Career advice needed, I made a change and want to go back!

[openitsoicanseeyousmile]

I was a PA for 4 years before recently changing in April this year to an admin job in a Maternity setting - I wanted to become a midwife.

However, it is clear now the career isn't for me and I am fed up of not having enough cash and putting my neck on the line for next to nothing, despite being extremely passionate about women centred care.

I enjoyed my time as a PA and I was wondering how to explain my basic admin role at interview? Should I be straight and say I wanted to make the jump to a career change into healthcare but then admit it just wasn't suited to me?

I changed to that more basic role as it gave me exposure to maternity services and working with pregnant women (there were some other duties other than admin involved).

How do I go about all of this? What would you do, how would you word these things?

Thank you for any advice

Just be honest - no one will think ill of you for trying to find a route into what you wanted to do, but then finding it didn't work out for you. It takes determination and commitment to go for a lesser paid role in order to change career. How would you know it was a mistake if you hadn't tried it? Better to try it and find it's not for you than not try it and regret it for years wondering 'what if?'

I changed career a few years ago and found that ultimately it wasn't for me. My route back into the kind of thing I had been doing beforehand (not dissimilar work from your original career) was temping. I proved myself and was offered a permanent job.

Thanks wow. Good on you for trying something new!

I thought about temping but the trouble is, short notice temp roles with uncertain lengths aren't stable and I need to generate a stable income - Mostly due to extreme childcare costs for DC. Although a lot of temp roles are 6 months etc, which is absolutely fine but a bit longer than a basic 'temp' that I might attract given my time out of PAing

How long have you been out? Don't underestimate the value of actual experience in a PA role. There are plenty of longer term project roles, mat cover type contracts, etc. Ultimately you have to decide whether it's worth the risk to get back in.

Going back was fairly easy for me - basic temping paid the same as my salary in the field I'd moved into. Is there just you or do you have a partner or spouse?

I've been out for the best part of a year.

I do have a husband, yes

Register with the best agencies locally or in the field you want to work in and apply for permanent jobs too. You can review down the line if you're not getting anywhere and look at a contract role then.

You can make a decision together with your DH if it's worth the risk of moving to a contract.

I thought a contract was more secure than a temp role?

It is - just thinking that if you have financial obligations you could start looking for perm roles only then switch to contract if you're not getting anywhere. Agencies deal with lots of perm jobs.