14-16 is the start of the secondary level leading to GCSE's and is also compulsory

At that point you can either leave school and get a job or continue in education. This could be A-levels for two years, although I think you can also go to college and do other courses.

18+ you can go to uni. Courses are normally 3 years in length, so it is common for people to leave uni aged 21.

After that you can do postgrad courses, etc...

Well there's a quick guide for starters!

In the UK I think up to about 13 is primary school - which is compulsory.

Some counties have lower, middle, upper schools which split at around 9? and 13; others have primary and secondary which split around 11. Both start at around 5 and finish at 15/16.

At that point you can either leave school and get a job or continue in education. This could be A-levels for two years

Not A-levels any more; AS for one year in quite a few subjects, continuing some on to A2 in the second year. Plus there's GNVQs, NVQs etc..

ATB,
Matthew

I'm about to apply for jobs in the UK

Apply to RISCOS Ltd!

First let me start by wishing you the best of luck with the job-hunting.

The Irish education system differs a bit from the UK one, and from the timescales you list for Iceland too !

Kids tend to attend kindergarden type schools before 6 (although this is up to parents). Primary school is typically 6 to around 11/12. Secondary school is from 12-18 and university students start at around 17/18 to 21 years (to be fair universities will take people older than that so long as they've done well enough in their Leaving certificate exams).

I've been away from the education scene for sometime (any other Irish readers can chip in if I get something way wrong).

Exams are taken in secondary school (although there can be a "selection" exam at the end of primary school if students wish to go to certain private schools, although usually this is NOT necessary). Unlike in the UK there is no 11+ exam here. In second level school there are typically two exams (one that used to be called the Intermediate Certificate (14/15 yrs) and the other the leaving Certificate (17/18 yrs)).

The Leaving Cert is the one that typically is used to select for University places, although a great many people take it in any event. Some universities also do a "matriculation" which can be taken as well (you can qualify for university EITHER through the leaving cert or by matriculation or by a mix of the two (I think)).

With the boom here at the moment some kids leave school a little early (after Inter cert), though any who have sense will hold on for the Leaving Cert.

Leaving Cert Subjects that can be taken include:

Irish, English, Maths, a modern European Language (usually French) and then any of the sciences (biology, physics, applied maths (a sort of mathy physics !) and chemistry) or more arty stuff (like History, Geography and the like). You can take as many as you feel you can handle (or as few so long as they gain you enough points to qualify for University). A local would realistically need 6 or 7 subjects taken. They can be taken at one of two levels Honours or Pass level (needless to say you get more points at Honours although it is more difficult). The English A level system seems to favour fewer subjects but at a deeper level, whereas the Irish system favours more subjects at a shallower level.

For a primary degree (like a BA or BSc) you're talking about 4 years (to honours) or 3 years for a pass level one. Professional diplomas are also offered in a range of subjects by Technical colleges (such as the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT)) and some of these can be done parttime some of these are recognised by local Universities or by international institutions such as the City & Guilds of London.

I would say primary school level goes on longer in Iceland (from your comments) and people here in Ireland enter secondary school sooner and go to university younger than their Icelandic counterparts.

Best of luck in your endeavours and regards

Annraoi

I'm about to apply for jobs in the UK and Ireland, Iceland is losing its appeal to me but I'm not sure about the educational structure in the UK compared to the one in Iceland so if anyone can help me out a bit I'd appreciate it.

In Iceland we have the following levels:

6-16 year olds, Primary school that's obligatory, and from what I understand, includes the US high schools.
17-20 (typically) framhaldsskoli, an optional secondary level that must preceed collage and university, ending with a degree. Someone told me that this compared somewhat to A-level but I'm quite certain that he was mistaken.
20+, collage, university and special trade schools.

Now what I need are the similar levels or just the normal route a UK resident takes in school, including the degrees after each level or within each level.

Thanks a lot

Gulli

Most state primaries start around 4-5 and go to 11. Private 'prep' start any age and most go up to 13 (tho many kids leave at 11 or 12).

I don't think there is a state exam at 11 any more. The private exam at 13 is Common Entrance.

State secondaries go from 11 to 18. Private 'public' schools (what a good name!) nowadays go from 11 to 18 too, though some keep to the old 13 to 18.

The first big exams are at 16, GCSE's. They are compulsory, in bith state and private. After that you can leave school or stay on on the 'sixth form'.

There are also specialist 'sixth form colleges' for age 16 to 18.

Age 17 are AS exams and age 18 are A2. But this is brand new and not working well. By the time you get here it could change. Up to last year we had no age 17 exams, just A Levels at 18.

There are occasional excpetions to most of these, such as lower/middle/upper schools, village colleges, special schools, etc.

University degrees are usually 3 years. Some students take a 'gap' year between school and university, and you sometimes get older folk too so age range varies.

OK, whose next?

Most schools are state, but private is less fussy about paper qualifications and tends to pay more.

For a second, I was going to say isn't it "cost more" rather than "pay more", then I realised you meant from a teacher point of view, not the student!

I don't think there is a state exam at 11 any more.

A couple of boroughs still have the 11-plus, Trafford near Manchester being one. It is definitely the exception now, though.

After that you can leave school or stay on on the 'sixth form'.

If your school has one; mine didn't so I had to go to a sixth form college.

OK, whose next?

Me again.

ATB,
Matthew