To ask what other job/career could I move into without slashing my pay?

[DrizzleHair]

After a few ideas please.
I'm currently an operational researcher - it's a gov role but basically means mathematical modelling / analysis. I'm a senior manager grade and earn ~60k pro rata.

I enjoy my job and I'm bloody good at it. Skills include: good with numbers (obviously), shit hot at Excel/vba, quick at picking up new software and I can do some programming. I'm also good at managing stakeholders and giving presentations - I can explain technical points to non technical audiences.

I'm also so hard working snd happy to take direction from managers, flexible with my approach etc. I think I work quite quickly too.

I'm afree a change of career. I don't know what into as my qualifications don't obviously fit my job - phd in computational scientific modelling, undergrad in science. I don't have any OR qualifications or decent lengthy programming experience.

My main reason for looking for a new career is commuting - I recently.moved out of London so my commute is over 2 hrs each way. I only need to be in the office 2 days a week so it's bearable, but I don't want to be commuting to London for the next 40 years. There are no civil service jobs where I now live, though it is a biggish city with plenty of other jobs I assume.

I thought about retraining as a science teacher but I'd be taking a 50%+ pay cut which I'm not sure our finances can cope with. Other local financial analyst type jobs all seem to require ACCA etc, and I don't think I can be arsed to spend years studying!

Amy thoughts on anything obvious I'm missing?

My one other thought was retraining as a physician's assistant - a new NHS role which is a bit like a doctor's scientific side kick. I always wanted to be a doctor and basically messed up my a levels due to boys/fun, so missed my chance there.

I'm nearing 40 with one preschooler and another on the way any week, so I potentially have maternity leave to do some soul searching / research, but from last time I suspect it'll all pass in a milky sleep deprived haze.

Any career / recruitment experts I'd really appreciate your advice please!

Met Office (Exeter)
Hydraulics Research (Wallingford)
Highways England (various)
Environment Agency (various)

All "government" to some degree (HRW privatised a while ago) although not civil service, all employ modellers. I imagine experience of particular software would be advantageous, but I (EA) have recruited modellers with a financial background the past. You won't be on £60k though, but you won't need to travel to London either.

Retail logistics and ops management.

We had an OR friend who was a maths lecturer - could be worth you looking at. But you'd be cutting your pay a lot for that too. He did consultancy work alongside for an oil company before switching to working for them (doubling pay).

Really, a lot depends on where you live. I changed career and 14 years later I'm back up to same salary (but less take home due to worse pension). Much regret. Much less satisfying job. Didn't know when I had it good.

If you are commutable to London, investor relations

My first job post uni was as an underwriter's assistant, then trainee analyst. I had a choice of IRM or actuarial qualifications and chose the former, would choose the latter if I had my time again.

Did the Lloyds job mentioned upthread for a time before taking another direction.

I think the sector would suit your skills v well, but I think that you might need to take a London based job to establish yourself in the field. After a year or two you could look at moving away from London.

I never managed the moving my career away from London bit but things were very different 15 years ago. I ended up doing CIPFA in my early 40s. I now work 4.5 miles from my rural home.

London salaries were high though, just into six figures. I reckon you could nearly achieve what you earn now as a starter. I would contact the insurance recruitment agencies, IPS was the big one in my day.

Was also going to say insurance - my friend's a catastrophe modeller and has the exact same skill set. Although most jobs are London based (as with everything!)

Look for a role that has working from home as the norm? Such as BT?

Actuary?

Business operations/insight/data for a pharma company. Salary will be the same if not better.

Not sure which direction you moved but there are companies in Luton, Watford, Cambridge, Hounslow and Welwyn Garden City, for a start

Is it really the commute which is the problem, or do you actually just want to leave the civil service? (Former civil servant here so if it's the latter I get it )

If it's the former though, is there nothing more you could do in terms of flexible/remote working? It's one of the things the civil service does really well. Two days a week already sounds pretty bearable to me if I'm honest, but I'm sure in some departments you could cut down to one day a week in the office? If you're good at your job (which it sounds like you are) you might even be able to negotiate a fully home based role with just occasional trips to London.

Don't touch teaching with a barge pole. What % of them are happy with their job currently, do you think? It's a mess-your starting salary would be about £22k as well.

You are good at and really enjoy your current job-many people don't. Can't you build on that and go part time or work from home?

Can you do your two days in office together and stay overnight between them so you're only doing the commute once each way every week? Sounds like you enjoy the job apart from the location!

Why have you moved 2 hours away from London? Sounds like you need to move closer to London to have a better quality of life. Probably easier than retraining.

Thanks for all the replies, lots of suggestions and things to think about

Possibly outing but never mind - I'm in Southampton.

The reason we moved (just 9 months ago) was quality of life - house size here vs small flat in London, family nearby etc. I don't regret the move - the idea was jobs (both DP and I work 0.8fte (so salary actually 80% of 60k), both 2 days in London and 2 at home with 1 day off to look after DD each) would tide us over until we find something which suits more locally. The commute / lifestyle is very bearable for now, it's just not what I see myself doing until retirement so I'm beginning to look around and try to gather ideas for my next move. DP's skills are more generic (project manager) so he can move more easily I think, though again he's in no hurry as he enjoys his job and his company.

I am interested in data science stuff, I think I need to get this baby born and to ~18 months then start focusing on myself a bit, maybe take some courses etc.

Insurance is also not something I'd considered, I'll look into that.

The uni doesn't seem to have the right sort of jobs at anything approaching the right money, and I'm more good on-the-job than in an academic sense - I'm sure an undergraduate could run rings round me lecturing on maths/OR, but when it comes to getting a project off the ground from a vague idea to a proper analytical framework with appropriate results, level of QA, and them disemminating the results to a wide range of stakeholders then I'd perform better.

I like the idea of physicians asst as I could train on the job, begin to specialise and then climb the career ladder there - in the civil service there isn't anywhere obvious to go. I am probably ready for the next promotion but it's only 5-8k gross more, a whole world more responsibility, and much more focused on management. I really like the techy number stuff. Plus in civil service there are no real payrises for doing a good job in your grade - ill be on the same salary after 5 years experience and with top performance ratings as someone newly promoted.to the grade would be. Very demotivating to never get a real pay rise.

I'm too much of a wimp for contracting! I like stability, which is why I never went into academia. That said I have changed jobs every 1-2 years for most of my career, my current job I've been in only a little over 2 years and it's my longest yet. But I like control of when I fancy a change.

I'll look into what courses might be good (am currently using R in my job so should really learn that more formally) and also look into insurance.

I really do appreciate you all taking time to reply. I am happy in my job bit would rather move when happy than be desperate to move cos I'm miserable, hence beginning to think now rather than when things start being less bearable.

You could work as an actuary in Southampton or Bournemouth, it might involve a temporary drop in pay and exams (some of which you might get exempted from depending on your previous qualifications)

www.indeed.co.uk/m/jobs?q=Actuarial&l=Southampton

You might even get a risk or data analyst job in an insurer down there without having to take the actuarial exams.

There are loads of work from home data scientist jobs advertised at good salaries at or above yours! Particularly in bioinformatics.

www.rowanmoor.co.uk/other-services/actuarial-services/

Southampton offer a graduate entry route for their medical school: www.southampton.ac.uk/medicine/undergraduate/courses/bm4_a101.page

Commercial research e.g. For marketing, planning, investment purposes...?

Problem with physician assistant is there isn't much of a career ladder to climb. Can your finances take a major hit for 4 years and do a graduate entry medical degree?

The air traffic control people NATS are not too far from you and may well suit your skill set...(not suggesting you become an air traffic controller, but analysis of how their systems are used)

Where have you seen work for home data science advertised irritable @irritablebitchsyndrome? My dh would be very interested in that, he has mostly seen them advertised in London

If you are commutable to London, investor relations

Nothing about the OPs profile suggests that would be a good fit. Investor relations is also super competitive with ex investment bankers.

Pricing analyst?