Author: Francis O' Toole

Francis O' Toole is a Educational Psychotherapist & Guidance Counsellor. I set up this blog page to help students gain as much information as possible to be able to make right choices and decisions regarding their career options. I believe that we will be very successful in our careers if we follow what we enjoy.

CAO

Best of luck today.  

The Offer and Acceptance Process from CAO on Vimeo

  1. View Offers Online via “My Application” on www.cao.ie
  2. Check your email – there will be an email from CAO whether you have got an offer or not
  3. Read the email carefully and inform CAO of any errors or omissions – separate emails will issue in respect of Level 8 offers and level 7/6 offers
  4. Watch the CAO video – linked below,  which will explain the whole process
  5. Accept your offer by the Reply Date – 3pm – 16th September
  6. Check once you have accepted that you get an email from CAO acknowledging your acceptance
  7. Available Place will be open from Monday 14th September with courses that still have available places and which you can apply to now
  8. There will be further rounds of offers and you may get offered a place if you are deemed eligible in one of the further rounds
  9. If you accept a place the HEI offering the place will be in touch with you

Leaving Cert Results Guide

To explore our Leaving Cert Results – Your Next Steps guide, click here.

CAO Round 1 offers will be released at 2pm on Friday the 11th of September, 2020.

Once students receive their offers, some will accept them straight away, while others will take a little time to consider them.

Remember that you have until 3pm on Wednesday the 16th of September to accept your Round 1 offer. Accepting Your Offer Offers will be issue to students through their online CAO profile. To access their offers, students will need their CAO application number and their account password. Once you have entered these details, simply follow the instructions on the CAO website, working through each page to the end of the process. You will then have an option to print a receipt. Applicants are always advised to keep a copy of their acceptance.

 Note: If you are unavailable to do this for any reason, you should designate a trusted family member to respond on your behalf, to avoid losing the place you have been offered. See the CAO’s video on the Offer and Acceptance Process

FAQs – See FAQs here Can I accept a Round One offer while also planning an appeal of LC Exam scripts in the hope of being upgraded to a higher course choice?

Yes, a Round One offer can be accepted and later superseded by taking up a later offer arising out of a successful appeal. 

What if I don’t accept any offers I received in Round One?

If an offer is not accepted by 3pm on Wednesday the 16th of September , the CAO assumes that the applicant will not be accepting that offer and the places are passed on to the next eligible candidates during Round 2.

I’m hoping to receive a higher offer in Round Two

Offers are made at Round Two only if there are places on a particular course that remain unfilled after Round One.

There is no guarantee that a place will become available. Applicants should therefore view their Round One offer as the only offer they will receive and make their decision on this basis.

If a place becomes available in Round Two on a course that you had listed as a higher preference, (and if you are next in line in the CAO system), you will receive another offer, regardless of whether or not you have accepted a place in Round One.

You can then choose to stay with your original offer, or accept the new offer. (There is no fee for accepting a CAO offer).

The CAO will communicate your acceptance to the college, and the college will then contact you with arrangements for starting the course.

Dates for CAO Offers:

See all CAO Key Dates here. See our LC Guide – Understanding CAO Offers here.

Leaving Cert Results 2020

1. Leaving Cert Results – Next Steps

Results of the Leaving Certificate 2020 Calculated Grades will issue directly to students through the student portal on Monday 7th September at 9.00am. Results will also issue simultaneously to students’ schools.

Calculated Grades will provide you with a formal record of your work and achievements in second-level school and will be accepted by employers and colleges.

The purpose of the Calculated Grades system is to arrive at the grade that each student would have achieved if the examinations had taken place as normal and that the results are in line with previous years.

Leaving Certificate 2020 – Calculated Grades Student Portal


Even if you opted to receive Calculated Grades you will still have an opportunity to sit the later Leaving Certificate examinations in one or more subjects. 2020 Leaving Cert exams will begin on November 16th – Learn more here.After Leaving Cert calculated grades are issued the following are important to consider:

  1. CAO offers and acceptances – All key dates here.
  2. Money Matters – Grant Applications; Accommodation arrangements etc.
  3. Other Options – Contingency plans; Repeat Leaving Cert; PLC (Post Leaving Cert Courses); UCAS clearing; Gap year and Study Abroad options.

Several issues can arise – all at the same time, and sometimes with the best will in the world it may be difficult to synchronise and juggle important dates, deadlines, results, appeals, offers, changes of plan and other arrangements, along with regular family commitments.

It can be a stressful time for all concerned, including parents, who more than anything, will want to support their child as they navigate these crucial weeks.

Apart from an anxious wait for exam results, there can be other uncertainties…

  • What way will the points go this year? 
  • Will I secure my college place? 
  • How will COVID-19 impact on my college experience?
  • What will my financial commitments look like for the next few years? 
  • Will I be moving away from home? 
  • If so how will I secure the right accommodation?  
  • If there’s disappointment and a sense of failure, what is the best way to support the young person as they work through these feelings? 

This is one of the major life transitions for any family, so a little preparation can help things move along more smoothly.

With these concerns in mind our Leaving Cert – What Next menu items address some of the main concerns that arise at this important time and offer practical information and advice.

Advice from parents that have been through the process:

Be prepared. Be attentive to important dates, deadlines, financial outgoings and processes. Ensure that the atmosphere at home is low-key and upbeat. Be certain that important information comes from a reliable source such as The IGC / NPC HELPLINE 1800 265165.

For more information http://www.CareersPortal.ie

Guidance, Education & Careers News

CAO

The CAO Change of Mind facility will operate as usual, opening on the 5th May at noon and closing on the 1st July at 17:15. (CAO will publish any changes of dates).

Don’t panic, remain calm and trust yourself in your CAO application – Dream, believe and achieve.

I would encourage all students to use the CAO change of mind facility to explore your plan A Plan B and Plan C –  You have twenty options on the CAO – Best advice – fill up as many as possible – Level 8, Level 7 and Level 6 courses.

http://www.CAO.ie The CAO have opened a dedicated page with FAQ to support applicants http://www.cao.ie/index.php?page=faqcovid19 and also offer an email service for any query

 

Access College

https://accesscollege.ie (DARE and HEAR applications)

DARE – CAO plays no part in making decisions on admissions. There is no change in the application process – only request – hold off sending important private information in the post until advice to do so.

HEARE – CAO plays no part in making decisions on admissions.  There is no change in the HEARE application process – only request – hold off sending important private information in the post until advice to do so.

Student Universal Support Ireland [SUSI] grants applications www.susi.ie  – change of financial circumstances resulting from COVID19 – based on this year’s income.

 

Colleges and Universities

Individual colleges and Higher Education Institutions are providing applicants with online support and advice including helplines and 1:1 support. See websites for more information.

Virtual open days –  websites.

Post Leaving Cert (PLC)

Most PLC courses have changed their entry criteria for 2020 – students will be requested to have

  • LC mock results or Christmas test results
  • Personal statement
  • Reference from school.
  • Students can choose to accept PLC course or their CAO offer.

 

 

 

 

Education information supports

www.qualifax.ie

www.careersireland.net

www.cao.ie

www.ucas.com

www.careersportal.ie

School supports – guidance counsellors are available –  all school guidance counsellors are available  to support their students up to the end of the school term.

Up to date information. 

  1. VTOS courses in Drumshanbo
  2. Developing Leadership Skills
  3. CPD on Applications to European Universities
  4. Virtual Open Day Schedule at LYIT
  5. Virtual Open Day in IT Carlow
  6. Ideas on Studying Abroad
  7. Series of Careers Webinars 
  8. YouTube Channels to help with Maths and Science
  9. Irish Film Institute Newsletter
  10. Summer 2020 issue of NCGE’s ‘GUIDANCE MATTERS’.
  11. Video guide to Improving your Study Methods
  12. IT Sligo Engineering and Design Virtual Open Day
  13. LYIT Virtual Open Days