Education waiver
Hello everyone,
I am currently going through the education waiver process for a Medical Services Officer (MSO) role because I don’t hold five GCSEs. I wanted to see if anyone here has navigated a similar situation.
My application/ qualifications has been sent for a manual review from my recruiter, but my AFCO mentioned that if the basic GCSE requirements aren't met, there's a chance it could be rejected regardless of higher qualifications.
This feels a bit surreal given my background. For context, I currently work as a Clinical Lead and Operations Manager, where I continue doing additional qualifications.
my main qualifications include:
MSc in Occupational Therapy HCPC registered
BSc in Sports Therapy SST registered
Level 7 CMI in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice
Functional Skills Level 2 in English and Maths
BTEC National (achieved over a decade ago with 320 UCAS points)
As I finish my GCSE's around 15 years ago, I have no idea where they have gone and unable to get replacements nor a PLN. Therefore no GCSE's.
Has anyone with postgraduate degrees or senior clinical/operational experience faced this kind of pushback over GCSEs? I’d really appreciate any insights, advice, or reassurance on how strictly these waiver panels view higher education versus basic requirements.
Thank you