you want to do in the future? Â
Does it involve going to university or a future career? Â
Have you thought about what you need to do to realise your goals? Â
Do you have a ‘plan B’?Â
There is no wrong answer, to these questions. You will still be trying to decide upon your future goals; you will perhaps talk to us about ‘keeping your options open’ or ‘following your interests’, but some of you will have definite career goals and will need to consider your choices carefully. We just want you to demonstrate you have this long-term thinking in mind about your future or how your course choices feed your personal interest in that area.Â
Think about how Telford College will combine with your wider life. We may ask questions like:Â
 Why have you chosen the subjects that you have chosen? Were there other ‘strong contenders’ in terms of choices?Â
How well do you know Telford College? Do you have any questions about college life?Â
Are you considering a range of other courses or institutions?  How does this fit into your overall plans and aspirations?Â
Have you thought about travel arrangements to and from college?Â
Are there any issues with regard to your studies or support that you wish to raise with us? Â
Again, this section is not a test – we don’t expect you to memorise our course guide, but it is useful if you have done some homework and looked at Telford College as a whole and how it is compatible with your wider life – your hobbies, interests, home life etc.Â
Sell yourself. This isn’t a question you will be asked, but think of the interviews as the perfect opportunity to really emphasise why you are good fit for the college and your course. In a lot of ways, you natural behaviour in the interview will help do this for you; but particular things are interviewers look out for are:Â
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Enjoy it. Last by no means least, try and enjoy this experience. It is for a lot of students a really valuable first experience of an interview environment. We understand this can be stressful but it should be relished too.  Your interview is a chance to share your interests, ambitions, and personality. Approach it as a conversation rather than a test and see it as an opportunity to learn more about the college. and how it can support your goals. Relax, be yourself, and make the most of the moment. Good luck!Â
All the above tips are certainly useful for an apprenticeship interview but the structure maybe slightly different. Typically, you will have an interview with us, but you may have a follow up interview with the company or employer you will be on placement with. Here are some extra things to bear in mind:Â
This is a great way to show you’re interested in working for them and being a part of their workforce. You don’t need to memorise their website but it would be helpful to have to hand the aspects of joining their team that most interest you. Don’t be afraid to jot down some notes from the employer’s website for example and take them with you. It’s a subtle way of demonstrating to the companies that you have done your research, shows you’re organised and potentially makes you stand out from the crowd.Â
Know what you’re applying for and the kind of skills and experience they’re asking for. Don’t worry if you’re not the perfect candidate on paper. The key is to understand what you’re good at, how it’s relevant to the job, and get that across to the employer. Such as:Â
There’s no harm in practising some interview questions before hand. It allows you to improve on how you say things in interviews as much as what you say.Â
We always try to provide to the employers as much information about you prior to the interview. This is to give the employers the best idea to how you will fit in at their business. It allows employers to turn a stressful interview environment into more of a relaxed atmosphere.Â
Yes — Electively home educated (EHE) young people can apply to Telford College in the same way as any other applicant. Home education is a legally recognised route, and local authorities confirm that parents may educate their children at home, with learners still able to re-enter mainstream education or apply for college at any time.
You can apply via our Application Form – Telford College
We assess all applications individually, based on your interests, goals, and course entry requirements — not on whether you attended school or were home educated.
Telford College does not currently operate as a general exam centre for external private candidates, so home-educated learners usually need to sit GCSEs at an approved exam centre.
Private (external) candidates can take GCSEs at approved schools or colleges that accept private entries, and you can search for centres via the JCQ tool. [jcq.org.uk]
If you join Telford College on a study programme, you can take English and/or maths GCSE as part of your course if you do not already hold a grade 4 or above.
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For your course interview, we recommend bringing:
Interviews are friendly and designed to help ensure the course is the right fit for you.
All applicants complete initial assessments in English and Maths. These help us understand your current working level so we can place you on the right course or identify any support you may need.
BKSB is the tool commonly used for these assessments — it’s interactive, self-marking, and helps identify your strengths before you begin.
Initial assessments are not exams. They are a way for us to get to know where you’re starting from academically.
BKSB (Basic and Key Skills Builder) assessments are nationally used tools that measure your current level in English and Maths. They help find your starting point before progressing to Functional Skills or GCSE-level study.
BKSB assessments include:
Colleges across the UK use BKSB to support learners who have not yet achieved higher-grade GCSEs or who need a skills pathway before progressing.
Once you apply to Telford College and if you have selected home education via our application form, we will put your application on hold and ask you to get in touch with us so we can arrange for you to come and sit a BKSB.
