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just wondering because ive got my list of options I can take three thank you tory feth heads. so I want a job as either;
sculptor (would be nice but still experimenting there).
Mould maker carving up model to place on sprue.
Store/events manager.

What should I take to get a relevant A level then university course ect.

Guessing design and business studies (if you can) would be good starts then some 3d modelling course at A-Level,

I did a 3d design and model course at a-level. There was a whole unit on clay sculpting (mainly for automotive) that could stand you in good stead.

Good luck

I would not structure your future education just to get a job in GW. Go for a well rounded education if you are not sure what you want to be. If you want to try for something artistic like sculpting, take on more creative subjects (art, design, etc) - you will also want to do a lot of practice and work outside of school to improve your skills. If you want to do something business related, do business subjects.

If you are particularly interested in at some point working for GW or another mini company, check out those companies websites. Many will have a section about careers. And at the very least you can take a look at the stuff they produce and work towards replicating and bettering it (assuming you take up sculpting for instance). Join online communities for sculpting too. Take part in contests for sculpting or business (such as the Hobson Global, or Young Enterprise).

Thanks I was thinking product design and engineering.

My local GW manager has an art major.

Probably Business and Art.

I doubt it's what you want to hear, but GCSEs will not really help you here. A-Levels and a Degree will carry far more weight, but even then, those kind of jobs are more about you as a person rather than qualification (especiallly the latter, with GW's 'attitude over skills' policy). At the end of the day, if you can sculpt well enough you will get a job as a sculptor somewhere, if you can sell then you can get a job in retail, and if you can think technically you might get into manufacturing at a good level. Your GCSEs really don't do much in that regard, beyond proving basic competence.

But in general, here's my advice on taking GCSEs:

- Pick subjects you like. There is no point, at any level, in doing a subject you don't like. It will drag you down, you won't get as good a grade as if you are passionate about it, and it's unlikely to be relevant you your career if it's something you dislike anyway.

- Play to your strengths. If you excel in any of your available subjects, then take those as a priority. At GCSE level and applying for 6th form, it's far more about what grades you get than what subjects they are in, so while it helps to have a GCSE in a subject you plan on taking further for obvious reasons, if you suddenly change your mind a year down the line it still won't preculde you from choosing a different set of A-levels (although you will obviously need to play catch-up a little).

- Do not panic. GCSEs are not as important as you will be made to think, especially in anything past the next stage of your education. While you will undoubtedly be bombarded with a bunch of 'this is the most important stage of your life' bull, it's really not. Get halfway decent GCSEs, get into a 6th form, and that's when it starts getting important. Think of GCSEs as a stepping stone to the next level, where you can really tailor your education.

Hope that's of some use; pick subjects you enjoy and are good at, and you should be in good stead.

Also, it's a bit of a way off, but when you have to start thinking 'career plans', don't restrict yoursef to GW. Miniature Wargames in general is a bit of a niche, and you're better off thinking in terms of entering design or retail than GW specific, but basically, don't restrict yourself to such a small area.

Thanks its just that I'm choosing them now so its kind of the first step on that ladder.

Write to them and ask what sort of qualifications do they look for for these sorts of positions.

Paradigm has the right of it - GCSEs help get you on to A Levels or equivalent, A Levels help you get a degree, a degree (might) help you get a job.

Therefore choose the GCSEs which you have an aptitude for, or those that interest you sufficiently that motivating yourself to study won't be too much of a hardship, to make getting on to the next stage as straightforward as possible.

Don't worry too much about your choices reflecting your career at this stage, take it from someone who's done hiring (and firing, sadly) while you're no doubt thinking they're the whole world right now, in ten years what GCSEs you hold will barely qualify as a tie breaker for job applications.

Skill and attitude is far more important than qualifications.

For sculptors its about having a portfolio of your eork, bring sble to sculpt a test model if put to it, having the right techniques and understandings of the processes involved for sculpting for mass production. In that an Art GCSE is pretty much useless (I have one, and a graphical design Alevel, cant sculpt for the life of me)

If you want to sculpt for a company, I'd suggest you start just practising and maybe take a course outside of regular schooling on sculpting.

If you want to do casting I guess there might be courses on that as well or again just practice yourself.

Unless the job you're trying to get in to specifically requires a degree, I reckon just getting yourself experience is the best way to go. Though sometimes people do want degrees for some silly reason My mate was applying for a job that for all intents and purposes he was overqualified as far as his experience went, but they wanted someone with a degree. On the flip side my sister didn't even get a VCE certificate (the certificate that says you've passed secondary school) but excelled in every job she did until she worked her way to the head office of a major retailer in less time than it took me to get my degree

Join online communities for sculpting too.

I know there's one or two of them about.

Agreed with the recommendations to get a good general education in areas you enjoy, rather than building up specific qualifications for a specific job with a specific employer. In a convoluted way that's how I ended up with a zoology degree that, TBH, isn't worth the fancy paper it's printed on anymore. (Also, exploit the heck out of any careers services that your school or other educational venue puts on)

I also second Melcavuk's post. When I did my art GCSE (admittedly back in the mists of time) there was little instruction. It was largely a matter of picking a few basic projects for the year and getting on with them, with an occasional pointer. Despite art being one of my abiding passions I dropped out the following AS early, and despite getting the chance to do some clay sculpting at GCSE it didn't grab me. It took the discovery of GW and these little packets of weird 'green stuff' to spark off that interest, and some personal study from books, websites and the occasional life model class to keep it going. I sell and get a few commissions for mini sculpts, and I can confidently say it's because of my past 'portfolio', and nothing to do with my GCSE.

Ironically there was as much a dearth of anatomical training in my zoology course as in my school art classes. I hear that's starting to change for both disciplines, though it might depend on individual curriculums.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
If you want to sculpt for a company, I'd suggest you start just practising and maybe take a course outside of regular schooling on sculpting.

More precisely, if you want to sculpt for a specific company, grab a bunch of their minis and try to duplicate them.

From what they've shown in the past, GW's main criteria for hiring sculptors is the ability to sculpt minis that look like GW minis. Most of the sculptor portfolios that GW have shown off over the years have included at least a couple of 'audition' sculpts that were a duplication of an existing mini to prove that the sculptor could sculpt in that specific style and at the required level.


It's also a handy way of seeing how different minis go together. Sculpting for a one-off piece and sculpting for production are two entirely different kettles of fish.