Elizabeth Rickards Education and Careers Consultancy

Next trip to Milan: Friday 4.05.2012 - 5.05.2012. Consultations by appointment only.

Next trip to Brussels: Date in June to be confirmed.

Next trip to Germany: Frankfurt 13 June 2012;
Dusseldorf 14 June 2012; Stuttgart 15 June 2101
Please contact Better School! for an appointment, Stuttgart +49 711 469 179 40
www.betterschool.de

For Parents and Students
The Consultancy aims to give parents the best possible advice about how to ensure their sons’ and daughters’ educational potential is achieved. We see students and review academic progress. We manage U.K school and university applications. We also advise on careers. Students are able to apply to British universities through the consultancy as we are accredited by UCAS, the UK Universities central admissions organisation. The consultancy also advises and supports parents at those difficult times when students are performing less well than expected at school or university.

Consultations in London take place in the Fellows Room at the Royal Society of Arts, 8 John Adam Street, London WC2 or in Barnes, S.W London. Elizabeth also makes trips each year to Italy, Belgium and Germany. All German enquirers should contact Better School !
Stuttgart Tel: +49 711 469 179 40. www.betterschool.de

For Schools
The Consultancy also advises schools. Bringing together a team of leading professionals from the world of education, business and marketing, the Consultancy advises on strategic planning, domestic and international marketing, headship and teaching staff recruitment, in service training as well as preparation for Ofsted or ISI Inspections.

Elizabeth Rickards
Educated at St Mary's, Shaftesbury, Elizabeth read History and French at St Andrews University and then did a post graduate teaching qualification in Edinburgh. After several years teaching English in France and London, she was appointed Vice Principal at Duff Miller College in 1986. From 1996 to 2007 Elizabeth was Principal of Davies Laing and Dick (DLD) in London. In 2008 Elizabeth established the consultancy. She has two adult children, and is married to historical crime writer David Dickinson, former Editor of BBC's Newsnight and Panorama.

The Independent Schools Inspectorate 2005 report  on DLD made the following comments about Elizabeth: ‘The College is managed by an outstanding principal. She is a dynamic leader, dedicated to the welfare of her students and highly effective in realising her ambitions for them'.  The Good Schools Guide  comments: ‘….has worked at the Young Vic, and is passionate about creativity in education. Outstanding leader. “She's very sharp, very quick, really on the ball” said a parent.'

Feedback from Parents

Dear Elizabeth, Dear Peter,

Today I received the offer from Trinity Hall, Cambridge ! I must really thank you for the help you have given me! I will continue to work hard at school to be accepted during these months and I will work on the other universities as well! Best regards and again thanks. Jacopo, Italy 5.1.12

Thank you, I think you have done a good job with Ilaria and Jacopo so far. I've really esteemed it! Best wishes, Chiara. Italy . February 15 2012

Dear Elizabeth, Thank you very much for making my dream of entering a British boarding school happen and can't wait to chat on skype tomorrow morning. Kind regards, GR, Milan, Italy December 2011

From The Lady Hodgson: Lizzie Rickards gave us invaluable help at a time when we had a crisis over our son's schooling. She is extremely well informed about schools and colleges and has very good personal contacts with those who are running them. She was excellent at talking to our teenage son and helping us all decide the best way forward. I am hugely grateful to her - she was absolutely fantastic! UK

I can't thank you enough for seeing Matilda and offering us so much constructive advice. I really can't tell you what a difference it has already made. We are going to have a look at a few schools, as you suggest. Thank you again for your help and very best wishes, Annie June 2011, UK

Thank you so much. It is an amazing report, really exhaustive and clear. LM Italy November 2010

Things did change immensely for Luisa: she is now happily settled in Falmer, at University of Sussex, and she loves what she is doing, the University, the campus, the courses, the professors, her fellow students, everything! And this is also your doing, and we are all deeply grateful for that. I know that you are also helping many of our friends, such as XXXX, and I keep repeating to all of them how lucky we were in getting in touch with you. AC, Professor of Economics, Italy . November 2011

Jack ….is one very happy man and overall a tremendous result. It is the Durham place he will take, but he is genuinely pleased to be so spoilt for choice. Thank you so much Elizabeth for all your support. You have given us such good advice. But more than that, you gave Jack strength and self-confidence when both of these had taken a beating and for that we will never be able to thank you enough. It has been tremendous of you to be there holding both his and our hands through this little saga, but for him to have your support was the prop that he really needed, and valued, and used. It enabled us to avoid over-parenting which a boy of his age truly hates, but for him to manage the whole affair nevertheless – and the overall result is excellent. Many many thanks. IS ( UK ) February 2010

From Penny K to Elizabeth Rickards: I just wanted to write to say how grateful I am for all the help you have given Pandora. When I brought her to you, she had completely lost all the confidence she had always had up till her disappointments recently. As she sat there listening to you and talking to you I could see her confidence coming back – and her whole face lit up knowing that at last someone understood her absolutely, and there was help. UK

Millfield it is! Vivan is thrilled. I will send the acceptance forms out tomorrow. Thanks for your help. I would not be able to do this without your expert assistance. Best regards, Nandini UAE . April 2011

Dear Elizabeth, thank you very much for helping me with my application, I am very excited to go to King's this year to study Physics and I couldn't have done it without you. Best wishes, Matilda P, Italy . August 2011

Dear Mrs Rickards, I am very happy to inform you that I have received an unconditional offer from both Reading and Southampton! I would like to personally thank you for your help as in my perspective it has been essential. I will be going to Southampton as it has always been my first choice and hope to enjoy this experience in a great university. Thank you for you guidance and time, Kindest regards, Giacomo Z. Italy . August 2011

From Harriet Edwards to Elizabeth Rickards I found the careers consultation extremely useful, and have renewed application filling with a sense of urgency. UK

Hi Elizabeth: This is Monica's Mom speaking...Thank you for your assistance so far on Monica's behalf. She is very excited about getting into East Anglia. Thank you. August 2011 U.S.A

We are writing you to inform you that Chiara completed entrance tests at Sevenoaks, Malvern and Wellington; she got positive results and place offers by all of them, and decided to accept the offer of Sevenoaks. We are very happy and excited (especially Chiara ...) and look forward next August when she will join the school. We would like to thank you for your very kind and professional help in the process: it was effective and useful. Thanks, Mauro, Lucia and Chiara. Italy December 2011

I'm absolutely ecstatic to have got a place at Durham, thank you so much for all the help, it's certainly what's got me this far! Thanks very much for everything, I certainly wouldn't have got to this stage without all the help! JS UK February 2010

I must thank you Elizabeth for what you have done for Dami. Thank you and please don't give up on us until we are sure his application is in and sorted. (Dami is now studying Economics at SOAS).God bless, Ayo O UK/Nigeria August 2010

Nicholas has been accepted into Wetherby for Y 7 entry. We are very very happy and have accepted the offer. Thank you very much for your precious help; families who moved without help did not get anywhere near the good schools! My best regards, Livia. March 2011. Italy

Dear Elizabeth, Thank you so much for all your advice and support concerning Millie's UCAS application. It has now gone and been received- hooray!!- so we can now relax and stop nagging! Having your help really made a difference to Millie, as it did to me after the disappointment of Millie's A level results. She is now much more confident and excited about her future. We will definitely let you know how she gets on. With best wishes and much thanks, Clare C UK November 2010

Dear Elizabeth, You very kindly gave us some help and advice with Adelaide over the last couple of years, and I just wanted to let you know that she got an A star and two B's in her A2's and is into Newcastle for 2012, to do a combined degree of History of Art and Film Studies. And if we hadn't come to see you, she might have ended up at Oxford Brookes doing a hospitality course! So many thanks for the valuable advice - she is over the moon. Best wishes, Annabel B. August 2011 UK

Dear Elizabeth, it suddenly struck me that you might be wondering what had ever happened to Flora! She spent Sept-Dec at the Centro Fiorenza, went back to Florence at the end of January . She got As in both Italian orals & Luigi La Falce was the most inspired teacher she could possibly have had the privileged of being instructed by. I just wanted to say how enormously grateful we all are for your clear advice last year when we were in such a muddle. I have given your name to a number of friends in similar situations this autumn - good luck! With many many thanks, Lissie M September 2011 UK

Dear Elizabeth, I just wanted to thank you so so much for all of your help with my personal statement and helping me plan my life back in September!! I have received 3 offers so far. Nottingham have offered AB, Manchester BB and an unconditional place from Oxford Brookes. Thank you so much again. Flora M. UK December 2010,

Dear Elizabeth, Thank you very much, I am very pleased and surprised too but I actually have to thank you ‘cause I couldn't have done such a good application without your help. Nicola G Italy January 2010

Hello, I just wanted to keep you posted about my UCAS application and to inform you that I had been offered a conditional offer from Warwick, Manchester and Birmingham which is great news! Anyway I wanted to thank you because I believe my preparation with you this summer was very useful and I hope you are doing well. Thomas France February 2010

We wanted you to know that of the five universities Adelaide applied for, she has received offers from four, and the only one we are waiting for is St Andrews. She is absolutely over the moon and her father and I just wanted to thank you for your advice last October because that was what enabled her to change her mind. Annabel B UK December 2010

Dear Elizabeth, Hoping that everything will progess and keep in touch for the rest of the UCAS applications acceptances to the uni. Thank you again for your help which was immense. Best regards, CS, Milan Italy 2012

At Davies Laing and Dick

From Stephen East to Elizabeth Rickards: I remember the first day we met and was profoundly struck by your positive can-do attitude. Since that day I have witnessed Matthew's continual growth in confidence.

From Nikita Patel to Claire Davies: Thank you so much for all the help and support you have given me over the past year….. I only hope that when I go on to university the teachers there will be as charismatic and inspiring as you.

Nadia Khan to Elizabeth Rickards: I still can't believe I have gone through the care system to graduating at Cambridge ! Much of my achievement and happiness is largely thanks to yourself and the staff at DLD.'

From Dr Suzanne Evans to Elizabeth Rickards: …how grateful we all are for all the wonderful support and help Will has had from you and all your staff over the last few years. I am practically speechless after a phone call from Will with his final results. I don't believe we could ever have come through to this result at any other institution. DLD is a very special place with remarkable people who run it and teach in it.