Am I unattractive to employers?

[StillSmiling92]

I'm almost 28 years old. Average GCSE's, terrible A levels, good Access to Higher Education (level 3) qualification and university drop out.

I have a 4 year old who starts school in September and I've mostly been a SAHM living off my partner. I've also been cleaning part time for 1 year now and worked in retail prior to that.

So, being a mother and a university drop out I know that employers would likely throw my application in the bin (childcare and lack of expertise). Not for retail roles, but for professional roles such as accountancy or software development for example.

What can I do to improve my circumstances when I'm not eligible for any training or funding?

Please help

Don’t mention your child in interviews OP, honestly it’s no ones business

As an employer I look for someone who is confident and will put the effort in. If it was a professional role I would be looking at degree level qualifications or suitable experience. There is support out there for mature students and you may still be eligible for student loans as you didn't complete degree. Entry requirements are different for mature students. You can use it as chance to gain your confidence, try new things out and get some voluntary experience so your cv shows the real you.

Most important believe in yourself, easier said than done, I know.

I'm afraid I have no knowledge in accountancy etc as i work in a very different discipline but just to clarify i am and assessor and adult teacher and i absolutely guarantee you your age is not a factor in terms of accredited apprenticeships. I have learners ranging from 20 to mid to late 50's , it genuinely isn't a thing in the slightest.

There are a lot of courses that you could access, I would second a careers advisor. Try not to let the university thing affect you. I have a Law degree , a masters , assessing and teaching qualifications up the wazoo but I truly mean this , the most relevant helpful , practical and useful qualification was my apprenticeship. If I had to I would give up all the others and choose that one if I could only choose one.

I genuinely know a lot of learners that changed career much older than you and retrained. I will say a lot of them had to start in jobs they may not have initially chosen to gain access to the qualifications (many many of them parents as well....I also retrained to find a job that fit with childcare when I was a single mum as my childcare became very restricted). Most of them will absolutely agree it was worth it.

I am also a consultant in my discipline and an ex senior manager and manager who hired a lot. None of what you said would put me off , especially if you were looking at options of adult learning. I have always prized people who looked for development opportunities at whatever level from senior manager to anything else.

A lot of employers would value work experience over more education once you've got the basics (GCSE maths & English), unless of course there are specific qualifications required for the role. So I'd say you need to do some professional work. Try for entry level positions in the area you're interested in.

Also, get professional CV & cover letter help (worth every penny). Leave university off your CV if you didn't get a qualification at the end. Your 'terrible' A levels might not be so bad as some people don't have A levels at all. When recounting work history, highlight particular successes you had there or specific responsibilities you had, rather than just basic duties.

You can always study while working if you want to go back and get your degree (distance learning etc), and many employers would help you through the process if the qualification is relevant. But for now I'd focus on working.

Could you do a bookkeeping course to start with and see if it's for you before you go full throttle retraining in accountancy?

If you taught yourself via YouTube I'd be even more impressed, as that takes dedication and discipline.

snowybean Could you perhaps give the OP some indication of just how much self-directed YouTube learning she might need to successfully complete your interview task? Assuming she currently has no software engineering experience.

Without qualifications in the relevant subject/ career path, you will find it next to impossible to get a job in your chosen subjects. Maybe do some courses or online training?
OR Have a look at your skills, I guess customer service is one. Look at office jobs in that area and apply for them. With some luck, there will be other opportunities within the company over time and you can move departments. There are apprenticeships available for your age group but you kind of need to be in the job & your employer needs to be willing... It's a long and tedious process, I have been in a similar situation. It's really about being in the right place at the right time and show youself willing!
To give you some inspiration: I am currently doing an apprenticeship in management for my job role as I have no relevant qualifications. I sort of walked into the job after doing an advanced computer course via job centre and having 2 data entry/ admin jobs. I work now in e commence head of my own specialist team. Took me about 6 years to get here. And even this was more by accident and taking opportunities as they presented themselves.

Plus my writing ability has declined in recent years so I wouldn't feel confident in pursuing that again out of fear of failing.

I left school at 18 having barely passed Higher English (Scottish system) and started Open University at the age of 39, currently in my third year and writing 2000 word essays.

Have you looked at Open Learn etc which have short, free courses to give you a taste of different subjects?

If you only did one year at university, you still have three years of undergrad funding available. Even if you aren't eligible for the maintenance part of funding due to your partners income (unlikely unless they earn a fairly reasonable amount) then you'll still get the fees paid. Speak to SFE.

I'm doing a PhD (fine art..not a bore..) and I couldn't walk into anything finance related, you'll have to either train or go via the apprenticeship route.

Do you live near a hospital? We take on all sorts in entry level (Band 2) admin roles. You can progress to all sorts of roles. My two finance admin assistants are starting their accountancy technician qualifications paid for by work, one is a mum of 3 teens.

Finance and accounting perhaps. I've looked at a few appreticeships, but they're aimed at younger people.

How old are you, OP? My finance apprentice is in his 30s. Apprenticeships are for anyone

Used to work for an audit firm - most of the Big 4 and beyond offer different routes into the workplace. We took on four apprentices in their 30s and 40s - one a single mother who left school with no qualifications, but had worked part-time, gone back to college and then had a couple of weeks’ work experience in different accounting firms/departments.

I agree that you need to look into CBT around your confidence. The thing that really stood out for the above candidate is that she didn’t let anything stand in her way. There was no “oh I can’t do this cos of X,Y,Z” and actually because of that attitude, we were more likely to make allowances when childcare did fall through etc.

An apprenticeship is your best bet. You are not too old. I work with apprenctices and many are older than you. Contact your local college.

You did art and English, why do you think you will enjoy accountancy with the way your mind works.

I would be looking at marketing or fundraising with your mind set.

Don't forget the OU takes as much time as a brick-uni if you do full time (in terms of years of study) and if you do part-time it can take 6 years or more (for honours degrees)

It also requires an absolute ton of self-discipline, so unless OP really really wants to do it, i'm not sure it would be right. (i had a long commute and did a degree, basically, on a train and in a break room)

Finance and accounting is a dog eat dog life a lot of the time if you go the corporate route - bookkeeping jobs in smaller companies not so much.

You really need to either identify a career that is in need of people and go for it whether or not you like it, because it pays the bills. Or you need to find something that you really like, that also pays enough to live on (yes, the dream job). And then start looking at what you need in terms of qualifications or late-starter packages.

Good luck.

Hi OP, I'm looking at changing my career and have no experience in it at all. I'm going to do a level 3 CIPD course in HR to get my foot in the door. I looked at higher, but you need to start with the level 3 course before you can continue. The diploma is pricey but some sites allow you to do 100% online study and pay £99 a month until it's paid off, which is what I'm planning. Once I've completed the level 3 and paid it off, I'll start on the level 5. Almost all professional HR jobs ask that you have, or you're studying, the level 5 CIPD qualification, and these are where the really juicy roles start. There are so many aspects to HR that I know I'll find something I'm really interested in, and then go from there. (At the moment I'm thinking I'll branch into L&D, but I'll see how the course goes.)

Here's the website I'm going to use, to give you an idea -

www.icslearn.co.uk/courses/human-resources/cipd/cipd-level-3-diploma-human-resource-practice/

What about going to college to learn a practical skill like hairdressing or beauty therapy?

I would go back to university.

It is less money than you would get from working but it gives you the flexibility that work doesn't eg if your DC is poorly you won't get in trouble but at work, you will need permission to have time off etc.

All of my friends graduated and have gone in completely different directions, as having a degree you are more favoured by employers even if it is in a different field.

I did find it hard having to come home and do assignments when my DC was in bed and at times it was exhausting as I am a lone parent but I think it is worth it.

You’ll probably need to do AAT and then CIMA (if you want to progress to a Finance Manager type role). You can do AAT either at college (self funded) or with study support while working. You can do AAT as a finance apprentice. You aren’t too old for an apprenticeship but you’ll be earning less than min wage for your first year. You’ll also be competing with school / college leavers so will need to be able to explain your reasons for being a late starter well at interview.

www.futurelearn.com While you are on lockdown why don't you start with some free short courses to get you thinking ?

You cannot expect to breeze into a professional role with few qualifications and little experience. That is very unrealistic. Of course you're going to be at the back of the queue behind people with A-levels, a degree and some experience.

But there's nothing stopping you getting those qualifications or experience in similar roles. That's where you start.

OP have you heard of degree apprenticeships? If you really want to do a degree, that is worth looking into. Earn while you learn as your employer gets the funding from the apprenticeship levy to do it. You would have to get the job first and do a degree apprenticeship in a field related to your job though.

I’d have a look on Indeed, Totaljobs, Reed and Glassdoor for Finance Apprentice roles and get applying. Have a look online for some CV templates, explain why you want a career in finance in your cover letter (pointing out your maturity and the benefits that brings), also look online for some sample interview questions and start prepping your answers.

AAT is a level 3 qualification but without a degree you wouldn’t be able to start CIMA without doing the AAT.

Another idea for NHS jobs, you could register for the local bank (NHS Professionals). We’ve got a new administrator through this route who has mainly worked in retail. She has turned out to be brilliant and she is loving it. She probably wouldn’t have got shortlisted for a job due to lack of qualifications and experience.

Maybe try some agency/locum bank roles and see what you like?

Try out a few of the OU free courses on open learn. It might give you a better idea of what you find interesting without financial commitment and also get your brain back into studying mindset of that's what you decide. They have lots of options and it would give you something to talk about at an interview to show you're keen to learn

Sage is doing free accounting courses online, they cover the theoretical part and teach you how to use Sage 50 Cloud. You could try that.

Another idea would be expanding your cleaning business, making it full time and in the future hiring other people. I know it doesn't sound fancy but once I met a lady who manages one, employing other 3 cleaners and she has a law degree, if I recall.