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If you had to start completely again at 54

130 replies

MisguidedOptimist · 09/11/2025 14:01

what would you do?

As a woman who has been rinsed financially by her stbexh, was a sahm to five kids, no skills and is looking to rebuild from scratch but is ambitious and wants to earn good money, where would you start?

I am lost. I want to train. Build a career. Be self sufficient. I would like to aim high as I may as well. But it’s all new to me!

What direction?

OP posts:
Noneofus · 09/11/2025 15:54

Estate Agent. Don't think there are any qualifications for getting into that are there?

How are you at presenting yourself? Are you good with people or a natural communicator? Because there are people who set themselves up in businesses that you don't really need any qualifications for.

I know someone who set herself up as a parenting expert and now earns a good income.

Life coach is another.
Mother's help?
Specialist nannies can earn a very good salary with very rich people. There was a nanny on here who specialises in new borns for wealthy families. Its 24/7 whilst she has a contract but she had a very good annual income.

Professional Mothers to men with fetishes of being a baby who is mothered also pays well. No sex involved. That would make me vomit though.

Anyway, just saying there might be some 'outside the box' ideas.

Mogwatch · 09/11/2025 15:59

hibiscuslightening · 09/11/2025 15:45

How about learning BSL. You can start learning online for free and once you have a basic qualification it can open doors to BSL support work. Once you have a job they will support you to train to a higher level. There is a real shortage of BSL support workers in education and once trained the pay of much better than regular TA work.

@hibiscuslightening could you recommend any routes for this? I looked into this after level 1 but the impression I got was people find themselves having to self fund up to level 6 which costs thousands.

Noneofus · 09/11/2025 16:01

You could also see if your local council runs employment support schemes. You count as ' economically inactive' and are exactly the sort of person they would look to support into work. SOme of these schemes are very good and provide free training, help with cv's, gaining experience to get a job, some even provide equipment you may need for particular work. You also get a mentor to support you through the journey to getting a job. It would be worth trying to get onto one of these. You could contact the council directly or try asking at the job centre.

PauliesWalnuts · 09/11/2025 16:03

Noneofus · 09/11/2025 15:54

Estate Agent. Don't think there are any qualifications for getting into that are there?

How are you at presenting yourself? Are you good with people or a natural communicator? Because there are people who set themselves up in businesses that you don't really need any qualifications for.

I know someone who set herself up as a parenting expert and now earns a good income.

Life coach is another.
Mother's help?
Specialist nannies can earn a very good salary with very rich people. There was a nanny on here who specialises in new borns for wealthy families. Its 24/7 whilst she has a contract but she had a very good annual income.

Professional Mothers to men with fetishes of being a baby who is mothered also pays well. No sex involved. That would make me vomit though.

Anyway, just saying there might be some 'outside the box' ideas.

Sex worker to sleazy blokes who have a nappy or breastfeeding fetish isn’t just an “outside the box” suggestion. It’s more like a “outside the building and at the other end of the street” suggestion if you ask me.

Noneofus · 09/11/2025 16:03

Our local council also takes on trainees for childcare work - they recruit older applicants too. Obviously initial pay is not much but there is a career structure to better paid work in childcare, especially in family support work, or you could work up to office type operational management roles or policy work too which would pay better.

Tryingatleast · 09/11/2025 16:05

It depends op, could you not just look at office/ government jobs or yes, bookkeeping? Why do you want to progress to accounting?

Noneofus · 09/11/2025 16:05

PauliesWalnuts · 09/11/2025 16:03

Sex worker to sleazy blokes who have a nappy or breastfeeding fetish isn’t just an “outside the box” suggestion. It’s more like a “outside the building and at the other end of the street” suggestion if you ask me.

Yeah I know. I do know of someone who got into this after being left high and dry in a divorce like OP though. She has found she is very good at it and earns a good living. Its doesn't involve sex though - its gross stuff like giving them a bottle and changing their nappies. Not for me.

Judellie · 09/11/2025 16:05

You could do an Accounting technician course

MrsSkylerWhite · 09/11/2025 16:07

MisguidedOptimist · 09/11/2025 15:04

I just don’t have have. I’m really looking for something I can skill up on quickly.

Teacher training course for older people? Your transferable skills would be a good fit.

MisguidedOptimist · 09/11/2025 16:07

Tryingatleast · 09/11/2025 16:05

It depends op, could you not just look at office/ government jobs or yes, bookkeeping? Why do you want to progress to accounting?

More money. Better career in accounting?

OP posts:
BountifulPantry · 09/11/2025 16:11

I’d look for something with a decent pension personally. And something easy on you (not caring or something physical) like a desk job you could do until mid- late 60s.

YourWildAmberSloth · 09/11/2025 16:14

Can you drive? A family member retrained as a driving instructor last year - they are self-employed and business is good.

PermanentTemporary · 09/11/2025 16:16

At 54? Sales.

If you can sell, you’re going to make money and progress. It is not easy, but because of that there is training involved, at least with big companies. What you need most of all is motivation, and having been royally shafted and needing money you gave that. You’ve also got maturity and presumably resilience, which can help

Sales people who do well have a good line straight to management and even the board. Why not?

Do I know how to get started in a good organisation in sales? No 😂 but I would post another thread specifically about this and also start asking around, google and ChatGPT it.

MisguidedOptimist · 09/11/2025 16:16

BountifulPantry · 09/11/2025 16:11

I’d look for something with a decent pension personally. And something easy on you (not caring or something physical) like a desk job you could do until mid- late 60s.

Yes. Good advice. I doubt I will ever stop working though given my circs.

OP posts:
FlorenceAgainstTheMachine · 09/11/2025 16:17

MisguidedOptimist · 09/11/2025 15:38

GCSEs and A levels and a degree in English lit

Teacher training? You said you had no skills! This is a decent academic background. I’m not sure why you think you don’t have skills.

dizzydizzydizzy · 09/11/2025 16:17

Train driver?

jobs.southeasternrailway.co.uk/jobs/job/Trainee-Train-Driver/2293

SingingOcean · 09/11/2025 16:25

I think careers such as teaching require a lot of energy. To a great extent teacher training is a young person’s game.

gmgnts · 09/11/2025 16:26

Prison officer - lots of opportunities for promotion once you get going. Training on the job.

SleepQuest33 · 09/11/2025 16:28

MisguidedOptimist · 09/11/2025 16:07

More money. Better career in accounting?

There are people who have worked in the big 4 currently trying to get a job. It takes years to build up the experience you need to ve a good accountant in my opinion. I think at 54 is too late. Bookkeeping will be gone soon thanks to AI which is advancing really fast.

I would look for a career that can allow you to be self employed long term. Driving instructor for example. I tried to hire a good one for my Ron recently and she didn’t have availability she was so busy!

Taxi driver for the council (taking children to and from schoool, etc)

Cleaner, can pick your own hours!

Nifty50something · 09/11/2025 16:30

Get a retail job and work your way up into management?

EBearhug · 09/11/2025 16:30

TA then teaching? CELTA then language teaching? They not going to make you rich, though.

Have you done any voluntary work, like the PTA or anything? Any sort of experience like that?

What skills do you have? You're my age, so might have got through uni with handwritten essays. Can you use Excel and Word and so on?

I would write down everything you are keen on in a job, in terms of tasks - and another list of things you really don't want. You say you're not interested in care or nursing, but is that just the hands-on side of it? Would you do administration or reception work in a medical setting? This is why you need to consider the tasks rather than the job title.

Think also about working environment- would you want to work outside at all, even when it's tipping down and a biting wind? Are you okay with always being sat at a desk? How much physical work are you up for? (My knees have some opinions on this one these days.) Would you do shift work, evenings, overnight, unpredictable hours? What about commuting? How far are you prepared to/able to travel to work?

There may be a lot of things where you don't know, because you don't know what is involved, or haven't tried, and that's okay, too.

This should all start building up a profile of possible jobs. Then you can look at required qualifications, whether you already have that or need to do some training.

My Mum started out with temping once we were old enough to be left home alone for a while, and got to try a number of different places, but she did have some secretarial qualifications and experience from before we were born, and had done Word snd Excel at evening classes. I think she quite enjoyed trying different workplaces out before one of them decided to offer her a permanent place.

BlindSpotForCats · 09/11/2025 16:33

I'd do what someone I know did during covid.

Got a bunch of animal husbandry qualifications, sold her house, bought a cottage in a rural area with about an acre of land and set up a truly fantastic cattery and kennel.

There is room for 20 dogs and 12 cats. She also takes small animals such as rabbits.

CautiousLurker2 · 09/11/2025 16:34

MisguidedOptimist · 09/11/2025 15:38

GCSEs and A levels and a degree in English lit

16+ teaching? You can get the certification on the job? Same with other forms of teaching - you don’t need a PGCE, but it still takes 2 years to get there? Hoping to follow this route myself next year.

Doobedobe · 09/11/2025 16:37

Look on the website 'Successful Mums' they have courses and support to get back into work.