New career path for a 43year old Auditor

[InventingSarah]

Looking for advice and ideas please all.

I'm a 43year old woman currently working part time as an audit manager. I'm FCA. It's the only career I've known.

I feel I need a change and a new challenge. As much for myself as anything else. Though I am feeling flat at the thought of new auditing standards and new regulations too which is driving this post.

I live in the SE and earn a FTE of c£70k.

Any ideas what else I could do with my transferable skills that brings in a good wage.

Why don't you move into industry? Financial reporting or internal audit are the obvious choices. You'll still earn well and IME these jobs are FAR more enjoyable than external audit. I'm sure with your experience you'll be snapped up.

What about a sideways move into roles to do with governance, risk and compliance, or perhaps financial crime prevention / data governance - where you are working in a new firm. For example within insurance, or banking, or any other large company. There would be lots of different specific areas to focus into

Auditing sustainability and green house gas emissions are going to be huge in the coming years. It might not be enough of a change though.

Well I mis-read your title for author, so that’s my suggestion

I would move into industry, into a financial reporting role because that will get you the best immediate job out of practice. Then in two years you will know your new company & the roles on offer and will be a good candidate for all sorts of roles - obviously finance (not just reporting but FP&A, business partnering, internal audit) but also other roles eg operations manager, business roles. You have lots of options & your salary is very matchable but take your time to select the right sector / company to move to - what sector experience do you have? On size, I would start with the largest possible company because it will have the largest number of possible jobs for you to observe as you work out your move after the initial reporting job. Good luck this will be invigorating!

Assuming you are happy to stay in some form of accounting there are jobs everywhere at the moment, look at a bunch of adverts and see what appeals I work in an SME as general head of finance, its very different to auditing. I have always quite fancied lecturing (but pay is bad) or personal finance planning (but not sure I am enough of a sale person) but there are other sideways moves. You could look at government type jobs i also nearly joined the NAO, but all kinds of branches of government need accountants, school finance management ... lots of things.

Thanks all, and apologies for late acknowledgement. Each response has given me something to think about. Thank you.