Honestly … is it silly to retrain at fifty three?

[fiftythreeorfour]

It probably is.

At fifty three, I’ll have an eleven year old and a nearly fourteen year old. They’ll both be at senior school.

So by the time I qualify I’d be fifty five …

And I’d be starting at the bottom.

Daft.

Or maybe they haven’t reached menopause… I’m 55yo and still bleeding every f* month

The peri was worse. I am now 61. Definitely post menopause!

Hi @fiftythreeorfour- did you decide what to do?

Thanks to this thread & @hayal I have applied through Step Up to Social Work to train as a SW.

I should hear at the end of April if I have been shortlisted for the next stage, if I am successful I will start the course in just under a years time - it’s 14 months with a bursary and tuition fees fully funded.

I will update again when I hear if I am selected for the next stage of the process.

That's what I did but with a different career. I retrained just before I hit 50, it was a 4-year course, I had secondary-aged kids at the time and an almost full-time job I hated. It wasn't easy but it was worth it. The time is going to pass anyway so you might as well learn something new, keep your brain busy, give yourself a new lease of life, and if it leads onto a new career that's fulfilling, even better! I am firmly in the do it camp OP!

Retrained and qualified at 55 …it was great to get an academic qualification after leaving school at 15 with nothing

SWs can get burnt out..overworked! I worked alongside SWs for ten years and saw some of the pressures but I guess you have to try it yourself…

good luck!

I would say if you think you can balance the demands and have support with the children then go for it. SWs are desperately needed, and a mix if ages and life experience is good.

I’m a SW. Retrained as one in my thirties. Do one of the fast tracked courses if you can.
Definitely 100% do it. Do you know what field yet? I worked in child protection and I would have burnt out very quickly. Older adults is nice, not slow paced by any means, but very complex all the DOLs/ COP/ best interest stuff. I’m in a hospital setting now which I love but in the future I might go into something mental health or learning disability related.
I would just say don’t expect to fly up the pay scales, they do value experience so I think I’ll have to wait 3-4 years before being able to apply for senior social work posts.
Also can you spend time in a role with some social work experience prior to starting, such as a social care worker, if you’re not in one already. The reality is very different, and the admin is huge. Just logging on to catch up for two hours on a Saturday.

Go for it! Never too old to do anything you want. The government keep pushing the pension age back as we're all living longer. Do something you really want to do.

Go for it. It’s not silly. I am retraining and there are several older people on my course, in their 50s and 60s.

As long as you know what you are getting into go for it. I imagine ages is an asset for social work. I retrained at 40. Was the best thing I did.

Good luck.

I’ve applied for children & families - I’ve worked with children for years so I’ve definitely got the experience.

Will I burnout - who knows, but as has been said on here several times - the years will pass whatever I do so I’m going to give it a go. It’s so clear in my current role that more Social Workers are desperately needed - and I always think if I don’t step up to do something about issues that bother me then I have no right to expect anything to change - very idealistic I know but the older I get the clearer it is that it’s only the things I didn’t try that I regret!

Not many manage to keep going as a career for life these days, so joining and doing a few years is realistic. It is a very admin and data heavy job,process driven , so I wouldn't have high expectations about what you can do within the role sadly but go for it.

Ahh op go for it.
im a manager in social work. 12 years as a sw and 3 as manager. I’ve never regretted my choice.
where abouts are you ?
im in Scotland, lots of different areas of work. Do you have a specific interest.
the job can be challenging but rewarding

Well you will still be 53, and you will either be 53 with or without a qualification. I say GO FOR IT!! But make sure you do some work shadowing first to know it’s deffo right career for you. 2 weeks of insight could save 3 years being wasted.

I retrained as a SW and qualified when I was 47.. been practicing for 15 years. I started in child protection, then specialised in fostering and adoption. Got bored of that and the last three years I've been working with older people. Depends on the day but I love it and hate it... The salary no where near covers what the job demands, physically, emotionally or socially. I worked till midnight last night from 7.45am... no lunch, drink your coffee at your desk.

Ive been kicked, sworn at, spat at, shouted at, threatened, intimidated, insulted etc... all in a day's work... SW is not for the faint hearted.

Would I do it again? Absolutely

Don't do SW if you are emotionally frail - you will be carrying a load, often on your own, that most people cannot comprehend even though they think they understand. SW needs empathetic, pragmatic, accountable, reliable, strong and resilient people..

There is lots of opportunities to progress up the management ladder (mostly because no one wants that) and there are so many different settings where you can work... The world will be your oyster - unfortunately you will not have the time or energy to enjoy it 😁

Go for it; even if you never actually practice SW, the qualification will open doors you never knew about

In case it’s of use to others (since this thread is a couple of months old) - there is an actual Mature Study and Retraining board on MN:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/mature_students

Given the effort and enthusiasm for its creation it seems a shame that so many posters haven’t been alerted to its existence.

Hi @fiftythreeorfour and @hayal I’m just popping back on here to say that I have heard back from Step up to Social Work and I have been shortlisted!! There is an assessment centre to attend now which is a full day of interviews, roleplay, group work, a written exercise and then in July I will find out if I have been accepted.

If anyone is interested I will pop back on to update as to whether or not I am successful.

My SIL did similar at same sort of age. She worked with women escaping abusive relationships. I think she found it a lot more fulfilling than her previous job in the car industry.

@Keithiscryingagainplease let us know how you get on and all the best luck in the world

Depends on the role.

I retrained as a medical secretary and qualified aged 54. I never got a job. Quite a lot of interviews but didn't get a job, despite working as a private secretary in NHS for 10 years. Albeit 5 years prior.

Unfortunately ageism is alive and well. I applied for over 200 jobs, all relevant to my qualification which I got all distinctions in. I always asked for feedback and each time had just been pipped to the post by a slightly better candidate, allegedly!

It also depends on what you are currently doing and if it bares any relevance to your retraining. The biggest problem I had was i was frequently interviewed by women considerably younger than me who i found it difficult to connect with. For example one lovely manager told me she had just come back from maternity leave, then asked about a several year gap in my employment 30 years ago. Which was when i stayed home with my first child as there was very little childcare provision in my area plus i hadnt qualified for the right to return to work. It was so awkward and of course i didn't get the job as she probably didnt understand.

I don't regret it though, I really enjoyed the course and it gave me a huge boost in self confidence.

That's fantastic news, @Keithiscryingagain ! I'm watching with interest - also pondering retraining at a similar age. Please do keep us posted!

Congratulations @Keithiscryingagain and all the best for the next step!

This is good to hear - that you didn't regret doing the course despite not getting a job later. I'm also a 50 something about to retrain, and again, there are no guarantees. I'm going to focus on enjoying it/getting the most out of it that I can, regardless of employability later.

Keep us updated . Would be interesting to hear, and we can offer support on the way

I am back with an update!

The assessment day was hard - group work, role play, written work and a panel interview.

But I heard today that I have been successful - uni starts in January, mixed in with placements for 14 months and then I’ll be qualified. I can’t quite believe it.

If you’re reading this and thinking about doing something similar - give it a go. It honestly was this thread that gave me the push.

I’m more than happy to come back next year with updates on how it’s going if anyone is interested.