Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

is 55 too old, seriously?

64 replies

my2020newdecade · 21/12/2019 11:49

I have a life plan for the new decade, this includes getting a job of some description.

I've been out of work for so long now that my self esteem re employability is shot to bits (SAHP) - fairly unsupportive DH which doesn't help and this may well be part of my new driving factor.

I've been applying for jobs but haven't even go as far as an interview which is making me feel like my timing is off and I'm too late now?

OP posts:
JoanieCash · 21/12/2019 11:51

Could you start with volunteering, as you may gain skills and confidence that can then be transferred to paid work.

NoMorePoliticsPlease · 21/12/2019 11:51

No but it depends what jobs you are applying for. Maybe some professional career advice would be useful

IlluminatiParty · 21/12/2019 11:52

Never too old! Don't listen to DH. You get one life go for it! The way the govt is going retirement age will probably be 70+ soon so you could be at the start of a 20 year career!

HowlsMovingBungalow · 21/12/2019 11:52

Agree with volunteering suggestion, it will give you an up to date reference too for your CV.

BillieEilish · 21/12/2019 11:52

Of course it's not too old. It's young, think of retirement age now.

Very good luck Flowers

OpheIiaBaIIs · 21/12/2019 11:58

I'm mid 40s and having the same trouble. I haven't worked since 1997 when I was pg with DD. I've done plenty of voluntary work in the meantime and lots of unpaid work (writing/media stuff mainly) but no joy. I have a chronic illness which means I have mobility issues and as it's fluctuating, some days I can be fairly OK while on others I can't get out of bed. Of course I have to mention this on applications and I suspect this might be a factor along with my age and lack of work history. It's really getting me down so I know how you feel, OP. It's so frustrating.

Hollygaggles · 21/12/2019 12:09

I'm in my 50s and just doing the same! PP are right in that first you need to have some active voluntary experience to show you're out there and willing and you get the benefit of an up to date reference as well. There's plenty on offer and folks would snap your hand off I bet to get some help. What are you interested in?

School parent governor
Animal shelter
Charity shops
Neighborhood watch
Community driver
Youth mentor/advocate
Reading partner for children in school

Good luck! And keep posting so we can cheer you on. Smile

SunshineAngel · 21/12/2019 12:10

I have a friend who started her degree at the same time as me. I was 18, she was 49. After the degree, she decided she wanted to do a further degree to specialise a bit, and now she's 59 (today, actually!) and about to start her first "proper" job in the new year. She is very excited, and will never ever let her age hold her back.

I think it holds you back as much as you let it, tbh.

SwedishEdith · 21/12/2019 12:11

What jobs are you applying for where they know your age? Lots of recruitment is 'blind' now (yes, I know saying O-levels gives something away but you could get around that, maybe).

Redcrayons · 21/12/2019 12:16

What do you want to do?

My sister struggled to find work with a very patchy work history (due to a long term health issue) in part time admin kind of role she wanted. However she walked into a cleaning job at a care home.

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 21/12/2019 12:18

I got a job at 54 after about 18 years as sahm. I discovered fairly quickly after not hearing back from anyone I applied to, that volunteering in a relevant field is the gateway to getting a job after that long out.

I volunteered for 6 months, then applied for jobs, got 4 interviews and 1 job offer where I am happily working now.

Redcrayons · 21/12/2019 12:19

yes, I know saying O-levels gives something away but you could get around that, maybe

A recruitment consultant advised me to either leave them out and just put my highest level of qualification - I have a degree and post grad qualification, or to just call them GCSEs. I'm 48 and the last year to do Olevels, anyone even 5 years younger than me would just assume they are GCSEs anyway.

SurpriseSparDay · 21/12/2019 12:19

a job of some description.

This is much too vague and won’t help your search.

What is your area of expertise? All jobs are competitive nowadays. You would be well advised to acquire a new skill, preferably one that’s in demand.

Do you have a first degree? (Have you ever worked in something related to it?) If so (and bearing in mind the unsupportive DP) I’d suggest looking into doing a postgraduate degree if at all possible. You still have years of work before official retirement and you may not want to spend them doing only the worst jobs available.

If academia (even vocational) isn’t your thing, maybe you could look into apprenticeships.

(Quite honestly I’d say you need something more than unskilled volunteering to get you to where you want to be.)

FestiveFavourites · 21/12/2019 12:22

You are definitely not too old, after all 60 is the new 40 and you're not even within reaching distance of that yet. What sort of job are you hoping to get? I agree that some sort of voluntary role in the industry you are interested in will give you some skills. There are always vacancies in healthcare, is that something you would consider? Good luck. Ignore your unsupportive DH.

SwedishEdith · 21/12/2019 12:28

A recruitment consultant advised me to either leave them out and just put my highest level of qualification

Exactly. Or just say 'school qualifications in...' if they are your highest ones.

gottagetbetter7 · 21/12/2019 12:29

Of course not, I have just got a new job in 50s after many years of voluntary & very casual part-time work. The retirement age is 67 (and may rise yet further) so surely we are still expected to work. However I agree that having a bit more focus on the area you would like to get into would be helpful.

Devereux1 · 21/12/2019 12:32

I'd go against the grain here - volunteering is great, but don't do it as your first step to getting back to paid work.

Work. Find a job, apply for it, do it if you get it, find out as much as you can about why you didn't get it if you don't.
Repeat.

Of course 55 isn't too old by the way. You probably have more common sense and ability in your little finger than many nowadays..

CrotchetyQuaver · 21/12/2019 12:37

No of course you're not too old same age as me
12 months ago following a truly awful few years I started doing what I trained to do many years ago, (musician) obviously it's taken a while to recover full "fitness" but I can honestly say I'm playing better now than I was 30 years ago. Which is brilliant because I want to realise all that potential I've wasted for years and see how far I can go on this journey before old age and arthritis take their toll and I physically can't do it any more. So I'm going to find a suitable teacher and have a few lessons next year and see how I can achieve that. A positive mindset is your best friend here. Surrounding yourself with positive people also helps. Prove your DH wrong!

Be a little structured about it all and work out what you want to do then go backwards and do a plan for how you're going to get there. There used to be courses to try and help people return to work after a long gap, I dont know if there is still such a thing?
Good luck with it all.

shinynewapplesonachristmastree · 21/12/2019 13:27

What kind of work are you looking for / interested in, OP?

milliefiori · 21/12/2019 13:27

55 isn't too old for anything at all.
But if you haven't worked even part time for decades, I think you need to ease your way in. Think what your ideal role might be and then find some part time or freelance work that will help you develop the right skills.
You could try and get a part-time job in a local shop or cafe to gain recent experience and then apply to a bigger retail firm that offers potential for management training.

Or do an admin course to learn current WP and Excel skills and then advertise yourself as a freelance administrator/PA specialising in small, local businesses and say you are happy to do half a day a week if that's all they need, so you can build up experience of different office jobs before applying for a permanent role.

Or try becoming a TA or lunch time helper at your local school to see if education would appeal to you.

If all else fails, set up your own business, using your current best skills. If you are great with kids, childminders are always in demand. If you actually enjoy housework or laundry you could set up as a cleaning or ironing service. If you are arty, make stuff to sell on Etsy and NOTHS and in local market and craft fair stalls.If you have a degree from long ago in any GCSE curriculum subject you could set up as a tutor with a bit of research and prep into current syllabuses. If you love walking, you can walk dogs for money. None of these get you out into the world much but they are good start points to have something recent on your CV.

MaidenMotherCrone · 21/12/2019 13:37

Sign up with a recruitment agency. You will get work, a wage and be able to build your CV.

BeBraveAndBeKind · 22/12/2019 10:36

Do you have anyone who can review your applications before you send them? If your self esteem is very low, maybe you're not selling yourself as much as you could be. You'll have acquired loads of skills through being a SAHP e. g. planning, operating to budgets etc. (I once had a question in an interview about clear communication and used an example of instructing my very literal Autistic child - got the job). Get a second pair of eyes on the applications, preferably a pair belonging to some who either interviews as part of their job or someone in the field you're applying to.

SurpriseSparDay · 22/12/2019 10:48

It doesn’t sound as if the OP is applying in any particular field - which may be part of the difficulty.

maddiemookins16mum · 22/12/2019 11:02

I’m 55, was made redundant 3 years ago - had worked for over 35 years by that point.
It was very, very hard to get another job, I was competing with all the ‘young uns’.
Eventually I did but it’s well known that once you hit your 50s it is far tougher.

Imaturkey · 22/12/2019 11:04

I’m not trying to piss on anyone’s bonfire but do you not think some of you are being a bit naive?

What are you applying for, OP?

Swipe left for the next trending thread