At 46 am i too old to train for a career

[Harry2006]

I am 46 years old and have always worked in NMW jobs, mainly catering. I would like to retrain to be a food technology teacher. I still have a good 20 years working life left (all being well). Any one else retrained for a career later in life? Are you glad you did it? Any thoughts advice much appreciated.

Please go for it! My MiL retrained in her 40s and has had such an interesting an fulfilling career since.

What have you got to lose! X

Of course you're not too "old." Go for whatever you want and don't let anything stop you!

Go for it OP! After raising a bunch of kids my mom retrained as a music teacher in her 40s - she loves kids, music and teaching and is so happy she now has a career combining all three.

She is now over 60, still happily teaching (about 15-20 hours a week) and loves it. Zero regrets and would do it again.

Always good to move on and develop. I was a late entrant to teaching. However, do you have suitable qualifications for teacher training (degree)? And jobs can be harder to find outside core subjects.

There are opportunities in FE for NVQ assessors, your background would be perfect and it’s an interesting and rewarding job.

Example:
www.indeed.co.uk/m/viewjob?jk=a4eac8d611303a9d&advn=5064378897103747&adid=260842691&from=serp&dest=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indeed.co.uk%2Fjob%2Fhospitality-catering-assessor-part-time-a4eac8d611303a9d&desth=bed8052f46767b097cb0b35ff9858bac&prevUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indeed.co.uk%2Fm%2Fjobs%3Fq%3DCatering%2BAssessor&tk=1d1v6mu06974l800&dupclk=1&acatk=1d1v6nns8964h800&pub=6917c08ec3ecf6012dd26f3773156e870cace3277f6b99df

Sorry! Not a good example as very part time! However does give a comprehensive job description.

Do it!

Most of the teachers I know want to retire at 60, they argue that the routine is too gruelling to continue past that age. So by the time you've trained and qualified you'll get ten years out of it and you'll be lucky if you get 15. But ten years is ten years and good teachers are in short supply. Go for it.

Go for it, I'm turning 43 next month and taking driving lessons and doing an accounts course. Never too old 😊

My mother trained as a social worker in her 50s and did the job for 10 years. Go for it.

Yes, do it, it's never too late!

I'm 46 now and took a sideways step 10 years ago from being a scientist to research management, also retrained at 23 from a PA to a scientist .... never regretted any of my changes in career

My friend recently did it. She’s your age now so you’d only be 2 years behind her.

I am a bit older than you and I am re-training. Everyone on my course is my age, some slightly older. Just go for it!!

Before making the leap I would look into the job market for food tech teachers. With huge budget cuts it is a very expensive subject to run because it normally requires a food tech technician as well, and numbers can be low with the push for academic subjects in schools.

From the point of view of teaching, well I’m biased because I’m a teacher and I love my job, but it is pretty exhausting and I can’t see myself lasting beyond 60.

From the point of view of training teachers, I’ve found that mature trainees can sometimes get more respect from students because they don’t look like freshly scrubbed 22 year olds, but that sometimes mature trainees who have had previously very successful careers can sometimes struggle with being learners again and not being at the top of their game.

Just go in with your eyes wide open.

When I was a trainee solicitor one of my fellow trainees was in his fifties. You’ve nothing to lose!

I tried to start a new career in my lat 40s but with a DH who worked away and the home to run and 3 DCs at primary and secondary it was very difficult to find time to apply yourself to learning new stuff. Compared to a single late teens student you can have an awful lot of other stuff going on which makes it harder to get on top of new learning.

Actually the above comment applies more to starting in the new job. The studying itself was fine.

I’m 48 and training in an allied healthcare profession (vague, otherwise a bit outing). I assumed I’d be distinctly elderly in the class but there are plenty in their 40’s & I’m not even the oldest

Train, definitely, but not to be a teacher.

I'm 37 but I can't retrain for at least another couple of years as my youngest child is only 1 and we can't make it work. I do feel like I'm limited in what I can do but because of finances and logistics rather than age! Go for it OP. I was briefly on a nursing course years ago and there were several people in their 40s and 50s on the course.

I'm pushing 47 and I'm 1st year undergrad in a vocational degree. I'm doing it because I won't be able to manage on NMW when my CTC stops in a few years. I'm not the oldest on my course either. My cohort ranges from 18 - late 50's

A man I worked with trained as a mental health nurse when he was 51 he was 54 when he qualified he worked for about 12 years and would have probably worked for longer but redeployment issues came up and he didn't want to.go through that.

I'm in my thirties and working towards the September entry exams to retrain in medicine (grad course). The response from my medic friends has been 'go for it, definitely not too late' with a healthy dash of 'you're mad'!

The way I see it, work pension age is 68 for me so I have more than a whole lifetime to work (and you have a long stint too). We'd might as well spend it in a challenging job that interests us.

Compared to 18 year old undergrad entrants, what I lack in an extra 15 years of work and possibly boundless energy, I bring to the table in terms of life and career experience which should help me handle situations and a tough working life well. Same for you.