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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To give up work and go to university for 3 years?

53 replies

muminthecity · 15/09/2013 17:35

I have a really good, secure job that I love doing. However, I've been doing it for a long time and have reached the highest level of promotion that I could possibly get. The money is shit, and I'm always broke. I am a single parent to an 8 year old.

I have always, always wanted to be a midwife. I nearly went to uni once to do a degree in midwifery but for various family-related reasons I didn't end up doing it. Then I had DD fairly young and, due to the fact that the course involves lots of work, doing shifts at different hospitals, I never applied again.

However, now that DD is older and at school, which has excellent wrap-around care, and I have lots of supportive friends and family members living close by, I feel that it might just be possible.

The only thing worrying me is the money side of it. Because it is an NHS course, I will get good bursaries, and possibly other loans etc. But however much I get, it will obviously be less than what I earn now, and will be a real struggle. It will mean no holidays or expensive presents for DD for a few years. But I will be much better off financially in the long run.

Also, I turn 30 soon. Am I too old to suddenly become a full time student? I really, really want this but I don't want DD to suffer because of it.

What do you think? Should I go for it, or AIBU?

OP posts:

ImperialBlether · 15/09/2013 19:16

I am outside London, well away from London, but I know the situation here quite well because one of my friends is a senior midwife at the local specialist hospital. She says it isn't that they don't need midwives, they do. but there is just no money to take them on. One of my neighbours retrained as a midwife when she was in her late 20s after having a child. Before then she worked for one of the banks and was ready for promotion. She took out a student loan, retrained and did well. However she was never able to find a job. It is not easy to get on to the bank for nursing. She found it absolutely impossible. I asked my friend and she said that there were so many people waiting just to go on to the bank that it was ridiculous. My neighbour ended up back at Barclays bank having missed the chance of promotion and had to work several more years before that was available to her. While she is working she had to pay back the student loan for midwifery even though she didn't get a job using her degree.

PottyLotty · 15/09/2013 19:20

Definately go for it, as you say you are already at the top of your role at the moment and you will have another 30 years+ working.
At some point you will have to make that leap and do something different to progress otherwise you will be stuck doing what you are doing now and always wonder what it would have been like if you had retrained as a midwife.
Good luck

Thrustbadger · 15/09/2013 19:32

I think job wise in Lndon you'd be fine. Especially as like someone said there's an ageing midwife population. Where I work we can't actually recruit midwives. We really struggle.

comfyclothes · 15/09/2013 19:50

I am actually thinking of doing the same thing. I work in a call centre and have done for ten years. I hate it and just cant see my future working there.
I am looking at doing adult nursing. I need to do an access course first then the degree so it would be 4 years for me. I am 30 with two kids but feel I need to do something re a change of career before its too late.
Its the financial side of things that I am worried about and I need to look into.

Good luck!

Dilidali · 15/09/2013 19:51

Ok, there's another way to do it.
You can train as a nurse (never short of a job) and then do a postgrad in midwifery (1year).
Once you're qualified as a nurse, you get your full salary paid (band 5) for the year you study midwifery.

Firsttimemummy33 · 15/09/2013 19:57

Go for it, 30 is nowhere near too old and the three years at Uni will fly over. Good luck :)

Sianilaa · 15/09/2013 19:59

Do it!!

I'm 31 and about to start uni at the end of this month to do something very similar!

HappyMummyOfOne · 15/09/2013 20:09

I know a couple of people who eventually got places on a course and now both work in NMW jobs as they cannot get a midwife job. Both have DPs that can cover nights and weekends so it will be doable once they get jobs. Same goes for teachers and getting jobs after completing their PGSE.

If your child is only 8 you are going to need an awful amount of childcare from family and for a good few years. Thats not something to put on them lightly and if they get fed up how would you cover it

Giving up a stable job whilst being the only earner is a huge risk and one you need to be completely sure of so that you dont end up thousands in debt and with no job.

fluffandnonsense · 15/09/2013 21:06

I've just been through the process of researching what it takes to become a midwife and have come to the decision that it is an unrealistic dream. I have good grades and a degree but they aren't in a related subject ie a 'health science' so I would need to do at least a 12 month access course which is not covered by any sort of bursary and could cost thousands to fund myself. After that I need to get onto the course which according to the midwife I spoke to at the university is near on impossible. She said they have something like 350 applicants a year for 10 places and lots of those are fully trained nurses who would always get preference.

So I could do the access course, earn no money while I do so and then still not get onto the course. If I did get onto the course it would be another 3 years unpaid whilst forking out for childcare. Lots of very unsociable hours including lots of back to back shifts where I could be working 20 hours solid.

Then having looked in my area there are no jobs available. Yes there is a shortage of midwives but the NHS aren't supplying the funding to employ new ones! I'd be looking at working at least an hour away from my home.

All in all it was a pretty bleak picture and I've had to rethink my plan for the future. Gutting but necessary.

fluffandnonsense · 15/09/2013 21:09

Also I highly recommend reading 'Diary of a student midwife,' it really opened my eyes to the reality of what the job entailed and what the training would be like.

Thrustbadger · 15/09/2013 21:09

Different unis will have different entry requirements.

I know its got tougher now but when I did my training 8 years ago I got a place with an unrelated degree, an unrelated diploma and gcses. I didn't have to do an access course.

Original poster

muminthecity · 15/09/2013 21:14

Lots to think about here, and lots of good points I hadn't really considered. Thank you all for taking the time to reply. I have just booked myself onto an open day at a university in a few weeks, where I will have the chance to find out more about the whole process and get a better idea of whether this is possible or not. Will decide where to go from there.

OP posts:

Dayshiftdoris · 16/09/2013 07:17

Consider this

I am a qualified midwife, single parent to a 9yr old

I LEFT midwifery after 10 plus years in the job because juggling shifts, etc was too much - I was accommodated short term but it was made clear it couldn't continue...

Your family & friends are supportive now but what about after a number of years of you needing childcare at any point across 24hrs with 1-2week notice? What you are asking them to do is hugely disruptive. There is no paid childcare that will cover the shifts and if your childcare becomes ill / change of circumstances you are stuffed.

As midwifery is so popular they are asking for the best results academically and experience in a maternity unit / pregnancy related job...,

I would advise you looked at the Maternity Support Worker (MSW) roles as they are more involved that a HCA, it will go towards your application and you'll get to see if you can realistically manage the shifts.

Space2000 · 16/09/2013 07:25

Hi sorry haven't read whole thread....so if This has been mentioned sorry. But definately do it, if no midwife jobs you can do a years extra course to be a health visitor if no midwife jobs.

BeckAndCall · 16/09/2013 07:34

One more negative factor to add, I'm afraid.

Bear in mind that although its a 3 year university degree - you don't get university length holidays! It's a 48 week commitment, and you don't chose the weeks off. So you need to think through holiday child care for your DD.

And placements Are a big part Of your course and can be shift style working straight away - again, childcare - and can be a long long way from your base.

cantreachmytoes · 16/09/2013 07:46

Fluff are you sure about the access course? I think you can sometimes study an A-level science. It depends what you left school with, but it's not always clear that it's possible, when it is. There are places where you can do it online, so you could continue working.

Fluff and Mum - as someone above mentioned, there is also away in from nursing. This would give you scaring profession qualification and experience that would no doubt help in and getting into midwifery. It's an extra year, but you would have more job opportunities if midwifery didn't work out.

airyfairy1978 · 16/09/2013 08:17

Go for it. If you earn rubbish money now you shouldnt be worse off when studying because you get a bursery & other help. If it's all that you want it to be you'll enjoy a long and satisfying career with prospects...
These courses are competitive to get on so apply and see what happens. To be a bit woo-if its meant to be, it will happen.
Good luck

SleepyFish · 16/09/2013 08:40

I'd like to say go for it but at the same time make sure you know exactly what's involved. I'm a LP with a young child (and am much older than you!) I started Uni last week doing a similar degree, however I am doing it p/t as giving up work isn't an option for me. I am lucky in that due to a previous qualification and experience I don't have to do placements which I believe for nurses involve long shifts/unsociable hours.
Also I couldn't do it without the support of my family who are happy to take ds off my hands to allow me to study.
Good luck whatever you decide.

HolidayArmadillo · 16/09/2013 15:06

A few things to clear up in this thread, it takes at least 18 months to qualify as a midwife after being an adult nurse, I believe that this is changing to 2 years at a number of institutions, it is not an easy route into midwifery. For starters nursing and midwifery are completely different, if you want to be a midwife do midwifery, 3 years doing nursing is a long time if your heart isn't in it. Also most uni's have a very limited intake for current nurses (they don't take up normal midwifery places on the degree as stated up thread, it's a different course with similar components but is mainly run separately for admission purposes). London is fine for midwifery jobs, if you'd said you live in Scotland I'd be advising you against it but you shouldn't struggle in London. You will work shifts throughout your training and in a way have less flexibility than you do when qualified as you have to work at least 50% of your mentors shifts, this will include nightshift. Shifts are long. I can put my kids to bed on a Sunday evening and not see them again until Thursday morning. I leave the house at 6.30am and get home 9pm on a day shift. Being a midwife really is the best job in the world some days and I can't imagine doing anything else but knowing what I know now would I do it? I dunno. Maybe not. However if its your passion it probably won't ever go away unless you give it a shot. You'll have to work hard, uni places are very limited and applicant numbers are phenomenal but someone has to get in.

Original poster

muminthecity · 16/09/2013 19:28

Thank you so much for all of your comments, advice and opinions. They are all so, so helpful. I do realise that it will be a long, hard road but I just want it so much! However, due to the childcare/shiftwork issues, I am wondering if it might be better for me to put it on hold for a few years. DD is 8 now, if I aim to start the course in, say 5 years, DD will be 12 when I start, 15 when I qualify. Do you think that would be a better option? Only downside is that I'd be starting uni at the grand old age of 35!

OP posts:

complexnumber · 16/09/2013 19:39

I think so many posters are just a little bit 'pie in the sky'.

Of course you should chase your dreams, but you should also face your reality.

HolidayArmadillo 's words seemed very wise to me.

(But then I know nothing)

Sleepyhoglet · 16/09/2013 20:46

I would do an open university science course. This will make you more appealing to good midwifery courses. Some are very competitive and require very good a level grades.i would also wait till your daughter is another few years older. This will make childcare easier.

Sleepyhoglet · 16/09/2013 20:48

What sort of grades do you have? If something is worth doing, it is worth doing properly, hence the suggestion of the OU course to show you are serious.

ThePlEWhoLovedMe · 16/09/2013 20:50

Do it. Life is too short to not follow your dreams.

teatimesthree · 16/09/2013 20:53

Good plan to do the OU science course and then midwifery when your DD is a bit older.

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