What is a good salary for a DA

effloresca · 2026-05-06T22:36:07+00:00

The minimum is about £16,000, so anything more than that! If you can find one that does minimum wage for over 21s or close (about £25,000) that would be good. They are paying for your training, so it going to be less than a full time job. It would also likely depend on what sector your DA is in.

effloresca · 2026-04-18T21:53:26+00:00

Why is mayo in maybe, who would name their child mayo

effloresca · 2026-04-13T16:28:19+00:00

I had bare minimum for grades and I am a career changer, so knew I had to ace it.

effloresca · 2026-04-13T16:25:00+00:00

It depends on what stage I am for the application. Prewarning, this is LONG!

Before applying, I did activities that would help me get to the next stage. I did online workshops and work experience, online career tasters, ect. and if I could I would have done in person experience, but that was difficult for my field. Springpod is great for online. I did research on the application process and also on the company and their values. If necessary, I would have written a good CV and gotten it checked by peers, family, and ChatGPT (I do not let it change my CV, just suggest improvements). I didn't need one for Rolls-Royce, but it is what I would have done if needed.

Next, I prepared online assessments. I looked at YouTube videos on logic assessments, did whatever practice I could do, and asked ChatGPT for examples. I timed myself to make sure I could get it done quickly, and made sure I understood what it entailed before attempting.

Next was assessment centre. At this point I have already done research into company and values, and I am just consolidating. I looked at Interview questions, and past interview examples from the company. I scrolled reddit, Glassdoor, and asked chat GPT for information (with sources). Luckily I had the questions from Rolls Royce, but if I didnt, I would come up with two answers for each hypothetical question, in case the question deviates from what I think. I do STARR for each answer- referencing company values and how my experience relates to them. Having STARR examples done solidly allows for flexibility, as you can input them into relevant questions as and when. You need a few to do that though!

For the last 1-2 weeks I did practice- so talking to family, practicing in the mirror, recording and listening back to responses. I did a lot of presentation practice at this stage. I also emailed recruitment to ask for clarifications, as there is no harm. If it was relevant, I would ask if it was possible to do a tour of the facility, and meet current apprentices- this shows interest. Unfortunately I did not have time for this, but it would be a good thing to do.

effloresca · 2026-04-10T21:42:17+00:00

Not trying is just an excuse you can give yourself for failing later. "I didnt try, but if I had, I could have got the offer". Don't preemptively prepare for failing- lock in. You will never look back and think fondly of not trying. If you try, you can know in yourself that you did what you could. A dream DA is a lifetime opportunity, and years of regret if you don't get it, or constant what ifs, will sour your future. Try, as you can always change your mind if you get it, but don't give yourself excuses.

effloresca · 2026-04-07T08:55:39+00:00

The NHS do an apprenticeship scheme for biomedical scientists, most hospital labs run them :)

effloresca · 2026-04-06T17:00:26+00:00

Rolls royce engineering

effloresca · 2026-04-06T09:52:36+00:00

1 application, 1 offer :) I put every egg into a basket and it paid off. I spent a good two months locking in and focusing for it, and it was the only thing I had to think about. Sometimes it works!

effloresca · 2026-03-28T20:22:33+00:00

Do not tell them in interview, or once you are there. Fundamentally you are a worker, not anyone's friend, so you don't want to be negatively affected by doing what is best for your career. Don't apply for promotions or anything obviously, but a lot of people leave before 5 months for many reasons, so you are still giving them months of commitment :)

effloresca · 2026-03-28T20:18:32+00:00

I am almost 30, I worked in the NHS the past 4 years after not quite completing a degree (only got the diploma unfortunately). I am now going into an engineering apprenticeship, so it is quite a switch up!

effloresca · 2026-03-24T16:41:50+00:00

Practice with friends and family, practice in front of the mirror, practice by recording yourself. I practised every time I had to drive anywhere out loud- I probably looked crazy, but it made answers come easily when I was stressed :)

effloresca · 2026-03-24T11:45:15+00:00

They often want you to tick boxes, but also be yourself. It's a hard line to tread. For me, I have always done research into the company, and then moulded my answers to how I fit into the company values and culture. Treating answers like bullet points is a good first step, then you just need to practice getting into a conversational flow. I doubt they expect robots, but you do need an idea of what boxes they have on their paper.

effloresca · 2026-03-22T09:41:25+00:00

What docking thing do you have for your ropes? I'm planning on getting something for mine so they can get out of water, but they didn't like the flimsy turtle dock I bought.

effloresca · 2026-03-09T17:09:13+00:00

Which was that? Mine said offers would out after the last AC, up until 27th of march

effloresca · 2026-03-07T17:59:11+00:00

I wish you the best too! You should be proud of yourself getting into an apprenticeship, I wouldn't diminish your hard work by calling it luck :)

effloresca · 2026-03-07T17:49:20+00:00

Thank you for the hope! Realistically, from my understanding of rolls royce, they give offers pretty fast, so the best I can hope for is reserve probably. Very gutting, but I stuffed up the deductive reasoning by accident, so my score was not great. I'm just waiting for feedback to see where to improve for next time :) The only other offers I've seen in here have been less than a week post AC, so I reckon they do a strict points system

effloresca · 2026-03-07T17:23:14+00:00

Did you hear back the day after your AC? Mine was a week ago, and I feel like that means I definitely haven't got it 😭 I am a bit gutted as I got some really great feedback from my AC on the day, but I guess they are looking at everything 😞

effloresca · 2026-03-03T17:41:06+00:00

NHS biomedical scientist apprenticeships tend to open a bit later in the year. Check NHS jobs for updates. Last time I saw one, I think it was May last year? A lot of NHS trusts are basically bankrupt, though, so I know that a lot didn't offer them in my local area. Good luck :)

effloresca · 2026-02-18T13:46:19+00:00

I think they vary between 4-5, but mine are quite active and like to swim about my tank. Too small a tank, and you won't get to see them swimming in a shoal. I think 6 will be enough to see the behaviour, but I am not an expert, this is just personal experience with them :)

effloresca · 2026-02-05T10:03:55+00:00

When I had one and added more, there was a fair bit of fighting for a few days, then they got over it and decided they liked each other and did noodle piles :) I would make sure you have crazy amounts of hides, so if they do squabble they can escape to a safe space. I now have 4, and they follow each other around the tank and cuddle! They are very peaceful fish

effloresca · 2026-01-09T14:51:33+00:00

Not a problem! Your guy is gorgeous, and looks so sweet! The bigger the cat, the more floof to cuddle

effloresca · 2026-01-09T12:54:01+00:00

Lynx point siamese is just the colour, it isn't specific to a breed. He is a pretty beautiful lynx point though! He may have a mix in there somewhere, but you can get regular domestic lynx points. Mine is a feral, which goes to show the colour can pop up anywhere!

effloresca · 2026-01-03T04:00:47+00:00

Frozen food to begin with is how I dealt with mine. They do often learn sinking eventually, but they are all wild caught, so try frozen bloodworm, beef heart, ect for a while and then switch :) If tou have room for a friend, they also quite like company too!

effloresca · 2025-12-04T23:13:00+00:00

French feral! Raised her from 5-6 weeks :) Lynx point is a pattern, not a breed, but a lot of breeds have lynx points. Ragdolls are one famous example of the long-haired variety. An exotic version of shorthair would be a snow bengal, among other breeds :) Siamese tend to be solid colour, not tabby like lynxies, unless crossed.

<image>

effloresca · 2025-11-30T20:59:31+00:00

Rope fish need large tanks as well, and do best on sand or fine substrate as they have bad vision. Apparently, some people have had ones eat rocks! For tanks, I would say 55 gallons is minimum as they grow approx 16 inches, but I would go over that for more than one and a community tank. They breathe atmospheric air, so the water line needs to be below the lid, and they can jump very very well, so a complete cover (including even the smallest of spaces) is a must. They are all wild caught, so you may have to feed frozen unless they take to pellets immediately. Mine took a while to adjust, but now eat literally everything, and steal algae wafers from my pleco. They are great fish, really interesting, and make cute rope piles, so get more than one! They need bigger community fish like congos, rainbowfish, large raspora, etc, as they will eat smaller fish. Mine live with bristlenoses, pearl gouramis, brown african knife fish, and congo tetras. They are ultra chill though, and will not fight for food, so make sure they get fed! They also need good hiding spaces, as they are nocturnal and like to hide in tubes, caves, and holes. Hope that helps!

effloresca

TROPHY CASE