Family Encyclopedia >> Family

How to help your teenager choose his orientation

How to help your teenager choose his orientation

Ah, long gone are the days when your teenager hesitated between an astronaut or a pop star! With the start of the new school year comes the time to address the important subject of orientation. Maybe your child has a clear idea of ​​what they want to do, or maybe it's still a blur in their mind. How to accompany him and especially how to help him find his way?

Talk openly with your teen

Are you a parent of a teenager? You should know then that dialogue is essential to maintain good relations with a child who is gradually becoming an adult. The dialogue allows you to know what are his desires, his passions, his state of mind, his fears, etc. A set of data that helps you understand your teen, and advise them and offer them all the options available to them. For the discussion with your teenager to be constructive, avoid judgments such as "I don't think you're made for this job", you risk antagonizing him and breaking off the dialogue. Your teen might think you don't understand him. Also, avoid asking her every day, "Okay, did you choose what you wanted to do later?" ". Try to focus the discussion on his desires by asking him in a more subtle way "What are your favorite subjects?" ", "Do you want to study for a long time? or "Do you prefer to jump into the working world quickly?" ". These innocuous and neutral questions will give you indications of his desires, and will allow you to guide him in research.

Educational guidance in a few figures 48% of young people feel that they have not been well supported by their establishment regarding guidance. 72% of girls and 63% of boys said orientation was stressful. 60% of 18-25 year olds believe they need to know themselves better and understand their own desires in order to choose their orientation.

Anticipate to better prepare for the future

You will find that the year flies by with phenomenal speed! Don't wait until the end of the year to bring up the subject of your teen's orientation. Anticipate steps such as the list of wishes for post-baccalaureate studies to pass this stage serenely alongside your teenager. The school year of a teenager is punctuated by a whole series of appointments, allowing him to be in contact with professionals, to pick up information on the various courses, to be advised, etc.

  • Trades fairs :Back-to-school fair, Apprenticeship, work-study and trades fair, Student fair for parents, Grandes Ecoles fair, Student fair, etc. These fairs are organized in all the major cities of France from the start of the school year.
  • Immersion in the professional environment :some schools offer discovery internships of a few days in companies. You can also suggest that your teenager spend a few days at your place of work or that of a loved one.
  • The visit to a guidance counselor :this professional makes an assessment according to the skills of the teenager and recommends trades likely to correspond.
  • News sites :Onisep, l’Étudiant, Studyrama are very good sources of information for students.

Support their decisions

Even if you can advise your teenager, you cannot choose the job he will do for him. Help him to flourish and find a job that makes him vibrate by respecting his choices, even if it is not what you would have chosen for him. In choosing the orientation of your teenager, you have a role of guide. Without being intrusive or oppressive, you can locate nearby salons for him, gather information (reports, magazines) that might interest him.

To ensure that your teenager's orientation takes place in the best conditions, and above all without stress, accompany him without insisting too much, and never break the dialogue. The final decision is up to him, but you can give him your full support.