Career paths with fast progression after sahm ing

[Monapaloma]

So.
I'm mid thirties and looking for a new career after 10yrs + of being a Sahm. I'm interested to learn about careers that have few qualification related entry requirements, but great options to study whilst working.
Full time is fine, and I can be flexible with hours. Inspire me!

Civil service.

@lawdegreebarbie can you elaborate?

And just to clarify, by 'study whilst working' I mean training/ qualifications relevant to the role etc. Not a job that allows me time to pursue independent study in a different subject.

Any other ideas ?

Or indeed , experiences?
Has anybody built their career from scratch after raising a family, and found a job that is fulfilling and rewarding?

The best type of career is one that interests you. What drives you? What do you love?

Social work?

For various reasons of necessity, I have decided to give up on the thing I love, and instead do something that pays a reliable wage, does not involve freelancing, and allows me to support my family. I need It to pay from the beginning, and i'm willing to work my ass off.

Have a look at town planning. There’s a national shortage and you can progress quite quickly once you have your RTPI qualification, which many local authorities will sponsor you through. You can do it part time over 2 years.

I want to work from day one really, rather than go back to college, uni.
I need to earn from the start.

Thank you EmmaCB1, i'll take a look

I think social work probably isn't for me right now, and I would like to earn more eventually than a social worker can at the end of the career iyswim

HR in the civil service has great progression. Do you have a degree? Even getting in on the ground with the civil service can be challenging and rewarding with decent pay and benefits and room for progression and study toward higher levels in the area.

I don't have a degree. I have studied at degree level though

You need a 2:2 or above for fast track in the civil service but you can apply with any level to actually work there. The fast track scheme is there to promote within three years though so I hoped that may be an excellent route.

@LawDegreeBarbie thanks, I'll look into civil service roles, although as I understand it entry is either apprenticeship (too late for this year) or as you say, graduate entry fast track?

Some of the apprenticeships are aimed at older people and reasonably well paid. It is also possible to go straight into a job not on a scheme (look at civilservicejobs.gov.uk).
However the step from being offered a job in principle to being invited to start work can take forever (for me it was a good three months).
There are very limited funds in my department for any extensive training (eg professional qualifications) unless you’re on some kind of scheme such as apprenticeship. Not sure if this is the case across the board, but can’t imagine any department is riddled with money at the moment.

Thank you SonnySomer. This is also what I found with Nhs , and also found the referencing system quite problematic after so long at home.
But I'll keep it on my radar

So to approach from a slightly different angle ...did anyone go back to work after a long time at home raising a family, and found something that required few entry qualifications , yet paid very well after a short time?! 😀

After so long not in work suggest you need some experience in work. So part time, temping, volunteering, or full time. Do you drive, do you like people, can you multi task, good communication, PC skills ? You need some transferable skills, flexible working that employers are looking for. Apply for some jobs and see what happens. The job market is tough.

Thank you Ducks0nthewat3r.
Yes. That's probably true... I need some work experience. To clarify, I'm highly trained in a very niche subject that has given me some amazing once in a lifetime experiences and some recognition, but is unreliable , sporadic, and totally incompatible with family life. For the purpose of the thread think classical pianist or similar. So in my sahm ing I've had (many) periods of self employment too, but I wanted to be vague as I need a regular job, and I need it to me something totally different to this thing.(because just dipping my toe in or being involved it on on the periphery would break my heart).
But doing the thing I've been doing means I bypassed formal qualifications, I'm a bit spendy (because in the past I could be) and I have lived a bit of a nomadic existence .
Skills wise I'm a real people person, love learning new things, and in my school days I was very academic.

Yet these days I can barely form a coherent sentence on mumsnet 😂

I was made redundant a year ago and found work quickly with good CV, contacts, relocation, able to work flexible hours. I applied for jobs that were similar to my old job, with good references. I am telling you this, because you will be up against similar people who have current experience, qualifications, volunteering. You need to apply for loads of jobs, it's also a numbers game. Nobody is going to find you and give you a job. You need to find the job. Also use Facebook and LinkedIn. Good luck

Thanks user. But no, ideally I want to something totally removed from what I've done before.