Am I too old to retrain at 50?

[whattheysay]

As the title says I am 50 years old and thinking about the future.
I work from home atm but income is not secure as it’s dependent on various things.

I am thinking of taking a course to train as a teaching assistant so I will have some sort of opportunity to find employment if I need to find a more secure job but worry that I’m too old now and no one will actually employ me!
I would start next September when I’m 51 and it’s a year long course so I’ll be 52 then. Will schools hire someone of this age or do they look for younger people? It may sound a silly worry and people will say you’re never too old but is that the actual reality of the world?

My husband is the main breadwinner but I worry if he became ill my current work wouldn’t be enough to support us and need something alongside it to earn enough money.

I am quite fit and healthy at the moment, although who knows what state I’ll be in in a few years time but potentially I have 15+ years of working ahead of me. Is teaching assistant the right thing to go into or should I look at something else?

I’m 52 and a teaching assistant and wondering if I have the stamina to continue for the next 15 years! I actually came onto this thread as I was curious about retraining options. A teaching assistant salary definitely wouldn’t be enough to support two people if your dh became ill.

I was under the impression a TA salary was minimum wage. Would that really make a difference if your dh became ill?

I don’t think 50 is too old to re train, but I would be wary of investing time in training as a TA (or LSA). I am not seeing schools offer any permanent TA roles as they are so cash strapped.

I had thought about the money aspect of being a TA but it would be better than nothing and also I could do it alongside my wfh business as that’s quite flexible.
I was a sahm for many years as childcare was unaffordable for us, so apart from the skills I have running a business and doing our taxes etc I haven’t worked outside the home for a very long time and so higher paid jobs won’t be available to me.

I am concerned that I can’t wait until he becomes ill because then I’ll be even older so I need to start planning now but I just don’t know what I can do.
My husband might not actually become so ill he can’t work it’s just a fear of mine.

Our mortgage will be paid off early next year so we will just have to find living expenses and we can cut down downsize as we have a large house. It won’t be what we’re used to as he’s a high earner but it will be better than benefits!

Thank you for your replies

Not too old to retrain at 50, but I wouldn’t sign up for a low paid job with no career progression (unless you get more training to become a teacher). I’d also worry about the physical demands and lack of flexibility (no wfh options etc)

I do worry about the pay and no progression but realistically at my age getting a job isn’t the easiest and being a TA is maybe as hard as working in retail. I’m not necessarily looking for great career progression at my age, although the wfh aspect is incredibly attractive.
Maybe I can do a bookkeeping course as that maybe less physically demanding.

You are not too old to retrain, for sure. I retrained at 55 but this was with a view to self employment, Employers are very blinkered, just as you say. So in your shoes, I would retrain in something and set up my own business from home. Self employment can bring a much higher income, as well!

Maybe find something you can do online?

Thank you for your reply. I already have a small business which I have run for nearly 10 years. The income is variable and I am actually a bit fed up with being self employed and think I’d rather go to a job do the job get paid and go home rather than have to be responsible for everything.
I can do this alongside any other work as it’s quite flexible.
It doesn’t bring in enough money to support our household fully although I could scale it up but I’d also like the security of regular employment

I am thinking of bookkeeping as I’m quite good with computers and have a lot of understanding about the tax system etc and I can build on those skills with some qualifications.

I just don’t know what direction to go in

I moved careers at 46 into a fantastic but very low paid job. While the money is shit its worth while because ive never had a job i love as much as this! Life is to short to do something that doesnt make you happy! Go for it!