Changing career. Anyone managed to do this successfully post aged 30?

[littlemrsmiss]

Redundancy is threatening at work. Instead of trudging along in another shit unfulfilling job, I am thinking of taking this opportunity to study to become a teacher, which will mean an Access to HE course for 2 years, then the teacher training course etc, etc...

I am just wondering if anyone else has started studying for a professional career at this age and were you successful in getting a job? Just don't want to waste a fortune on all the training to be fobbed off in interviews for being "over the hill"

Ooh, I shall watch this with interest, as I am a teacher and am wondering what else I could do.

What do you want to teach? I am a secondary Science teacher and have had lots of colleagues who are on their second career. Am considering it myself, but in the opposite direction (but don't let that put you off, love teaching...)

A lot of PGCE students are far older tha 30! You would be one of the younger ones on the course.

I did half a PGCE because I found that I truely hated teaching. However don't let that put you off.

The reason that teaching didn't suit me was that I found it really nerve racking standing up in front of 30 children. You might wonder why I didn't guess that would be the case, but in my previous job I was confident enough to talk to an audience of 100 sciencists who were going to pull my work apart.

I think that to be happy teaching you need a lot of stamina and to enjoy acting. Teaching is not a child friendly job. The hours are horrendous and you miss your own child's concerts, sport days etc. You also have to attend parent's evenings.

There are lots of other jobs in a school. For example I work in school ICT. The pay is awful, but I only have to work 37 hours a week and I get 11 weeks holiday. Unlike a teacher I can ackew flexi time so I can do things like getting the day of when ds is sick. My plan is to move into the better paid private sector when my son is secondary school age.

There are othe other jobs like being a libary assistant, pastoral support, admin jobs, school attendence officer, lab technician, LSA.

Soon there will be schools all over the country that need exam invigilators. Working as an exam invigulator is a great way of seeing what a school is like and getting experience with kids.

School jobs are very competitive because a lot of mums want term time work.

I know 2 people who did teacher training after redundancy - one in her 30s and one in her 40s. Both are now teaching at primary level.
They both did the one year graduate scheme where you get paid about £12K IIRC and learn at a school- can't think of the name of it

this scheme

not into teaching, but yes. I have had 3 different 'careers', was accepted into training for this one at 34, won't qualify till 40 ish (p/t + mat leave). Don't anticipate problems in getting a job, or at least not due to age. Maturity is a great asset in a lot of careers. How can it not be an asset in teaching?

I think you have to make a list about everything you like about your present job and everything you don't like.

For example do you like talking to people? Do you like working on your own or in a group? Are you a quiet person or are you the sort of people who is the life and soul of a party? Sounds silly, but do you like children, particularly in large numbers being silly and immature? Do you enjoy acting?

What is about teaching that you like? Have you looked at other careers that involve working with children. For example being a speech and language therapist, youth worker, working in a nursery?

I went into teaching in my late 30s.

Prior to that I had been in academic life, and then worked for a pharmaceutical company. I have had no problems getting a job, I was offered a job by both schools were I did my teaching practice....this was a common occurence with the people I trained with and I did my PGCE via the OU.

Worth looking into the OU as a training provider as you can do the PGCE over 3 year if you need the extra time, or 1 year if not, I took 2 years over mine, as I worked for one school on the unqualified regester for 2 terms.

Going into teaching was the best move I ever made, other than marrying dh and having the kids

RT is spot on the button when she asked about acting btw. you really do have to put on a performance

However the OU can be a total utter nightmare finding placements for teaching practice.

Prehaps you should get a job as a cover supervisor so that you have made connections with schools. Being a cover supervisor would also teach you how to get kids to behave!

You are right about the placements being a nightmare to sort out. It took them months to get mine sorted.

and from experience their paper work is horrific to sort, from the schools point of view.

However, you do all your book learning in your own time using computer bases work and text books, so you don't have to sort child care for lectures etc.

A friend of mine retrained as a teacher and was offered the first job she went for. In fact she started yesterday. She's in her 40s. And will me a fabulous teacher.

and if you are not a 'from the front' sort of a person, think about trying work as a Learning Support Worker. I once had a student teacher who just couldn't crack working with the whole class but became an exceptional LSW. Pay is crap though.

Age is a real plus factor in teaching - especially secondary school teaching. I did half a PGCE when young but have done other teaching since. Had another profession for 12 years. Now retraining again in yet another , will be 46 when I'm done. I'd love to be younger - but there's nothing we can do about that - so let's just make the best of it.

I am considering a career change, too (aged 30), so this is an interesting one for me...I'm thinking about setting up a small business, though, so slightly different.

On the teaching front - I would urge you to get some experience as a teaching assistant before you commit to a PGCE. When I left my 'big career' as a producer for a broadcasting company, I was convinced teaching was for me. I got a temporary contract teaching media studies to 14-19 yr olds. I loved the teaching - got a real buzz from it - and started looking into doing a PGCE. Fast forward 4 months - I was finding the masses of admin associated with teaching mind numbingly boring and the long hours of working at home marking and preparing lessons hideous and not in the least bit child friendly.

I'm not trying to put you off teaching, honest! It's a fantastically rewarding career, but it is hard graft and I think anyone considering it should get some experience in a classroom environment first.

As far as the age thing goes, don't pay it a second thought. Certainly in education, it won't matter a jot as long as you can build a rapport with your students (although for secondary school I would say - you need stamina and lots of energy! Not for the faint hearted!).

Not into teaching, but I am distance learning for my chartership and should be qualified in next few years. I am 41, but will have no problems obtaining a job in the field I'm in. Maturity and gravitas are essential requirements in many jobs, so don't worry about being 'over the hill'.

My sister teaches primary school, and she works a darn sight harder than me. However, she finds it very fulfilling and I envy her self-value and worth. She retrained in her early 30's and had no problems getting a job - she managed a teaching jobshare too, while her boys were pre-school, and now they luckily attend the school she teaches at - she stipulated this was part of her contract, as she teaches outside her local catchment area. So it can be a very flexible career too.

I changed career at 35 and left industry and became a university lecturer. The pays better than schools and you get the holidays and I think that the students want to be there hence are interested to learn.

I was lucky I had all the subject specific qualifications and did a PGCE on the job in the first two years.

There are jobs that involve teaching that aren't necessarily in schools. LoveAngel have you thought about doing something like working for Stagecoach, Perform or one of the other part time stage schools?

I think that age is an advantage. Its not so obvious to the kids that you are a student.

Age discrimination has been illegal since October 2006.

I started my degree course at 30.

I did find that I wasn't able to go for the sort of job I wanted afterwards because they were all looking for a 21 yo who would work for peanuts, while I had 4 kids and a mortgage, but I think a lot of it in my case was my dad died 1 week after my final exam so all the heart went out of it.

I did start working as an LSA (had been in telephone banking) with a view to teacher training but soon realised I couldn't be a teacher (not in that school anyway!).

Went back into the civil service instead at 35 and got promotion fairly quickly.

Did my BA between ages of 26-31, PGCE at age 32, now teaching primary FT. Slight problem getting job, but not really a big issue, and not age related.
Do feel my job is important and fulfilling in that sense, but far too much workload. Glad I am involved in a 'career'. Good advice to do TA work if you can, or even volunteering spare hours.

Haven't tried it and no experience of trying it but I think you should go for it and I wish you luck

Finished my degree and moved into HE lecturing at the ripe old age of 35. Moved to Cornwall in 2005 and as there are no jobs available in any of the areas that I am qualified and experienced in, I am currently working my way towards becoming a chartered Psychologist - which I will acheive at the ripe old age of 50.
I wrote to a local forensic psychology dept. asking about the possibilities of some voluntary work once I start the next stage of my training (in a couple of years time) and they invited me to go and see them now due to my previous work experience. They think my age is actually a bit young (I'm 44) compared to the majority of their professional staff.
SO what I'm trying to say is, GO FOR IT. You are definately never too old to sart something new.

As someone who looks after the PGCE & GT students at secondary level, I'd say get into a school for a week or two (even if it means using holdiday time) so you see what it's really like.

I have had some FAB trainees who were over 30 but also one sweet christian lady who'd left nursing to train as an RE teacher who was terrible. She hadn't been inside a school, except as a parent, since her own education some 25 years earlier. If you can take registers, maybe do a bit of group or team-teaching & get involved in lessons it will give you a realistic idea of what to expect.

Teaching is great (says someone groaning at the though of next week!). You get the holidays of course. Marking load varies according to subject - I do tonnes, dh virtually none - you have to be on top of your game from the word go but it's never dull.