To jack in my ‘good graduate job’ and change direction at 24?

I agree with the PP upthread who advise to stay where you are and plan carefully for your next move.

You obviously have a skill for numbers and statistics in the current role you do. However I get the sense that this kind of work brings you no sense of satisfaction. Perhaps you need to work out what excites and moves you and what other skills you have in that area. Do you prefer working with people? Or something more creative.

I used to think I had made a complete change of career from librarianship to academia in my mid 40s. However many of the skills I had developed in 20 years as a librarian set me well ahead of other students on the road to academia. I only recognise that by looking back.

My brother got on the civil services grad scheme with no experience apart from flipping burgers. Obviously he had a good degree (and masters) but spent a year or two on minimum wage jobs before getting into the civil service. So don’t think it’s impossible.

working on the floor with young people in complex social care or health settings or SEN education settings would give a much deeper and wider insight than a PGCE (I’ve done a PGCE and complex support work). A PGCE is mostly about delivery of education and educational standards, with differentiation thrown in, lots of children, only scratching the surface of deeper issues. While the right role in a complex setting might give you a deeper experience of diagnosis, EHCPs, annual reviews, DOLS assessments, medication understanding/reviews, CAHMS, OT & SaLT, children’s risk assessments, GP involvement, mental health emergencies, educational difficulties and solutions which are more person centred, closer relationships with parents or foster parents or residential settings, mainstream therapies and possibly alternative therapies.

In your shoes I’d sign up for agencies and ask to work in multiple settings so you can sample different environments and eventually focus in on what you really enjoy or apply directly to settings. Look for SEN work, special schools and colleges, eating disorder units, residential. Check out cqc and Ofsted reports before applying.

Definitely don't "jack it in". DO start looking for something else though. Have a think about the experience you've gained from this job and what other jobs you can transfer those skills to.

Look nationwide if you want to move away. With two years work experience under your belt you've got a good head start.

You can’t live your life for what your parents want. You’re 24, look for something else. Civil service is a good option, you don’t need to join via grad route, plenty of entry level jobs and you can quickly move up the grades

Have you thought about organisational psychology? You'll need masters but could even do it part time around your job.

Yay OP

Yes! 🙌 had an amazing time in Australia!

Good for you.

Fab update OP.
I think life can be tricky for women when they know they want kids. There is a reason that so many women 'settle' for shite partners. The desire to have kids is so strong that it can override some women's normal sensible thought processes.

Good for you ! have a wonderful trip !

Do it do it do it OP. I quit my ‘good graduate job’ at 30 and retrained in a totally different field and my only regret is not doing it sooner (I’m now 41). My work now pays far less but it’s a million times more fulfilling and interesting and I wouldn’t go back to what I used to do for all the money in the world.

Getting on the property ladder is a good thing to aim for eventually but if you prioritise that right now then you’ll be even more stuck in your current town with a mortgage to pay and even less likely to pack in your job to retrain or go travelling.

People will say it’s reckless advice but honestly at 24 you are far too young to be prioritising stability and security above everything else, especially your own happiness!

Nothing wrong with taking some time to make plans and save up some money for your next steps, I’m not saying hand in your notice tomorrow, but please don’t just stay in a job you hate out of fear.

There's a funded training scheme for EPs that might be of interest - https://www.aep.org.uk/EPFT

God you’re only 24 and in a job that’s not making you happy. Obviously don’t chuck your job in until you’ve got a solid plan but definitely do it. I’ve told my kids to make sure they do a job that makes them happy and that they don’t dread getting up for every day.

In fact for ONS you are unlikely to get a London based job, the HQ is Newport, Wales with Titchfield near Southampton the other big one. Although if you are doing data analysis you can (choose) to be based at any office. You are also a Civil Servant and can apply for "intern" type time at other departments.

I'm a new-ish EFL teacher in my early 30s and it's not a cop out, BUT in your situation I would only recommend doing it if you think you might actually want to be a teacher long term (some form of teacher anyway, not necessarily in a UK school). Teaching is tiring, you'll have a lot of evening and weekend work as you're mostly working around your students' work/school hours, it rarely pays well unless you're properly qualified and have been doing it for a few years, and moving overseas is really expensive even if you're going to a cheap country. Depending where you are, you'll probably be living a student-ish lifestyle in houseshares or rented studio apartments, which might feel like a step back if you're already settled and potentially in a position to buy a flat, and you might only be entitled to a much smaller amount of annual leave than in the UK. It's not the kind of thing you can do while barely working and spending each weekend on a different tropical beach, despite the popular perception, but it's also not really rated by most UK employers because it is seen by many people as a doss. If you do it just because you don't have any better ideas, you're going to end up spending a lot of your savings to be in the same position a year or two from now, only now with a messier CV, no pension contributions and even more stress about having 'wasted' that time.

On the other hand, if you do like the job then it has the potential to be an actual career. If you're reasonably talented and willing to stick at it for a while then it's not too hard to land a decent paying job and/or a management position, because so many of your colleagues will be people who are just looking for a 1-2 year adventure or want a job that lets them hop countries without being fussed about progression. There are routes back to the UK as well - if you have a few years' experience teaching adults you can work for the Home Office assessing people's English for immigration applications, for example. I think I'd like to stay in this field for life, and I only wish I'd started at 24 instead of basically giving up everything to start an entry level job in my 30s!

Based on how you have described your current job, OP, you could probably transition quite easily into doing Evaluation and Social research.

Have a look at places like Ipsos, Verian, IFF, Nat Cen, etc. You could probably join at SRE level with your current experience without having to do a brand new grad scheme.

These companies are all in London though.

Have you thought about going into educational psychology? There's massive demand for it currently.

Information about how to qualify here.
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First of all, ignore your parents. Yes they want the best for you but this clearly isn’t the best! Change is daunting but it’s absolutely worth it, even if you do have to take a side or back step to get where you want.

Personally I think travelling or working abroad is a brilliant idea - I wish I’d done it at your age, instead I’m catching up on all the travel I never did now and I’m 10 years older!

Where do you think you want to move, and what is it about London that scares you? The size, the seemingly endless opportunities, finding somewhere to live? There is a lot of opportunity in London but do you have to chase it quite doggedly. That said, London isn’t the be all and end all. Manchester has lots going for it, Leeds has a really vibrant creative/digital sector, Bristol is also great, both are smaller than London and possibly easier to navigate. With a statistics background I’d imagine there are lots of options open to you in the private sector if you wanted to go down that route, like analyst roles in various guises.

I agree you do need to do some strategic thinking and planning about what kind of thing you’d like to do and look into free online courses to get started before spending money on retraining. I’ve done a couple of similar career pivots (albeit not in your sector) without having to get extra quals so feel free to PM me for advice you want!)

The Office for National Statistics has places in Edinburgh, Manchester, Darlington, Newport and Titchfield as well as London.

I’d agree with deciding what you want before you leave your job but two years is a decent length of time with your first job. Just make sure you’re not just tired an a week off wouldn’t help- it’s the old thing of working to live- ie if you’re doing well you’ll have money to do things you enjoy outside work and do can put up with work to a certain extent.

Parents will never understand because they’re worried about you losing the benefits that come from a secure job, Id be the same but cheered on my niece when she left an amazing college course to go work with horses so it all depends! Best of luck x