need a new career, any ideas? would you recommend yours?

[Anygoodideas]

Name changed for this one...

After a successful career in the creative industries (senior management level), I've been out for three years looking after DD.

Liked the job but it involved a lot of travelling and even more dealing with people who lived their entire life like it was an episode of Dynasty. So not conducive with being a parent TBH.

So now I need to do something else; this is my criteria.

• can take one or two years to retrain and I have capital to pay for it.
• doesn't need to be especially creative, I have plenty of other outlets
• based in London or Home Counties
• my English skills are strong, maths competent.
• needs to fit in with fairly standard Monday to Friday school / childminder timings.
• DH has a pretty high powered, big responsibility job so I do the lions share of house stuff, that's fine and works for us but I can't take on something that is totally inflexible.
• I can start at the bottom and work up to a decent salary standard, but I'd like to be at least high thirties after five years.
• I'm not afraid of hard work but I could do without another industry that is full of petty politics and pointless nastiness.
• I'm happy to be office based or travel around to different sites.
• I enjoyed management and I think I was good at it, especially mentoring my team and building processes.

Help! Not having a 'proper job' when DD goes into education is keeping me awake at night. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

I recommend human resources ticks all your criteria and you can work in any type of organisation.

But if I was you I would give serious consideration to returning to the field you left. You don't say what your job was but presumably not all companies are like dynasty or require lots of travel

Or hoW about school business Manager

No chance of going back into old industry. It's externally seen as glamorous so it attracts lots of people who are prepared to work for not much and it's also very ageist.

What is a schools business manager?

How do you get into HR?

School business manager, every school has one they basically manage all the non teaching elements of the school so finance, contracts, HR, etc , have a Google.

Human resources have a look at the cipd website on routes to entry and qualifications you stand a better chance if you have the cipd post grad qualification it is 9 months full time or you can do it part time over 2-3 years

Good luck whatever you choose

I think you would need a fairly strong business background and/or finance qualifications plus practical experience of budget management before you would be considered for a school manager position.

successful career in the creative industries (senior management level)
It sounds like you did some form of account management or PR [the handholding reference]
Do you have a degree in marketing or anything related to that career?

I know someone in your position with a similar background who has developed a very successful personal training business. I'm not suggesting it as her kids are older and the hours can be antisocial but a lot of her success is down to how she promotes her business.

Another friend who started his own restaurant engaged a business development consultant to help them develop their Facebook/Twitter/website content and look and feel. He was initially sceptical as the cost was high but it made a HUGE difference to their turnover.

I'd consider self employment as a business support consultant for the next two years in your shoes and see what you could get off the ground. You could always pursue a CIPD or a CIPS [Procurement] course in the interim.

5 years post qual - mid 30's would be a normal to low salary in the South East for a Procurement specialist [buyer] especially for someone with industry experience ie - if you were buying services related to those you used to deliver .

No luck, I was a creative, designing product. Any business experience is pretty product specific.

But that's why I'm happy to train.

Ah ok when you said senior management I assumed you had budget responsibility etc
I don't think that precludes you from school business mgr if you do a qualification in it. And if its primary school you get the school hols.
What about lecturing in your previous field?

Sorry, I'm drip feeding.

I had budget responsibility for my team, but it's nothing with a qualification.

I did wonder about teaching design. All the upset secondary school teachers that I read about in here have put me off a bit!