Contemplating career change into social work or train driving - stupid idea?

[snowdropsrout]

I'm in my (v!) late 40s. Professional career of over 20 years managing teams and projects in mostly public and charity sector. Thinking of a total career change (if possible at this age). Two things I'm (bizzarly) being drawn to are train driver or social work. Anbody in those careers got any tips? Am I too old? Would you recommend? Minimum time to train? I've seen some fast track options for social workers (I do already have a degree but non related subject). How competitive for posts? (I'm in SE)

Train driving is fine if you can take the suicides.

My husband would like to be a train driver but despite researching (he's pretty good at bop It! ) we've never seen them recruiting.

Very different careers paths there Snow.

Train driving is hard to get into these days, my husband assesses and trains new train drivers. Very good paid job but he finds the shifts a killer at times. He's been a train driver for over 25 years now and he is looking into management now.

@HollyBayTree Iv met several train drivers over the years and over half of them were on long term sick due to traumatic experiences like that.

That being said train driver sounds great and relatively well paid.

I know someone in her late 40's who has just changed careers to be a train driver! It has, however, taken her a long, long time to get through the recruitment process and finally be accepted (I think she said 6 years!).

Good pay yes, but shift work, so if you're able to cope with the shift work, I'd go with that over social work any day of the week.

I had impression that many of the drivers were recruited from the Guards.

Have been a Social Worker for 25 years and have provided work based Social Work training. There is no 'fast track' route into the job that I am aware of. Its a 3 year degree to gain the qualification. A degree of any kind would give you the academic standard need to access the training, so would be useful in that sense.

As to availability of jobs; there can be initial difficulties for newly qualified because of the old catch 22 scenario, but in general it is easy to find work. I do agency work which is surprisingly well paid and it has never taken more than a week to line up a new job when I want to change jobs. I am based in the NW and I imagine demand would be greater in SE.

The advice I was given as a youngster to 'get a trade' so you can earn a decent living was the best advice ever. Its usually applied to skilled manual work, but the principle is exactly the same in professions or other niche jobs like driving a train. Good luck

There is some sort of fast track course now but you need a degree first. I don't know much more about it though.

www.communitycare.co.uk/2017/03/29/fast-track-social-work-programme-opens-applications/

Bolokov I've only been a social worker around half as long as you but I'm aware there are a number of fast track social work programmes which are well publicised in the social care press.

Recent examples are:

Step up to social work
Think ahead
Frontline

The OP (having a degree already) would also presumably take the 2 year MA route if they couldn't get on a fastrack scheme.

Considering you are involved in social work training you are surprisingly out of date.

In your late 40'sit's probably not financially sensible to commit to doing a social work degree and all that deb

Frontline is a 'fast-track' route into social work. It is also very competitive to get on.

Even an MA would mean going into debt. For a career where the burnout rate is high. You just can't suppose you'll pay that off.

I used to know a SW who told me if she had to do it all over again she'd train as an Occupational Therapist. Similar rewards but you're coming at a problem from a different angle.

A friend of mine works for Crossrail overseeing the movement of trains, a bit like a rail version of air traffic control. It's a good job and she's manages a team, so is not on her own.

I qualified as an adults SW in 2011. The course was amazing but the job was just AWFUL! I managed a year before retraining again.

I think SW has changed a lot in the last 5-10 years and the jobs I had involved me taking care OFF vulnerable people. So very much not what I wanted to go into social work for. I'm so glad I'm out of it.

Shit joke.

MrsJoshDun

Okay.

Why did the baker have a brown hand?...
He kneeded a poo!

Any other requests?

Thanks for the information. Yes I'm definitely out of date as far as training goes being old and semi retired. The training I have provided has been as a work based supervisor or mentor only. I have never provided mentoring for a 'fast track' student so was not aware of this as stated in my post.

How about a bus driver instead? Not as well paid as a train driver but far easier to get into. Bus companies are always advertising for drivers.

That jokes better.

Huge competition to be a train driver. You can't just choose to become one, you can apply, hope you're shortlisted then see how you do in interview/ the aptitude tests and hope you're selected.

Social workers also require lots of skills/knowledge/training but there's a shortage.

A friend of mine recently became a train conductor, the selection process and training was an intense 9+ months. She was very lucky to get through the selection externally and a lot of internal staff who applied were initially quite standoff ish to her because she came from a completely different sector.
From what I've heard from her the driver selection is even worse.

are any social workers able to comment.. how much control do you have over the kind of work you do? do you simply get a case as and when it comes in whatever it is or is it possible to specialise your case load eg to work with victims of domestic violence. I'm assuming that the vast majority of social working social workers are employed by councils.

My ex husband is a train driver. He initially worked in the depot doing maintenance and got into it through there. Very long application, lots of different stages and interviews. He gets every third weekend off and the pay is good but obviously it's shift work.

Yes - sounds like train driving would be a very long shot in terms of competition. I saw online that there is a £19k busary for one of the fast track social work routes - I think it was the masters one but don't have time to find link now.