Help me find a new job/ career

[Midlifecareerchange]

I need ideas for a new job/ career. I'm a full time teacher with a degree in music. No other qualifications. I earn just under 50K and I work unbelievably hard in term times, getting up at 5am and having no time to exercise or do anything besides the basics. I spend most of every winter ill and exhausted. I'm perimenopausal, stressed, burned out and need a change.

any ideas? I can't take time out of work or pay to retrain due to mortgage and teens with expensive hobbies.

It is hard to give up the holidays and the TPS, I do find my job rewarding and I know I make a difference to young peoples' lives but I just don't have the energy for it any more.

All ideas considered! I'm in London if that makes any difference

Can you move to a policy or advisory role in local or national government? You need to do something that is based on your experience as a teacher in order to maintain that salary.

Are those LEA type jobs? I'm not sure even where to start looking for those kinds of jobs and I always think they're more for teachers who have been in leadership roles?

I can’t recommend local government. Budgetary pressures mean most people (in my experience) are vastly overworked. 1 in 10 councils are in a perilous financial position in 2024.

I work 9.5 hours most days, Monday to Friday on a 37 hour a week contract just to keep my head above water. I’m desperately trying to switch sectors, senior role, top of pay grade, nowhere to go internally.

I think you’ll struggle to walk into a job paying circa £50k in an alternative field. Sorry but you will. I’ve got relevant quals and decades of experience and I’m struggling to find another role (need to maintain my income level too).

I feared as much @GradGirl. Although I think my council is better off than some, a friend who works there hates it so much she will never speak about work, so I'm never actually sure what she does!

What about corporate training? I wonder how much knowledge you need of the subject, or whether the main thing is being able to teach well … you might be able to pick up the content quite quickly?

i actually work in the hetitage sector where there are a lot of ex-teachers working in community development type roles. You wouldn’t be able to walk in to a 50k salary but if you’re interested in that area you could gain some experience and contacts quite easily by making contact with local museums. But remember they’re all charities and the pay is generally worse than in teaching, although the work life balance is better

@Wildrosebush i just don't want to be facing groups of people all the time any more. I sometimes dream of being a librarian - the silent kind that says shh to people occasionally not the kind that has to sing in public for toddler groups 😂 I don't even have a GCSE in History but I'll have a think about it. I do love old buildings, had wondered about English Heritage or the National Trust

assuming you love the music side, Google “music charity jobs” a few things come up including admin roles, media relations (may expect previous experience in pr etc). Or maybe something theatre based?