"Could you retrain" - but in what?

[CouldYouRetrain]

I see this comment all the time on Mumsnet - "could you retrain to earn more" - but what is actually feasible with young children and swiftly leads to a job with a higher salary? I posted about it previously under a different username and just got suggestions of minimum wage roles I could apply for (& I already have one of those).

I just this comment of just retraining to earn more so frequently (& often in scenarios where people need to earn more ASAP, not years down the line), so I feel like I must be missing something?

I know the real answer is probably don't have kids until you have a solid career. I thought I had one but postnatal depression with DC1 scuppered it; I've worked part-time admin for a while but am now on maternity leave with DC2 and would love to retrain and increase earnings, but how?

Unless you can go and do a pre-registration health care course (although with the recruitment freezes even they are looking like a good option now, & they usually require shift work so only an option if you have flexible childcare or the funds to pay for it). Teaching often gets suggested but the hours during term-time are long & the teacher mums of very young children I know have all reduced to part-time due to this (not an option while training of course!).

I've looked at lots of the .gov resources and funded online courses but I can't see how they would actually lead to a better paid job (although they may help with securing a minimum wage or thereabouts role - and I already have one of those, I'm looking to earn more).

In my immediate family, 3 people including myself have retrained into better paying jobs in the last few years. We all did it with existing long term employers who paid for training and supported with time off for studies etc. All late 30s/mid40s with kids (older primary age). I was only able to retrain once dc was 7+ and covid meant that pretty much all professional courses became available online.

Each of the Combined Authorities is funding different boitcamps for shortage professions, think telecommunications engineer, data analyst etc

@CouldYouRetrain similar to other pps I took a side step as opposed to a complete retrain (which enabled me to stay employed). I’m basically in a compliance role (similar to risk management) it probably sounds dull but it’s a lot more interesting than it sounds in the right context! Compliance/audit/cyber sec would likely all be possible side steps from finance.

I know what you mean about that being said on here OP and have been wondering the same about myself for years. I am now thinking of retraining to be a teacher but my kids are a lot older now. I am working in a school to gain experience and volunteered for a few years in another to see if it is what I wanted to do. It’s the world’s longest retraining decision though, I first considered it 20 years ago.

I retrained with small kids, but crucially I had been made redundant with a payment of a year's wages. I paid for childcare and didn't attempt to work a second job during my course, just devoted my time to it. I don't know how one could do this while still working.

If you want a traditional apprenticeship, I'm told there are opportunities in HGV repair and a lot of the big companies would like to recruit women. Wages once qualified are up to 49k. You would need to be able to live on apprentice wages for 3 years tho, work full time and pay for childcare.

Finance is what I'm running away from. I have the ICAEW Certificate in Finance, Accounting and Business

Have you considered being self employed as a book keeper / support to the myriad of small businesses that exist but who might themselves find the finance side much more difficult than the skills they trade in ?
Something you could presumably start small (incl on maternity leave) and put more and more time into as your business grows. Hours could be relatively flexible, and you presumably already have at least some of the skills, and certainly the cognition and leaning towards, even if you might need to top up, or add to your qualification for something specific to this ?

Not at Level 3, and even at Level 5 there were a lot on my course that didn't work in HR but perhaps in roles like recruitment consulting. It's a career where experience counts hence I started as an HR Administrator but from there you have more opportunities to progress.

Ive been looking into doing this! Is it easy to find work once qualified?
What is the practical assessment like, Do you have to Dive , swim 50 meters etc?
TIA :)

It’s very easy to find work but definitely better suited to part time. Full time would be difficult. There’s a national shortage of swim teachers. You may need a rescue qualification but a “reach rescue” is usually sufficient rather than full life guarding where you’d need a timed swim/deep rescue etc. there’s literally no prerequisites to becoming a swim teacher. You’ll just need a qualification from swim England or STA.

Yes my neighbour has just retrained as an electrician after doing retail jobs for years. Her kids are young teens. She seems to be enjoying it.

I was chatting to the newly qualified electrician in the team who fitted our heat pump. He said he'd paid for a private course to retrain & increase his earnings. It didn't take years, but nearly everyone on the course had a placement lined up before they even started - friend of their dad, that kind of thing. It was tough for him finding that first job from cold even with the qualification. But he did manage it in the end.

Swimming teachers need to learn about drowning and rescues but not to the extent that a lifeguard needs to know about. There would normally always be a lifeguard during a swimming lesson. (Ex lifeguard- all my rescues were in swimming lessons and sometimes the swimming teacher noticed a potential drowning before me and did the rescue).

Also train (or bus) driving might be something worth looking at. Train drivers are very well paid for their qualification level (appreciate they have responsibility).

I was perusing jobs last night & there was an apprentice radiographer position not too far away (commutable) but it starts in September and DC2 would only be 7 months old. I'm not really looking to go into a fulltime job + studying alongside it while the kids are so young (appreciate that I'm privileged to have that choice, but I'm worried it would be too much & I'd have a relapse of the depression).
I guess I can only hope a similar opportunity comes up in a few years but I wish I could do it!

SIA security training is very short. Bayliff enforcement officer training is longer but some of it at least is on the job. High court qualified can earn 40-50k with commission.
Police are paid from the start of training and earn quite well quite quickly.

As you say NHS apprenticeships would be great and the work load in say dietetics is not too onerous.