help figuring out the next step after redundancy - am struggling a bit

[ordinaryworlddd]

I was made redundant a month ago and struggling with what to do next. I have been employed for about 9 years but before that I was freelance/self employed for 10. So short term I'm trying to drum up self employed work - but it's extremely tough out there, much more competitive, with less work available. Longer term I'd ideally like to go back to employement.

I'm in my early 50s so I'm also feeling the fear of being old/irrelevant!

My expertise is digital stuff which is fine but I don't really fit in a box with a easily findable job title eg Head of Marketing or whatever (I'm not really a Head of Digital because I'm more of a researcher/consultant than running a digital department).

I'm wondering about trying to move into a different field, willing to consider anything really. I'm good with people, curious, I pick stuff up quickly but I'm kinda lost what to do. I'd love some ideas/insipiration/opinions!

What level were you at? What kind of salary were you on when made redundant?

Senior, £60k. But I'm not bothered about being senior really. I just want to find something I find interesting and pay the mortgage.

You will struggle to get self employed work with a gap of a decade

would you consider a career change?

it’s difficult to advise without knowing the role and industry you were in

Do you mean I'll struggle to get 'employed' work? To clarify.
I was employed for about 8 years, then I had 6 months maternity, then I was (successfully) self employed for 10 years. Since then I've had 2 employed jobs (5yrs and 4 yrs).
My specialisms are digital + arts and culture sector, it's pretty niche tbh. But my experiences are quite broad and include, social media & digital strategy, new business, consultancy.

Yes I'd definitely consider a career change that's what I'm wondering though, what on earth I could do - it's a bit overwhelming

No

you are self employed
I believe you will struggle to get work with a decade out

Depends entirely what you’re interested in
do you need to work immediately or could you study?

Why do you say that? I got two employed roles following self employment (during which time I was earning a decent income) so I'm not sure I get your point about being "out"

I do need to earn some income yes, so I can't take time out completely to study/retrain. Although I could potentially do part time study

Is there a specialist recruitment agency you could join?
They do have sessions where you can talk to someone/ analyse your skills to help update your CV and point you toward relevant work even if it's only temping.
Make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to date and that you are tagged as available for work

Sweet Jesus

you have misunderstood. Again.

I am talking about you getting contracts as a self employed person!!!

I was made redundant twice and with hindsight both times massively boosted my career! The second time I was 60 and re-employed before my three months notice ran out so age should not worry you. In your place I think I’d look at a large number of job adverts related to your area of expertise and ask yourself what transferable skills you could bring to the role then go out and sell yourself. Good luck.

I was contacted just a few weeks ago by one of the London Museums about a Head of Digital Strategy role. There are plenty of these types of roles you will be fine.

The new business side of things could open up some doors in sales/business development and there can be decent money in that!

Not all companies are using external recruiters to post their jobs - instead using direct reaches. So consider recruiters but also places where companies reach out directly - indeed.com (welcome other sites people could recommend as well ). Start with companies you want to work and see what they have there, because titles could be differently phrased.

It is a tough market but not impossible. Especially if you are happy to be flexible on salary as there are a lot of university type comms roles in the £40K - £50K mark. Also self employment doesn't need to mean launching a website and setting up a business - it can simply mean being g open to contracts via an umbrella company or a limited company.

I think you need to give it a few more months to find a role. Look for perm and temp together and hopefully something will stick. I was made redundant last year (I’m over 40) and it took 3 months to get something (a temp role), my colleague didn’t find something for 8 months. But we’re both in much more enjoyable roles now. Don’t be disheartened, you will find something at some point.

Have you looked at what your local, or neighbouring, council has available? I work for my council, in the east of England, and the diversity of roles is phenomenal.

Your response wasn't clear which I guess is why the op asked for clarification.

This post was eye wateringly rude

If you’re good with people, have you thought about HR? HR pays really well - much better than people think actually