Did you know? A career-guidance conversation can begin with an activity a student enjoyed, even when they have no job title in mind. “I liked finding out why the experiment changed” gives a counsellor something concrete to explore.

Checked 25 October 2026. Examples are illustrative; use official information for the applicable cohort and current school instructions for individual arrangements.

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Bring the learner’s experience into the discussion

PG2 is Posting Group 2, an entry mechanism for secondary school. It does not replace a student’s interests, subject experience or developing goals. Education and Career Guidance, or ECG, provides a setting for exploring those questions.

MOE states that secondary schools have ECG counsellors. Ask the school how the student can access the relevant guidance and follow its appointment arrangements.

The conversation can be exploratory. A student does not need a settled career choice before asking how different interests connect with education options.

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Prepare three small pieces of information

First, list activities the student enjoyed and what they enjoyed about them. “Science” is a starting point; “comparing results and explaining a pattern” gives more detail.

Second, bring a current subject list and a few relevant questions. Third, identify something the student wants to understand better, such as what a course involves or which requirements apply to a possible route.

A parent can help gather information, but leave room for the student’s own words. The purpose is to understand the learner, not to produce an impressive presentation.

Bring	Purpose
An enjoyable activity	Explain what interested the student
A work sample	Make the experience concrete
Current subject information	Provide academic context
A question	Identify the next exploration

A practical reference for this guide.

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A worked exploration example

Imagine a student enjoys designing a poster for a school activity. They liked choosing the layout and testing whether readers understood the message. They are curious about design but have not explored formal courses.

For an ECG conversation, they bring the poster and explain their decisions. They ask what types of learning and work involve visual communication, and what introductory exploration would help them understand those areas.

The next step might be investigating an official course description or attending a relevant event, if available. This fictional example illustrates exploration; a poster alone does not establish course eligibility or a fixed career fit.

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Leave with one answerable next question

At the end of the conversation, record what has been clarified and what still needs research. A useful follow-up question might be: “What do students actually practise in the first year of this programme?”

Choose a manageable action and identify the official source to consult. If admission requirements are involved, check the relevant intake, qualification and route rather than relying on a general description.

After the exploration, ask the child what became more interesting and what felt different from the original expectation. New information is useful even when it changes the initial preference.

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Quick answers about ECG preparation

Must a student choose one career immediately? An exploratory discussion can begin with interests, questions and experiences. Ask the counsellor how to structure the next step.

Should the conversation focus only on marks? Bring the relevant academic information, alongside interests and examples that help explain what the learner enjoys and wants to understand.

What can we do today? Write down two enjoyable activities, one example of work and three questions. Ask the school about its ECG arrangements, then let the student help shape the conversation.

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