With thousands of youngsters receiving their A-Level and GCSE results in recent weeks, a number of students will be on the verge of starting their new apprenticeship. If you’re apprehensive about starting your new career, here are four ways in which you can keep your nerves at bay.
Organise yourself
Being as prepared as possible will make you feel at ease and confident when first starting out as an apprentice. Each evening, ensure that you have your uniform and equipment laid out before you go to work each morning, allowing you to leave the house with plenty of time to spare, easing your morning stress.
Look after your mind and body
When starting any job, including an apprenticeship, it can be a very nervy time. If you stress out more than most people, you should try and maintain your physical and mental wellbeing. There are many things you can do to ensure this, including:
- Sleep between eight and ten hours a day – sleep is an integral component for starting the day well.
- Eat well – Like your mum always told you, ‘‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day’’, so ensure that you eat a nutritious meal that will give you the energy to stamp out those apprenticeship nerves.
- Exercise – whether it’s playing a sport, running, or taking regular walks, exercise can have a fantastic effect on your mood, making you feel calmer and happier.
Take things day by day
As an apprentice, there won’t be a huge amount of pressure or expectancy on your shoulders when you first start. Your boss will treat you like a blank page; someone who is keen to learn new things and develop new skills, so don’t worry about not knowing everything straight away.
Take things day by day, so for the first week, make sure that you’re leaning and taking things in properly, as well as making relationships with your co-workers and boss. Establishing a happy working relationship quickly will ease any nerves you may have about your performance.
To start off with, you should focus on settling in and meeting the team; you’re going to be spending a lot of time with these people, so you might as well get to know them.
Ask for help
Of course, it can be difficult to ask for help. You might be worried about bothering those you work with, or feel embarrassed about admitting you don’t know something.
Reverting back to my last point however, your new boss will not put a lot of pressure on you. At this early stage you should be asking as many questions as possible while you get to know your surroundings. If you don’t ask questions now, it could lead to further problems down the line.
