NVQs - is it worth applying without them?

Right.... Yet another question from the eternal job seeker....

I'm looking for a post in a very particular area and so openings don't show up too often. I'm getting to the point of applying for anything that's even vaguely appropriate as I'm desperate to get going.... So now that I've expanded my criteria a bit, I keep running across posts requiring NVQs.... In anyone's experience, is the ACTUAL qualification always needed? The post reads: "a relevant professional qualification at NVQ 4 level or above." I've read the official description of each level and to be honest, I do fit the bill, but I don't have the ACTUAL qualification. Is it worth sending in an application anyway?

My first job required NVQ 4 or something like that.  When I applied, I had no idea what NVQs were, so I just ignored them.  I was asked about them at the interview and said I didn't have them but pointed out that I did have a degree...they said that was fine and gave me the job.     Probably varies from place to place, though...I mean, I wasn't in a really technical or skilled position....just answering phones and typing up letters for the council.

No, you don't need the NVQ level 4 qualification itself, but you do need an equivalent/higher professional grade qualification that is relevant to the job- in your case your degree is the equivalent.

This is just their P.C way of saying anyone without even a level 4 NVQ, "need not apply". In my experience it's the candidates with the relevant higher qualifications and not the NVQ's that get the jobs.

Good Luck

Fabulous. Thank you, girls. That's EXACTLY the answer I was hoping for!  I just requested the application pack!

Just to clarify what an NVQ is for anyone trying to wade through the muddle of our convoluted education system:

NVQ stands for National Vocational Qualification...........tends to be work based learning.........for instance you might do NVQ level one whilst working as a nursery nurse and attending college 1 day per week. You'd then go on to do level 2 and so on and so forth.

Basically, level 4 is degree level and higher, but because the NVQ is less academic and more 'practical', employers will accept them as readily because it'll prove you are already competent at the particular job.

If you've got a relevant degree and some work experience, you'd be just as likely to get the job as someone with NVQ Level 4.

I am working at a temp job, where my boss is considering me for a higher-level perm role.  The job description for the role has a bunch of qualifications that I do not have.  I had to show my CV and go for an interview to get the perm job, so she already knows that I don't have the exact qualifications, but I'm being considered anyway.