Dear All
I've followed the recent discussion with interest as my PDR was with the LA
board, which incidentally did sit on 23 January. I'm very pleased to say
that I've heard today that mine has been accepted! During the process of
writing the PDR I was a bit ambivalent at times as chartering doesn't make
any difference where I work but I did feel that it was very useful to
evaluate how I had developed professionally since graduating and to evaluate
the posts and services in which I've worked. I had to write about 3 posts
since graduating in 1998. I followed Route B and didn't have a supervisor
or mentor, although a friend who is following Route A very kindly read
through my PDR and her supervisor also read it for me. Over the 3 years I
wrote a bit now and again but what spurred me on was starting a temporary
post for a year within the same organisation and not wanting to have to
write about yet another job as it is really difficult to limit to 6000 words
max. Plus I felt that just to complete the process of getting my degree and
then chartering was also a personal goal. On writing the PDR - I regretted
not keeping a log book properly as I had to trawl my memory instead. I
found using the headings and sections in the guidelines useful for structure
and just slogged away at it occasionally at weekends over a few months. I
found it very time consuming also getting things together for the appendices
and wished I'be been more systematic and organised. I think the whole thing
can hang over you and mainly it's due to not having enough time when working
full time and having to keep doing short bits and losing the thread at
times, plus raising enough motivation to complete can be very hard. I'd
just say to everyone struggling - go for it, maybe give yourself a deadline
but don't be too hard on yourself. And, yes it is worth it personally and
hopefully professionally.
Angie Edmunds
YouthBOOX Project Co-ordinator
National Youth Agency
17-23 Albion Street
Leicester LE1 6GD
Tel: 0116 2853787 (direct line)
Fax: 0115 2853775
mailto:[log in to unmask]
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