DofE FAQs

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What does DofE mean?

DofE stands for the Duke of Edinburgh, who founded the Award in 1956. The Duke of Edinburgh is Prince Philip, husband of the Queen. For more information on how DofE was founded, read my fascinating article on A History of DofE.

Has anyone died doing DofE?

There is currently no record of any participant deaths on a DofE expedition in the UK since 1961, which is statistically impressive given over 160,000 people complete their Award each year.

Are you allowed your phone on DofE?

Except for use in emergencies, phones are rarely ever allowed on DofE expeditions. As a major skill you develop on DofE is map and compass navigation, using a phone could be considered cheating, and in extreme cases result in you failing the expedition.

Some expedition providers may allow you to use a phone for taking photos, but only do this with prior permission. For more information, read my post Can you fail DofE?

Do DofE activities have to be weekly?

Ideally the activities you do for DofE sections will be at least one hour every week. If, however, you miss a session, it is perfectly reasonable to do two hours the next week — although this should not be a regular occurance. I cover issues like this in more detail in my Complete guide to timescales on DofE.

How much does DofE cost?

There is a fixed cost of undertaking each DofE award. For Bronze and Silver this is £22, and for Gold it is £29. It is likely though that completing your award will incur additional costs, particularly for the Expedition section, and also the Residential for Gold.

If you are interested in how to can use DofE to save money though, check out my post on DofE Cards and DofE discounts.

How far do you walk on DofE?

The distance you walk per day on DofE varies between awards. A standard distance to walk is 16km per day on Bronze, 19km per day on Silver, and 23km per day on Gold. Naturally, some groups will do less than this, and others more.

Is DofE a good qualification?

DofE is a brilliant qualification, and looks great on CVs and personal statements, especially for students who are unlikely to have much, if any, employment history. The awards become exponentially more impressive too, which means that completion of Gold is very highly respected (you don’t get invited to Buckingham Palace Gardens for nothing!).

There are many soft skills that you improve on DofE, from working in a team, to adopting a leadership role in times of difficulty (e.g. when you get lost), to perseverance and dedication. It’s these soft skills that you can emphasise on your CV and personal statement, with the DofE qualification to back it up. To learn how to do this effectively, I’d highly recommend reading my post Use DofE to make your CV and Personal Statement shine.

Does DofE get you UCAS points?

Unfortunately, DofE does not give you UCAS points. However, completion of DofE, especially Silver and Gold, are excellent talking points for your Personal Statement as they display proficiency in a wide variety of soft skills. Check out my post Use DofE to make your CV and Personal Statement shine for the full rundown.

How far can I backdate DofE?

Sections on DofE can be backdated by up to 3 months. I’d recommend reading my Complete guide to timescales on DofE for information.

Can you skip Bronze DofE and go straight to Silver?

You can complete the Silver DofE award without having completed Bronze, however it will take longer. You must complete an additional 6 months in either Volunteering or the longer of the Physical or Skills sections, meaning the Silver award will take at least 12 months to complete. Check out my Complete guide to timescales on DofE for more information.

Can you skip Silver DofE and go straight to Gold?

You can complete the Gold DofE award without having completed Silver, however it will take longer (it doesn’t make a difference if you’ve completed Bronze). You must complete and additional 6 months in either Volunteering or the longer of the Physical or Skills sections, meaning the Gold award will take at least 18 months to complete. Check out my Complete guide to timescales on DofE for more information.

Is DofE worth it?

For me personally, DofE was amazing, particularly the expeditions. I made so many memories, and have so many funny and unfortunate stories that I still laugh about with my teammates. Although it may seem counterintuitive, in my experience each successive award is not only more rewarding, but also more enjoyable.

Don’t be put off by a mediocre experience on Bronze — I promise it gets better. As you move on to Silver, and then Gold, you whittle out the people who simply hate camping. This hugely lifts group moral, which has a enormous impact on the overall experience. Happy group = super expedition. For a full breakdown, check out my post: Is DofE worth it? An honest review from a former participant.

How do I get fit for DofE?

Most healthy teenagers and young adults won’t have to engage in specific preparation for a DofE expedition. If, however, you’d like to make the expedition easier for yourself, you can improve your cardiovascular fitness and muscular endurance through basic exercise such as running, cycling, swimming and racquet sports. As well as this, more direct training such as long hikes with a heavy pack will increase your fitness for DofE.

Can I use subjects at school as a skill?

No, you can’t. Your Skill, Volunteering and Physical sections must be extracurricular and not something you are required to do (i.e. school). However, you can take up a club at school, even during school hours if it’s extracurricular - for example, you could do debating during your lunch break for your Skill section if your school runs a debating club.