December 18, 2014 by Shuters House

Matric results, now what?!

When your matric results come out, you may find that you have not done as well as you hoped. You may even have done very poorly. So now what? There are a number of options you may want to consider.

Apply for a re-mark

If you have just missed passing a subject, you may want to consider applying for a re-mark of that paper. Talk to your school to find out what the procedure is and what application fee applies. The closing date for re-marks is usually towards the end of January, but make sure that you get the correct details from your school.

Male Pupil Study Contact your local FET college

There are a number of FET courses available, which might be an option for you. Some of these do not require a matric certificate. For more details, and to find a FET college near you, have a look at FETcolleges.co.za .

FET colleges will also be able to help you if you want to re-write your matric, as many colleges offer Grade 12 certificate courses. Please make sure that you register with an accredited college. Check the website above for a list of all the registered public and private FET colleges.

Learnerships and Apprenticeships

Another option would be to see if you could become part of a SETA learnership or apprenticeship programme. These programmes do not always require a Grade 12 certificate, and will help you to gain practical workplace experience and start you off on a career. A good place to begin to find information about learnerships and apprenticeships is LatestLearnerships.com .

Go out and find a job – get a driver’s license

Finding a job without a matric certificate can be very challenging. One way to give yourself an edge is to go out and get your driver’s license. This will give you an advantage over other job applicants, even if your Grade 12 results are poor.

Get informed!

For more cool ideas and tips on planning your future, have a look at CareerPlanet.co.za .

December 10, 2014July 22, 2015 by Shuters House

Christmas Appeal – It’s time to give back!

Giving Back

At this time of year, here at Shuters our thoughts turn to those less fortunate. In particular, the disadvantaged children in our community, who often don’t have the luxury of receiving Christmas presents.

Children enjoying Shuters gifts at a creche in Pietermaritzburg in 2013

In 2014, we would like to involve our friends and customers in our Shuters Christmas Appeal. This will give you a chance to make a difference to a child this Christmas.

Shuters has a fantastic range of fun, educational toys for children of all ages. Click on this link to have a look at our catalogue: http://www.shuters.com/online-catalogue/shuters-kids

Order a toy from our catalogue for a disadvantaged child, and Shuters will match your order with another toy of the same value.

Please be sure to mark your order ‘Christmas Appeal’, so that our Customer Services Department will know to put the toy aside as a donation.

Keep an eye on this blog for more news about the Shuters Christmas Appeal.

December 5, 2014 by Shuters House

Success from Failure!

Most learners have now completed their exams for 2014, and the anxious time of waiting for results has begun. You start to ask yourself – did I do as well as I hoped in my exams? Will I be disappointed by my results? What happens if I fail?

Sometimes, failing is a necessary part of life. It all depends on your attitude towards failure and what you plan to do to change things in a positive way.

Here are some people who were judged as failures at school, but guess what? They went on to achieve great success.

Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein is probably one of the most famous successful failures. He battled terribly at school, but went on to become one of the world’s most well-known physicists. You will be familiar with his formula E = mc², which has been dubbed the world’s most famous equation.

Cameron Diaz

At the age of 16 she dropped out of school, and became a model, and later an actress. She has starred in many films including The Green Hornet, and was the voice of Princess Fiona in the animated Shrek series. In 2013, Cameron Diaz was the highest-paid actress over 40 years old in Hollywood.

Sir Richard Branson

Sir Richard Branson is a famous entrepreneur who dropped out of school at the age of 16 to start his own magazine. Since that time he has created many businesses, including Virgin Atlantic Airlines, Virgin Records, Virgin Mobile and more. In 2014, Forbes Magazine listed him as the 7^th richest citizen of the United Kingdom.

Yesterday’s failures are today’s seeds that must be diligently planted to be able to abundantly harvest tomorrow’s success. Anonymous

Please remember, if you are distressed or depressed about your results, talk to someone who can help. You are not alone in this situation. Some useful contacts are:

Lifeline: lifelinesa.co.za

SA Depression & Anxiety Group (011) 783 1474

Suicide Helpline 0800 567 567