National Careers Service: provides information, advice and guidance to help you make decisions related to  further learning, training and work. It helps you match your skills to a job, gives advice on CVs, lets you search for courses and apprenticeships, gives information on the sorts of fees you are expected to pay as well as advice on bursaries. You can contact an advisor over the phone or by webchat for personalised advice.

www.direct.gov.uk: Government website with an extensive section on employment covering things such as vacancies, the law on minimum wage and other important things regarding the tax you pay when you work. There is also an education and learning section where you can find out about apprenticeships, university and student loans.

Jobs+Careers: has a useful e-newsletter you can subscribe to and is frequently updated with interviews from people at the top of their field. There is also advice on how to work within certain industries, general advice about choosing a career or interview and CV tips. The website also includes a list to find local courses and jobs. It is partnered with many employers who advertise vacancies on the site including the Armed Forces, Lloyds bank, ITV and local councils.

All About Careers: covers more or less everything and has links to 24 sectors specialised websites. It is aimed at students aged 16-24. There is a ‘careers test’ option where you complete a questionnaire to be matched to a suitable career as well as all the latest developments within industries, a debate forum, a section of employers A-Z, so you can research companies and a very thorough advice section that covers everything from internships and apprenticeships to interview, CV and covering letter tips. 

BBC Bitesize: videos from BBC professionals, explaining the world of work, with advice from people who've found the right path for them.

Success At School: provides information about different jobs, what to study and how to get there. Has interviews, advice and links to different career paths.

Oxford Universities careers: not just for Oxford students. Has a wonderfully clear and helpful guide for writing your CV, cover letters and information on industry sectors.

I Could: quick and easy to use website that is full of careers videos and articles on a multitude of different jobs. Also has a ‘buzz quiz’ which links your personality to an animal and says what sort of careers are most suited to your character traits. It also lists the choices you have to make at each major stage i.e. GCSE and A-Level. 

Success at School: the advice section is very easy to navigate and gets important information across quickly. Tips on everything from revision to job interviews. It has competitions and lots of tools such as apps for improving vocabulary to a game to improve your coding. Invaluable for every student.

Amplify is a youth-led online opportunities platform, developed with young people’s ideas, energy, lived experiences and goals. ​The amplifi platform is space for any young adult aged 16-25 seeking to build on their aspirations, confidence, and skills to power their next steps in life and work. ​

ConnecR has many articles on the benefit of being mentored, the use of tech in early careers, etc. They also run a digital mentoring platform.

Nothing can assist you better in choosing a university than visiting the place and speaking to the students and teachers. Use the sites below to help you create a shortlist to visit.

The Uni Guide: recognised and trusted brand giving you all the information you need for every stage. It has comprehensive filters to help you narrow down your choices. It also has an advice section that is clear and thorough on everything from A-level choices to personal statements and student finance.

Push: approachable site that has lots of tick boxes on everything from subject to available social clubs and geographical area to help filter your university choices. Also has a section on helping you plan a gap year

What Uni?: one of the best sites for choosing where / what to study.

Student Hut: easy to use, lots of reviews, free sign up. Has a brilliant ‘pick a degree quiz’ for those who are unsure which subject to choose at university.

UCAS: the official university website. This is the site you will register with to apply for university. Has a career quiz, help on choosing a course and much more.

The Scholarship Hub: comprehensive database of funding available for students wishing to study in UK universities. The website includes a finance calculator and a money management advice guide.

Accountancy

• AAT: UK’s leading professional body offering skills-based accountancy and finance qualifications. 
• ACCA: professional accounting qualification which leads you to become a Chartered Certified Accountant with full professional status. 

Aerospace

• Careers in Aerospace: aimed for students in school, college or university and gives information on how to be a part of the aviation industry. The site includes work experience, industrial placements, scholarships and extracurricular activities, case studies of young people and a directory of relevant companies.

Architecture

• Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA): extremely thorough and user-friendly information on becoming an architect. 

Armed Forces: the websites below have a wealth of information including games designed to test which role is best for you, different entry routes and information on what life is like within the forces.

• Army
• Navy
• RAF

Creative industries

• Creative & Cultural Skills:  runs a programme called "Discover!" aimed at people interested in a career in the creative industries (e.g. music, theatre, design, fashion, cultural heritage). Lots of easy-to-read articles, job vacancies and job profiles to explore. 
• Writers & Artists: expert advice articles and inspirational author interviews, competitions, a lively online community and editorial services for every stage of your writing journey.

Dentistry 

• British Dental Association: Information about becoming a dentist.

 Ecology 

• Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management: useful students and careers section which contains job profiles, career path guidance and CV tips for those who want a career related to ecology or the environment.

Engineering & STEM-related careers

• My Energy Future: has a specific area for people wanting to work in the energy sector.
• STEMettes: award-winning social enterprise who works to inspire and support young women into STEM careers. Has a range of free events, from panel discussions to mentoring activities.
• Go Construct: collection of links to role profiles within the construction sector. 

Firefighter

• Fire Service: their Recruitment tab is easy to find, contains a wealth of easy to digest information and covers everything potential firefighters need to know from routes in to what the job is actually like.

Hospitality  

• Hospitality Guild: contains a very thorough career map of jobs in the hospitality sector.

IT

• The Chartered Institute for IT: clear website with articles for every stage of an IT career, from established professionals to people wanting to research starting a career within the industry. 
• The Tech Partnership: although this organisation has now closed, there are still many relevant articles and links to other organisations in terms of degrees, apprenticeships, etc. 

Journalism

• www.journalism.co.uk: mainly to help established journalists, but it does include details on courses to get into journalism and articles that give advice on getting into the trade.

Law

• Lawyer2b: provides careers and interview advice, commercial awareness guides, as well as news about training and vacation schemes, pupillage, law schools and insight into the legal profession for anyone interested in a career in law.
• The Law Society: has a lot of information on what the role of a solicitor is like as well as a detailed  careers section with information and things to consider.
• All About Law: wealth of information on courses, careers and jobs in the legal sector.

Marketing

• Chartered Institute of Marketing: has lots of information about getting into marketing, the type of roles and the degrees that can lead to a career in marketing.
• Data and Marketing Association: visit the 'Talent' section to learn more about marketing and you can even take a quiz to discover what type of marketer you are.

Medicine and health-related careers

• NHS Careers: everything you need to know about working for the NHS with very detailed job descriptions for all the roles from doctors to ambulance maintenance. Also has a five-minute career quiz.
• The British Medical Association: has information about studying medicine (under Advice & Support tab).
• In2MedSchool: provides free information and conferences to help students from underprivileged backgrounds get into med school. 

Motor industry

• Institute of the Motor Industry: you can hear from over 150 people doing real jobs and learn everything about different roles in the sector from what it takes to do the job, the qualifications required and what the work is like. 

Police

• Joining the Police: official site with good job descriptions for various roles and information on the application process.
• Police Oracle: fantastic site that is easy to navigate, covers everything and has a newsletter you can subscribe to. 

Sports

• Careers in Sport: includes detailed section on jobs, profiles, articles and their roadshow.

Teaching

• Get Into Teaching: the Department for Education’s official website with extensive information on teaching roles, what teaching is like and how to become a teacher.
• Teachers Talk: forum for UK teachers but has a thorough section on how to become a teacher, as well as the opportunity to post questions and ask more specific things to teachers.

Vet

• Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons: the ‘Lifelong learning’ tab has information for vet students.
• British Veterinary Association: has a specific area dedicated to students in secondary education considering a career in the sector.
• PDSA: one of the animal charities in the UK. Explains the different roles available in their hospitals.

Get my first job: offers advice on CV writing and interview tips as well as information on workplace life. You can register and do a 10-minute questionnaire so the site can start trying to match you up with suitable vacancies which are advertised on the site.

Apprenticeships: Government website covering apprenticeships in all sectors with information for people searching for apprenticeships, parents and employers. Allows you to search and apply for apprenticeships with clear information. Useful search tool which you can also filter down by level of apprenticeship, area of interest or postcode.

Rate my apprenticeship: widely used site which gives information, tips and guidance and lists live vacancies. Easy to find out about different levels of apprenticeships and different areas.

Not Going to Uni: has lists of events, vacancies, case studies on job roles as well as information on having a gap year, applying for jobs, distance learning and apprenticeships. Describes itself as a one-stop site for apprenticeships, gap years, distance learning and jobs.

There are multiple sites dedicated to the subject of gap years, these are just a selection for you. Ensure you do your research as gap years can add to your CV/personal statement, especially if you do some volunteering - or can disadvantage you in some subjects such as maths where they usually prefer you to continue studying without a break. Always check with the relevant university about deferred placements if your intention is to return to studying after your gap year.

Real Gap Experience: offer trips all over the world ranging from two weeks to over a year. They provide options to simply travel and have adventures and experiences, to volunteering and working abroad. 

G Adventures: mainly focused on travel - very personal, can be contacted 24/7, have the widest options and are keen to offer ‘off the beaten-track’ experiences rather than commercialised tours. 

Year Out Group: association of approved gap year providing organisations, most of which are registered in the UK.  

Projects Abroad: a site for planning and booking volunteering abroad. There is a huge variety in places and duration. There is a special section for 16-19 year olds. They specialise in getting people internship style work experience for their chosen career field. You can help and gain experience in many fields from medicine, veterinary care, archaeology, journalism, law and many others. 

Europass: free set of online tools and information that helps individuals to manage every step of their learning and career. It is a European Union initiative that aims to increase the transparency of qualifications and mobility of citizens in Europe. The Europass tools are still available to UK citizens.

Study Abroad: thorough website covering all countries and subjects and with a very interactive community of users to ask questions, offer advice and tell of their experiences.

Education USA: U.S. Department of State network promoting U.S. higher education to students around the world by offering accurate, comprehensive, and current information about opportunities to study at accredited post-secondary institutions in the United States.

Study Options: free, independent, expert service for people looking to study in Australia and New Zealand.

FairFX Study Abroad Cost Calculator: easy online calculator that lets you compare tuition and living costs in universities from across the world. From Belgium to South Korea. These are just a small selection, if it is something you are considering it is essential you research it and ensure you know about any entrance exams, fees and necessary visas. There is a file of prospectuses for foreign universities located within the careers library to aid your research.