I’m Alan and I’m a Registered Career Development Professional ad Fellow of the Career Development Institute. I’ve had 47 years’ successful and varied experience as a guidance practitioner, speaker and writer, and the services I’ve been offering to schools, colleges, universities, private clients and corporate clients in the UK and worldwide have been unique and distinctive. However, after a long career I very much regret that I will no longer be able to take on new work with effect from April 2025.

I’m located on the south coast of England in Hampshire, but I’ve also travelled widely to deliver my services as well as working remotely since 2020. Over the past fourteen years I’ve worked with a diverse range of over 60 organisations and 230 private clients in the UK and overseas. I’m also a published author, having written two editions of a best-selling book on UCAS personal statements as well as many articles on this and other topics. In addition my blogposts on higher and degree apprenticeships and my three UCAS personal statement articles, along with a range of other topics, have had tens of thousands of views worldwide and can still be found on my Alan’s Blog page.

My speciality has been the provision of individual guidance and presentations on all the options that are open to school and college leavers at 18 and I’ve especially enjoyed working with young people who don’t know what they want to do.

Over the course of my 47 years as a careers guidance practitioner I’ve undertaken a wide variety of roles in both the UK and overseas. I started freelancing in August 2011 after 19 years at Havant Sixth Form College, where I led a guidance team that established a wide reputation for innovation and consistently high levels of student satisfaction. Prior to that I also worked in London, Hampshire and Germany in various Careers roles, as well as gaining five years’ business experience in London, Brighton and Shropshire.

Organisations with whom I have actively worked in recent years include Roedean School (Brighton), The Henrietta Barnett School (London), Woodbridge School (Suffolk), St John’s College (Portsmouth), Dr Challoner’s Grammar School (Amersham), Christ’s Hospital School (Horsham), The Ashcombe School (Dorking), Berkhamsted School (Hertfordshire), Kingston Grammar School (London), Peter Symonds College (Winchester), St John’s School (Leatherhead), Jumeirah College (Dubai), GEMS Wellington Academy Al Khail (Dubai), Wrotham School (Sevenoaks), St Clare’s (Oxford), Bryanston School (Dorset), Newman College (Hove), Woking College (Surrey), Stamford School (Lincolnshire), The Blandford School (Dorset), Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership, Prospects Group (London), Whitgift School (Surrey), John Hanson Community School (Andover), University of Birmingham, University of Sussex, University of Surrey, University of South Wales, Edge Hill University, Aimhigher West Midlands, University of Portsmouth, National Career Guidance Shows, Southern Universities Network (SUN), Which?, UCAS Conferences, Education Development Trust (Hampshire), Central London Careers Hub,  Higher Education for Me (County Durham), Ticehurst & Flimwell Primary School (East Sussex), Bablake School (Coventry), Goffs School (Cheshunt) and KPMG (London, Birmingham and Manchester).

I have also worked closely with SACU (https://sacu-student.com/) who offer an independent and impartial source of careers information to students, parents and teachers and a Careers Quiz which is great for generating career, university and apprenticeship ideas.

I’m grateful to have received many compliments from satisfied clients about the high quality service or inspirational guidance they feel they’ve received. The following is a selection of them, interspersed with more images from some of my talks and other activities:

• “I love it when you come to our school, you always bring so much.”
• “You’re brilliant at helping young people find their niche.”
• “I really can’t thank you enough as I would never have been able to do all this on my own.”
• “Thank you for listening and for all your sage advice.”
• “I am extremely grateful for your fantastic advice and expertise.”
• “Thank you so much for all your invaluable guidance these past 4 years. We really couldn’t have done it without you.” (Rebecca from Paris on behalf of her two daughters)
• “Your advice was incredibly helpful.”
• “Of all the careers advice I have received over many years, yours has been the most effective.”
• “Thank you for everything you have done for the school; you have been fantastic and absolutely indispensable.” 
• “Staff and students sing your praises and are so grateful for the time and care you put into talking to each group and each individual.”
• “You’ve been such a help and your advice has been brilliant.”
• “The oracle of degree apprenticeships”
• “Your weekly updates on degree apprenticeships are amazing.”
• “Your help has ensured I was in the best possible position to apply for and achieve this degree apprenticeship.”
• “I want to say a massive thank you to you Alan, without you I would have never been here. I remember our first conversation and you convincing me it would be good, now look where it’s got me!! It’s because of you I landed at JP Morgan, so thank you so much. You are invaluable and you totally changed my career.” (Received in December 2024 from a client who has just completed her degree apprenticeship.)

• “You have inspired me and motivated me.”
• “Your talk was the best overview of careers I have heard. It was absolutely brilliant.” (Headteacher)
• “My daughter found her conversation with you very inspiring.”
• “Your article on 20 things to put and 20 things not to put in your personal statement is the best guide I’ve ever read. I loved the follow-up article on writing a killer opening too.” (Teacher)
• “Your talk has had a wonderful response from parents and students.”
• “Thank you for your wonderful talks today, they were inspirational.”
• “You made such a difference to the mood, confidence and aspirations of the girls and it was lovely to see them so engaged and excited both that evening and since.” 
• “The students hang on your every word.”
• “Bubbly and full of information.”
• “Thank you for all of your help throughout the UCAS process. I don’t think I would’ve been able to do it without your advising.”
• “Alan is seriously the ‘go to’ on all things apprenticeships.”
• ”Thank you for all your amazing support and guidance with our son’s  University application process.” (September 2023)

• “Your talks were a huge hit with students and teachers.”
• “Your talk was inspirational and showed students, and parents, how to think outside the box.”
• “I’m feeling so much more confident about my personal statement now, you’ve really helped.”
• “Thank you Alan Bullock for the brilliant talk about options at 18.“
• “I just wanted to say a massive thank you for helping me with my personal statement – there’s no doubt that your advice helped me to get these amazing offers.”
• “I want to thank you for your guidance and support and for helping me find what path I wanted to follow. I can honestly say I have found my dream job at 18, and I wanted to show my gratitude to you.”
• “Love your enthusiasm. It’s infectious.”
• “Thank you so much Alan, your constant support and expertise really helped in making this decision.” (now a degree apprentice with a prestigious hotel)
• “My daughter’s feedback is fantastic and for that I can’t thank you enough.”
• “My son is much more open and enthused since he spoke to you. I think you’re motivating him to work hard and aim for his aspirational grades.”

• “I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation yesterday and as a new Head of Sixth Form I found it very informative.” 
• “Incredibly informative workshops”
• “You’re brilliant at what you do and I thoroughly enjoyed your session. You made learning such an enjoyable experience for us all.”
• “Young people really need you, not only because of the crucial information you share but because of your energy, authenticity and how you connect with your audience.”
• “You were a breath of fresh air.”
• “His passion and knowledge were immense and inspiring.”
• “Alan was a fantastic speaker and has inspired me, let alone the pupils.” 

• “Thank you for your time, energy and enthusiasm. You are irreplaceable and your expertise is invaluable.” 
• “Thank you for the talk today, I found it very informative and extremely beneficial.”
• “Thank you for all your help with the UCAS process. We would have been completely lost without you.”
• “We went from feeling very anxious and fractious to feeling calm, informed and empowered under Alan’s excellent and tactful guidance.”
• “Your enthusiasm filled the students with confidence.”
• “Many thanks for another hugely informative, insightful and inspirational talk.” 
• “When students were asked if we should invite Alan to speak again next year, 100% said yes.”
• “Without you, I wouldn’t be where I am now.” (now a Doctor in Australia)
• “I came home feeling REALLY inspired.” 
• “Thank you so much for your help last year, I think I would have really struggled going through the application process as an international student with so little help from my school if I hadn’t had your help.“

• “Just to let you know I got into Bristol to do economics, I am very happy and thankful for all your help!” 
• “I wish more people had your passion and energy for making the world a better place and teaching young people to make good decisions.”
• “Many thanks for continuing to inspire and inform our students.”
• “Your help and support for students and staff is hugely valued and appreciated – you are making a real difference to their confidence and thinking.”
• “I have found your blog fascinating.”
• “Our meetings have benefitted me greatly. I hope you continue helping many people figure out their future.”
• “Anything written by @alancareersguru is definitely worth reading.”
• “I value your presence in my life.”

To see the kind of work I’ve carried out, visit my Presentations, Workshops, Events & Publications page:

https://alanbullockcareers.com/presentations-workshops-events-and-publications/

Most recently I also started another little initiative called Careers Walks and my article on this topic was published by Toronto-based CERIC in their weekly online magazine CareerWise, which has a worldwide circulation, as well as featuring on my blog:

Careers Walks – a leisurely approach to advice and guidance