Graduation (British Muggle/Wizarding schooling)

[GulPlum]

No: HPFGUIDX 53815

Gina Rosich replied to my previous mega-post with:

>There is nothing in cannon about graduation at Hogwarts.  But they do have 
>a leaving feast every year. And I'm willing to bet the older students do 
>something we readers are not privy to yet because Harry won't have been 
>included.

I do agree that there are details we have yet to learn, but the Leaving 
Feast is for the whole school to celebrate the end of term, not just for 
the OWL and NEWT students. My school had an end-of-year feast as well, but 
there was never anything special for those ending their time there. (With 
the small proviso that those who were 18 or over were allowed a glass of 
wine, but that came from their age, not their academic status).

>Maybe the school does something small.  Or the students simply go off to 
>Hogsmeade for something a little stronger than butterbeer to celebrate...

I don't doubt that last one for one moment. It certainly happens in 
real-world British schools, and celebrating the end of GCSE exams is 
usually the first time in their lives that most (otherwise rational, 
law-abiding, etc) teenagers have their first experience of being drunk. In 
fact, it's sort of assumed by everyone (teachers, parents, pubs, the 
police, etc) that *all* GCSE kids will be passed out somewhere. :-)

(Case in point: three years ago, our esteemed Prime Minister's son was 
found in Leicester Square after celebrating his GCSEs - 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/822238.stm - the way Euan was dealt with was 
fairly typical and his dad's position had nothing to do with it.)

>And if there is no formal education after the NEWTs, then they must be 
>used for job qualifications at least (e.g. Percy at the MoM).  Otherwise, 
>why would anyone care how many OWLs or NEWTs one got?

I agree. The reason I drew the distinction between A Levels and NEWTs was 
that A Levels were invented as the means of entering further academic 
study. They aren't really of any value to employers, as they aren't 
designed to be "practical". On the other hand, GCSEs are very much designed 
to be practical and to establish that you've attained an acceptable 
standard for entering the workforce and learning a "job".

This isn't to say that employers completely disregard A Level results; far 
from it - the point is that they aren't of immediate interest unless the 
job involves an element of research, writing, etc. Furthermore, few people 
with no intention of going to university will bother taking A Levels: 
whilst seen not quite as a waste of time, they are generally seen as a loss 
of two years of gaining on-the-job experience. (Parenthetically, most UK 
employers currently demand a *minimum* of a university degree or similar 
for anything other than menial, bottom-of-the-rung jobs, but that is 
partially a political issue and thus not appropriate for discussion).

>I still believe (as others have speculated) that there must be some kind 
>of post-NEWTs educational training, just not at University.  Maybe 
>professionals and experts (e.g. Pompfrey doing nursing or Snape being the 
>potions Master) take on interns or apprentices.

Again, I'm in total accord with you.  A system of guilds, apprenticeships 
and private research projects were the way things were done until the 
advent of the modern education system (in the UK, that can be precisely 
dated to the 1902 Education Act, which was modified in 1944, mainly in 
respect of the way the system was funded - that this was *during* WWII is 
not incidental), and I fully expect that the wizarding community would have 
the same attitude.

A perfect example is Charlie Weasley's sojourn in Romania, and I doubt that 
he'd be there unless he'd got a NEWT in Care Of Magical Creatures.

--
GulPlum AKA Richard, who still hasn't finished modifying his mega-post into 
an article for the Lexicon - Sorry, Steve.