Total career change - advice please!

[NichyNoo]

I am hoping that some of you wise ladies will have some advice/suggestions for me please.

I currently live in Belgium and will be moving back to the UK in early 2013. My entire career since graduating (10 years) has been in EU lobbying (in the health/employment sector in particular). My degree was in European Politics and French (first class) and I have an MA in International Politics.

I will be moving to the UK (not London but hopefully near to a 'secondary' city) and can't realistically do my current job from there so will need to have a complete career change and I have no idea where to start.

I enjoy: giving presentations/teaching specialist knowledge to adults, undertaking research, writing newsletters/reports. I am not very confident in social situations but have managed to disguise that quite well in my current job although I don't enjoy it.

I have no idea what type of jobs to look out for. I have taught in a French high school for 10 months and after that would say that teaching children probably isn't for me. Something intricate and focused like accounting interests me but I am rubbish with numbers (!)

I currently earn a very high salary and know that I can't replicate that in the UK. However I would need to earn enough to cover childcare, mortgage etc (I have DH but want to pay my fair share). I would hope to earn minimum £40,000.

Please can anyone advise on areas to look at? I have begun to do some research and am actually seeing a personal development advisor (via work) in a few weeks time who I hope will also help but I'm feeling a bit scared at giving up a great, well paid, very flexible career to step into the unknown! Thank you!

without being too negative - 40,000 in a new career in a city which is not london is unlikely in my experience - although I assume you are prepared to some retraining? What about possibly working in a university- maybe doing a research degree - in policiy maybe or they have lots of EU funding - they might welcome your experience in that area

So am I right in saying that your experience is in health policy and strategy? I know a few people working in this type of field, and quite a lot of them work largely outside London, with perhaps a day in London each week.

Hi GrendelsMum yes that's true. Do you mind me asking what types of organisations your friends work for? Is it NHS or other organisations? Thanks.

I did it and regret it. I am in a lower job/career and even though I could earn the same or more as I did before in this line I just do not like it. Apart from the boredom of being in a lower job you find that you just resent having to take orders etc from someone less able than yourself. You spend a lot of time at work and the lack of stimulation can be a killer. You do not make friends or if you do they usually leave . Plus you do not want to go further in it.Waste.You would need to have something great outside work to compensate for this. Yawn... Ps Also check out before if there is a high turnover of staff-

I would look into:

• if there's any Civil Service roles available in your new area: jobs.civilservice.gov.uk/company/nghr/jobs.cgi
• anything good going at your local council - google "local authority" for your area and look at their jobs
• NHS jobs in your area www.jobs.nhs.uk/
• jobs in the Court Service www.justice.gov.uk/jobs

I think £40k is a tough target for a completely new job, and the jobs market isn't brilliant in the UK right now.

Training up as an accountant would not be a bad idea if you can afford to start at hopefully c. £20k (would be c. £25k I think for a new job in London, anyway) as the pay would go up over time. How bad are you with numbers really? If your basic arithmetic is OK but you are good at learning rules and logic then I think you might get used to it.

Why is moving to London out of the question?

I think that £40k outside London in a new job is hopeful unless there is a demand for the specialist knowledge/experience that you have gained through your European work. The public sector is contracting rapidly although joint commissioning (& commissioning more generally) is one of the few growing areas so if this might be a route to go down. Without wanting to be negative or downplay your personal skills, it really is a tough job market at the moment and there are a lot of well qualified people with excellent transferable skills like the ones you mention looking for jobs. I have to echo what Putthatbookdown said, think carefully and realistically before you make any final decisions. I now very much regret leaving my career in London.

Do you know what, I think you should be aiming higher than to start on the bottom rung again. I think you should be the boss of a person doing this job: www.jobisjob.co.uk/london/pentland-house/research-analyst-healthcare-27k/job-offer-cgcp47ge4db5dtlymte75vqwdq?pos=3

I think you should try to set up a meeting with someone like the head of this team and see how they think they can use you www.deloitte.com/view/en_GB/uk/industries/life-sciences/fedb2089c3307310VgnVCM1000001956f00aRCRD.htm

Is there any way that you could find another UK base role with your current employer, or something related to what you are doing at present. Otherwise I think you will struggle to find a career that will give you 40k as a starting salary.
Coul you move to the UK but commute to Belgium weekly?

MOST of the public sector jobs are fixed term/temporary now even at higher grades and it is alarming to see how they are sacking people PRIVATE sector has growth now but slow

Thanks for the advice! Moving back to the UK is definitely going to happen and London isn't really an option for us. Looks like things might be trickier for me than I thought.

Wow - am wondering what people have been saying in order to get deleted????

I have left a career in teaching and qualified as a make up artist. I now own my own business as a skincare specialist and make up artist, and sell a fantastic high end product range (sort of franchise arrangement). I am not earning my teaching salary (yet!) but am a lot happier and am able to be available when my children need me. If you love what you were/are doing and it suits then aim to stay within the same field, but don't be afraid to really go outside your own experience and take a chance! It could be fantastic.

What about some kind of research role, I'm in market research, but there are lots of opportunities outside that - secondary (desk based research), social research you would be great at a polling and social research.

I give loads of presentations, do lots of research (obviously), write lots of reports etc etc.

The best opportunities are in London but there are regional roles and the money is pretty good.