How long is DofE? A complete guide to timescales on DofE
The length of each of your sections on DofE will depend on which award you’re doing now, which awards you’ve previously completed, and which sections you pick to be longer. In this article I explain how long it takes to complete DofE, as well as the details when it comes to doing DofE without having completed the previous awards.
Bronze and Silver DofE both take at least 6 months to complete, with a combination of 3 and 6 month sections, while Gold takes at least 12 months with a combination of 6 and 12 month sections. The expedition sections become one day longer with each successive award.
What ages do you need to be to start (and finish) DofE?
There are specific ages that you must be to start a DofE award. For all three awards, you must be under the age of 25. The minimum ages vary by award: for Bronze you must be 14 years old, for Silver 15 years old, and for Gold 16 years old.
For Bronze and Silver, you should be able to start the award before turning 14/15 if you are in the school year in which your peer group turns that age. This means that if you are in Year 9 but have not yet turned 14 you should still be able to start your Bronze award and if you are in Year 10 but have not yet turned 15 you should still be able to start your Silver award. This is subject to your DofE Leader though, so make sure you’ve checked with them.
The age by which you must finish your DofE award is clear-cut and strict. It is the same for Bronze, Silver and Gold: all sections must be completed before your 25th birthday otherwise you will not pass the award, and will not receive the qualification.
Can you backdate sections of DofE?
Sections of DofE can be backdated by up to 3 months. It is not possible to backdate any further than this as the software on eDofE will not allow you to input anything more than 3 months in the past.
Do I have to start at Bronze?
DofE states that “you are free to start at any level but most people prefer to start at Bronze and work upwards”.
There are a number of reasons you may wish to skip Bronze, or even Silver too. If you are in your twenties it might make sense to jump straight ahead to Silver or Gold, because the moment you turn 25 you will not be able to complete any outstanding awards. Alternatively, you may have recently left your old school that didn’t offer DofE and moved to a new school that does.
It is worth noting though that it does take longer to complete a DofE award without having already achieved the previous one. The specifics of how much longer it takes are covered below.
Does it look bad on my CV or Personal Statement if I do Gold or Silver without the previous award(s)?
No, it doesn’t. If someone had achieved Grade 8 in piano, you wouldn’t question why they skipped Grade 7!
Gold DofE, and to a lesser extent Silver too, are highly regarded standalone qualifications that display a wide range of skills including perseverance, teamwork and leadership.
If you are considering starting DofE, but are put off because you haven’t completed one of the earlier awards — don’t be. There’s never a better time to start. There are a wide range of reasons people may have skipped straight to Silver or Gold, and as a qualification DofE looks no less impressive to not have the previous awards.
The one thing I would suggest is if you are preparing for an interview where you may be asked about your experiences on DofE, and completed Silver/Gold without Bronze/Silver, I’d prepare an answer for if you are asked why. Something like this would be perfect: “initially I wasn’t fully aware of the advantages of DofE, but as I matured I began to appreciate the benefit that volunteering has for my community, that learning a skill has for my self-development, that regular physical activity has for my mental health, and that a group expedition has for advancing my teamwork and leadership skills.”
How long does Bronze take to complete?
Bronze DofE takes at least 6 months to complete across four different sections.
Volunteering, skill and physical sections - two are 3 months, one is 6 months (you can pick)
Expedition - 2 day, 1 night assessment with at least 6 hours of planned activity per day (a practise expedition is not required, but you may have to complete other “required training”)
As stated, all participants must spend 6 months on one of the skill, physical or volunteering sections. You are able to change your mind on which section this is midway through, although there may be some logistical implications.
How long does Silver take to complete?
Silver DofE takes at least 6 months to complete across four different sections.
Volunteering section - 6 months
Skill and physical sections - one is 6 months, the other 3 months (you can pick)
Expedition - 3 day, 2 night assessment with at least 7 hours of planned activity per day, and a 2 day, 2 night practise
If you didn’t do Bronze, you must complete an additional 6 months in either volunteering or the longer of the skill/physical sections. This means Silver would take at least 12 months to complete.
How long does Gold take to complete?
Gold takes at least 12 months to complete over five different sections.
Volunteering section - 12 months
Skill and physical sections - one is 12 months, the other 6 months (you can pick)
Expedition - 4 day, 3 night assessment with at least 8 hours of planned activity per day and a 2 day, 2 night practise
Residential - a 5 day, 4 night residential camp away from home with people you don’t know. For more information read my post of what counts for a DofE residential
If you didn’t do Silver, you must complete an additional 6 months in either volunteering or the longer of the skill/physical sections. It doesn’t matter if you’ve completed Bronze. This means Gold would take at least 18 months to complete.