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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

..to ask what jobs your DPs do and how they got there?

83 replies

MrsElijahMikaelson · 02/01/2019 15:14

Asking out of curiosity.

DP has a relatively low paid job in security, he didn't take school seriously and has poor GCSE grades.

Though it doesn't seem on paper, he is really intelligent, has good maths skills and has common sense - he just lacked motivation.

Now he knows he needs a kick up the arse and needs to earn more money.
He's taken up as a relief/casual work to earn more money but it's not guaranteed.

Does anyone know of any careers in where they will train you whilst on the job and have good career prospects?

OP posts:

Sinisers · 02/01/2019 15:54

It's not been easy at all but he lives his dream now

As a pilot?

Namechangedtoprotect · 02/01/2019 15:55

Dh has a masters in health psychology but actually works just above minimum wage and stops people smoking
I'm an accountant and work in a multi national company

brownriceandpoptarts · 02/01/2019 15:56

Heating engineer (gas and renewables). He did a plumbing apprenticeship straight from school and then went on to do his gas.

They get plenty of older blokes and ex-forces coming to do unpaid work experience with them. He said it's about £6000 to do the course and qualification but I guess that depends on where. You can become qualified through college but companies will want experience hence the work experience they do. I think the services and repairs staff earn £32,000 plus call out pay and overtime. He is an installer so his pay is per contract/piece work. His pay is considerably more but that's down to the company he works for and the way him and his team organise themselves.

I've got a degree and I'm a teacher. He earns more than me but we save a fortune in childcare costs.

LemonNLime · 02/01/2019 16:04

Mines a HGV driver. Class1 or C+E.

Cost us around £3.5k to get him through all the training and tests plus a medical.

Most jobs now also require a CPC card which they have to keep up to date and do so many hours a year, although DH's current Employer pays for this.

He currently work's nights as it suits us better.

Jamjarjem · 02/01/2019 16:04

My husbands a manager for a bus company. He started as a driver around ten years ago, they take money out of your pay to train you but if you stay with the company for 3 years you get it all back in a lump sum. He went into the office as a manager about 3 years ago and there are chances for more promotions quite regularly.

Rufusthebewilderedreindeer · 02/01/2019 16:06

Dh is a salaried partner in an accountancy firm

He left college with good gcses and shitty a levels

As did i...but he did exams while working, i was much too lazy

monty09 · 02/01/2019 16:11

My DP is a manger he's on salary but he started at the bottom became supervisor after 10 years of been there and they made him manger when none of the others they brought in could do the job right. He has done any courses or anything just the experience of working there so long.

OutPinked · 02/01/2019 16:13

Would he consider an access course or apprenticeship?

My DP is a civil engineer but starting uni again in September to retrain as a materials engineer. He left school with almost straight A’s but made a series of bad decisions involving a toxic relationship and soft drugs. Went travelling for a year when said relationship broke down and re-evaluated his life. When he returned he got a job within the construction industry by chance which allowed him to study engineering at uni part time and et voila, he’s been qualified for three years now but ‘materials is his real passion’ hence studying again - I can’t pretend to even comprehend his job .

I left school with only a handful of GCSE’s under my belt, didn’t even bother attending some of the exams. I hated secondary school with a passion. I had DC young but decided I wanted more from life so did an access course, went to uni for four years and now teach English in a college.

Access courses and apprenticeships basically allowed both of us to do better in life and earn much more than we otherwise would have done. I would ask him to strongly consider it.

EnglishRose13 · 02/01/2019 16:19

I'm studying to be a buyer - currently in an average-paid procurement role which I hate.

Husband is self-employed. He creates web content and has a few of his own websites that generate a modest income.

Atetoomanymincepies · 02/01/2019 16:20

My DH is a Sergeant Major in the army. Joined at 20 with virtually no qualifications. When I met him he worked in a video shop. His job has taken us everywhere but has meant that I have given up a lot career wise.

Mulberry72 · 02/01/2019 16:25

My DH is a Global IT Manager. He messed about at school and left with no GCSES.

He went on a YTS scheme then went to Uni as a mature student and graduated with 1st Class Honours. He then got on a Graduate Scheme and worked his way up.

He now works for one of the Magic Circle law firms.

It was hard work, but definitely worth it.

Smashthelookingglass · 02/01/2019 16:27

My husband started in security too. He's now a firefighter and all of his training was done on the job. He loves it!

Nomad86 · 02/01/2019 16:27

DH works in engineering which he needed a degree for but maybe something like CAD design is a good career and might be an option for him. It's basically using design software for engineering projects.

BendydickCuminsnatch · 02/01/2019 16:29

Mine is a far more interesting story, but DPs is - computer science degree, graduate scheme at Sky, now works at a security software type company from when it was a startup.

Unihorn · 02/01/2019 17:14

I'm a restaurant manager, I worked my way up after a year or two to go into management which has given me decent transferrable skills. Some companies offer NVQ type qualifications in management alongside their management training programs.

I was top of my class at school with A*s and Head Girl etc. but dropped out of university when I got bored and fell into this job. I'd love to change career but have young children so it's not really possible at the moment.

scaryteacher · 02/01/2019 17:21

Dh is a Chartered Engineer. Did his degree whilst being sponsored by the RN. Had a varied and enjoyable career for 34 years ranging from nuclear submarines to getting his MA to defence diplomacy. Post retirement from the RN, he still works in the defence arena.

He retires for good this year at 58 and has his retirement planned out.

I worked in local government, then retrained to teach secondary at 35. I taught for 5 years before moving abroad with ds to be with dh who had three foreign postings on the trot. I kept my hand in by examining GCSEs for one of the major exam boards, and team leading. I will be job hunting when we return to the UK this autumn.

MotorcycleMayhem · 02/01/2019 17:26

My DH left school with nothing as he bunked everything. He did a manual apprenticeship in engineering but got no formal qualifications out of it. Had lots of practical knowledge though. Joined the Navy aged 19 and is still in 19 years later. Loves it. Is due to retire in less than 3 years aged 41. No idea what he'll do next.

I went to university, am on my 2nd career. We earn about the same. Household income of about £76k.

TheGonnagle · 02/01/2019 17:28

Dh is a heating engineer. Left school with bugger all despite being bright, joined the army, left 8 years later.
Worked on building sites, worked up to site engineer work. He was made redundant in 2010 when everything went tits up and we made the joint decision that he would retrain and be self employed. It took us a good while to pay off all the training fees and registration costs but it was definitely the right thing to do. He earns more than me (teacher).

MyBreadIsEggy · 02/01/2019 17:34

My DH is in the military. (His actual job is one that requires a specific set of skills and not many people do it, so it would be outing for me!)
He joined straight from school, very few GCSEs etc.
The military took care of all that after basic training. I’ve lost count of how many educational courses he’s been on and gained mainstream qualifications from. He worked his way up and is now in a specialist job within his regiment.
Pay is good enough - could be better. But the perks that come alongside his job, ie housing that we pay absolute peanuts for.

Unescorted · 02/01/2019 17:34

He is a bike chimp and adventure blogger.

shartsi · 02/01/2019 17:36

I heard it somewhere that men who get into primary school teaching get promoted very quickly and can become deputy head teachers within 2 years of teaching. There are teacher bursaries being advertised.

HighwayDragon1 · 02/01/2019 17:38

We met at university, so educated. I'm a teacher DH is in web development

LipstickHandbagCoffee · 02/01/2019 17:41

You need A levels etc to be a teacher. Op has said dh didn’t get good grades at school
Most teachers train on 4yr undergrad as primary or do a PGD in primary or secondary teaching after an undergraduate degree
There are programmes to train in a nominated school but this requires A levels

heroineinahalfshell · 02/01/2019 17:42

Definitely look into degree apprenticeships as many of them pay apprentices the same as "regular" employees and apprentices are eligible for promotion - I work with degree apprentices and many of them are earning more than me! Plus you come out with no student debt at the end of it. Its hard work but very rewarding.

Finfintytint · 02/01/2019 17:43

OP, has he thought about joining the police? Better paid than the security industry though not initially. Good career progression and lots of opportunities. The pension is not as great as it used to be but it's still a worthwhile career. Depending on what area you are in, training is paid for and on the job.

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