As per Lord Sugar's Twitter post.

Have any of you applied before or would like to give it a go in the future?

Obviously you'd have to make yourself seem like good television to get through the screening process!

I'm only 15, and if its still on in 3 years I would apply to see how far I would get...

If it's still on after I graduate University i'd consider it.

I think being on The Apprentice would be great... but I don't want to be on it, because I wouldn't win because I don't have a good business plan. I might get quite far in the tasks, but I think if you go on The Apprentice and you're not trying to win, you're taking that opportunity from someone who might actually want to do it, which I think would be unfair. If it was just a reality show and not a serious business competition, I'd definitely give it a go.

Gabrielle Omar speaking to GCS:

GCS: I don’t think anybody could blame you for capitalising on the publicity you gained on the show. I have to ask though, hand on your heart, was gaining publicity the main reason you went on The Apprentice?

Gabrielle: Completely and utterly, definitely. I’m not going to lie! Any of the other candidates who say otherwise are lying too. I didn’t expect to win the show and I don’t think anybody else went in with that expectation, so you do it for the publicity and the ensuing opportunities. I actually don’t think anybody even expected to get on the show in the first place. You can’t think about winning otherwise you get ahead of yourself and would probably be fired in the first week. You have to take each task as it comes, otherwise the whole experience gets overwhelming and you lose focus on the day's events. You have no time to be dreaming of the final when you are only on task 2! You need your wits about you constantly to survive each task and get onto the next one. Things change so quickly, one week you're the number one candidate and the next week, you can be fired.

GCS: So if you didn’t expect to even get on the show, did you have a solidified business plan when applying?

Gabrielle: Not really, no. The show producers call you and say “you’re on the show” and then give you about a week to put together your business plan in full.

GCS: What was your plan?

Gabrielle: Oh God, it was rubbish! Rubbish for me that is, only because it wasn't my passion, but just an idea to make money and something I submitted as a requirement to get onto the show.

I applied for series eight for a laugh. Didn't get on (obviously) but got an interview. I say go for it!

Okay, fair enough. I still don't think I will, but you make a good point.

I probably still won't though; I'm going to University in September, so I won't have time to film.

EDIT: When is this going to be filmed? I thought it was always in the autumn before broadcast, but I've just looked and the closing date for applications is January 2014... is it usually like that?

I have always wanted to apply because I am business minded, always looking for a profit margin etc. But I am not a confident speaker nor do I have a business plan.

If it was the old style Apprentice, I would definitely have given it more thought.

Ooooh rwebster, that's interesting. What were the interviews like? Are these the interviews that are posted on the BBC website of the chosen candidates??

There is only one business plan that I can imagine entering, and that's the one that I submitted for Virtual Apprentice. I'm really proud that I came up with that because I think it's a brilliant idea and there doesn't seem to be anything else like it out there; but having said that I have never had any plans to actually run it. It's not really what I want from life. Plus I'm not sure about the wisdom of entering The Apprentice with a business idea that I've discussed on a public forum.

I auditioned to go on Big Brother last year and I got quite a long way... that's something that always interests people. I didn't try this year because I had other things I wanted to do. In a few years time I might give it another go though, who knows?

what was your plan George??

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1811353

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1811352

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1811351

These are the threads where they interviewed myself, Nick and Eliza about our business plans. It's all on here.

aaah that's interesting.

I got quite far through the audition process a few years ago but when things started getting serious, I pulled out of the audition process (of which there is many).

I'd never go on a show like that. Or, indeed any show that could potentially make me look a total nutter!

I'd like to do something like that, trouble is that I'm probably not qualified enough in the sense that I am merely a finance assistant. I do have an idea of what my business would be, I'd need help putting bits of it together.

One thing I noticed about the application form - the deadline is next January, and the audition interviews will take place as late as next March. I'm guessing next year's series won't be aired until autumn, or possibly even near the start of 2015.