Retraining/Job change later in life

[Tripster]

I put my head down to graft at 19 years old and never really looked up again for the next 25 years when I had worked in almost every sector available to me chasing money and then starting my business where I only really started to make some real money. After about 12 or 13 years of doing that, I realised I wasn't going to go the distance at the sharp end and took another couple of years to get out and set myself up in a nice teaching job.

I loved the teaching job, good craic and the heaviest thing I had to lift was my dinner.
It wasn't long before I got pushed into lower management, which I do regret at times but for various reasons there was no real option for me. I never regretted the move and I've never looked back.

Much of the OU courses can lead to teaching but that would be in 6 years once completed. By then I will be too old to deal with the young adolescents abusing me at the front of class

 

[Slick]

Much of the OU courses can lead to teaching but that would be in 6 years once completed. By then I will be too old to deal with the young adolescents abusing me at the front of class

I don't work in a school as I'm not sure I could deal with adolescents either. It's more an FE college training up the next generation to put their head down.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

At 44 years of age I left banking ,sold my house and moved to Denmark to become a sail maker. I had never sailed and knew nothing about sail making. I just fancied a change. I did not have bags of money. I have never been afraid of changing jobs. I have no qualifications but I think I can apply myself and work hard. I have always had the opinion that if you do not like what you are doing, stop and do something else. You need more conviction than luck.

My mate started to do that at home during lockdown and the sails went through the roof.

 

[wheresthetorch]

20 years in the Probation Service, 7 as a social worker, and now just ending my training as a priest at 50. Should be my last career change!

 

[Scotty55]

Packed in a well-paid and secure job in accountancy (financial controller in a small but very successful business) to retrain as a secondary teacher, aged 53.

absolutely loving it, despite the COVID problems. Never looked back.

 

[Tenacious Sloth]

Packed in a well-paid and secure job in accountancy (financial controller in a small but very successful business) to retrain as a secondary teacher, aged 53.

absolutely loving it, despite the COVID problems. Never looked back.

Nice to hear. You’re probably exactly the kind of person I would want teaching my kids.

I do wonder how many people end up in teaching because they don’t really know what else they want to do and so just find of fall into it. I’ve done a bit of teaching in adult education at local schools and colleges over the years in software engineering and it surprises me how many of the teachers I‘ve met don’t seem to enjoy what they’re doing.

I really enjoy teaching adults as they’re there because they want to learn. Totally different ballgame with kids I would imagine?

 

[srw]

20 years in the Probation Service, 7 as a social worker, and now just ending my training as a priest at 50. Should be my last career change!

That's not really a career change, though, just a different uniform!

 

[Deleted User]

I was a painter and decorator for the local authority until the telecom boom in the early '90's and 'fell' into that by chance really.

Still doing it almost 30yrs later, it's a constantly moving industry with something changing all the time.

 

[Tripster]

I was a painter and decorator for the local authority until the telecom boom in the early '90's and 'fell' into that by chance really.

Still doing it almost 30yrs later, it's a constantly moving industry with something changing all the time.

I looked at adding to my engineering, I do mechanical but technically not qualified so thought of HNC/HND in Mechanical Engineering to support my hands on skills. Would need a reputable online provider though. Then looked at telecoms (Openreach) but the blurb and website stuff dont add up to the real world experiences. Must be other telecom areas/companies to look into maybe ?

 

[Andy in Germany]

I trained as a cabinet maker but was diagnosed with Asthma so I was offered retraining in a number of fields and ended up as an occupational therapist, which in Germany requires a previous qualification and two years work experience minimum.

Never looked back.

 

[tom73]

That's the big problem the last few years with a move to self regulation of training providers. It's now a free for all wild west cashing in on what ever next big training idea the government spits out. To put it simply E-learning is not the same as online learning and a lot of it total crap. Many collages are now teaming up with universities and offer technical quals with online options. Though at some point you're likely to have same face teaching. That maybe an option see what's about in your area or near by ones.

 

[byegad]

It was rather forced on me at 46. I had a breakdown, and breakdown pension which was just enough that unemployment benefit would have been pennies/month. I took a part time job, which I loved, changed to a similar one at 53 and took early retirement at 55. The changes at 46 and 55 saw me take a chunky reduction in income, but they were right for me.

 

[Andy in Germany]

That's the big problem the last few years with a move to self regulation of training providers. It's now a free for all wild west cashing in on what ever next big training idea the government spits out. To put it simply E-learning is not the same as online learning and a lot of it total crap. Many collages are now teaming up with universities and offer technical quals with online options. Though at some point you're likely to have same face teaching. That maybe an option see what's about in your area or near by ones.

Really? My OP training was with a private NGO but the certification was run by the state education authority.

My cabinet makers training was accredited by the trade guild and state.

 

[Tripster]

I trained as a cabinet maker but ended up with Asthma so I was offered retraining in a number of fields and ended up n occupational therapist, which in Germany requires a previous qualification and two years work experience minimum.

Never looked back.

I remember you saying Andy. I have been looking at OU courses in Psychology and even peaked and criminology

That's the big problem the last few years with a move to self regulation of training providers. It's now a free for all wild west cashing in on what ever next big training idea the government spits out. To put it simply E-learning is not the same as online learning and a lot of it total crap. Many collages are now teaming up with universities and offer technical quals with online options. Though at some point you're likely to have same face teaching. That maybe an option see what's about in your area or near by ones.

Agree, HNC or HND was always college based block or day release but now a few places and universities doing Pearson BTEC distance learning. Never bothered with E-learning stuff. If its not accredited by, for example, the examining board like BTEC then not interested. Still shocked at the 12k price for OU diploma in Mechanical Engineering. I hated school so much and the people I was grouped with at college that I swopped queue to the City & Guilds sign on rather than BTEC (much to employers annoyance) and now look at me 20 odd years later looking to do the course I could have had for free!!! Bullying ruined my image of schools & colleges

 

[tom73]

I remember you saying Andy. I have been looking at OU courses in Psychology and even peaked and criminology

Agree, HNC or HND was always college based block or day release but now a few places and universities doing Pearson BTEC distance learning. Never bothered with E-learning stuff. If its not accredited by, for example, the examining board like BTEC then not interested. Still shocked at the 12k price for OU diploma in Mechanical Engineering. I hated school so much and the people I was grouped with at college that I swopped queue to the City & Guilds sign on rather than BTEC (much to employers annoyance) and now look at me 20 odd years later looking to do the course I could have had for free!!! Bullying ruined my image of schools & colleges

That's the story for so many in Adult learning who had learning turned off by bad experience of school. Sadly it's not a problem of the past so many are as then just dumped. The sausage factory school set up we have now has just made it worse. Many just get booted out then getting them back to loving education at school age is not easy but god it's great when you do.

As for cost that's what education cost now sadly it's just not valued by governments of all colours. As for part time adult education you may as well forget it no government cares about it. If it get's you to a much better place then it's priceless. Look at it the same way as whole thing it's how I did.Don't look at the end thing but smaller bits focusing on the whole thing just looks too massive.
As our fab tutor on the equally fab teaching degree put it on our 1st day. Look at as an elephant you can't eat a whole one but you can in chucks.