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Original poster

What can you retrain to do in your mid40s that will support a family fairly quickly?

118 replies

orchidsonabudget · 21/07/2021 20:42

That really
Dh is unemployed and I am just wondering if there is another stone that we haven't unturned

OP posts:
LBOCS2 · 22/07/2021 10:34

Something in procurement?

Saltyslug · 22/07/2021 10:37

Nhs finance job?

www.nhsjobs.com/job_list/Administrative_Services/s7/Finance/d501

blueshoes · 22/07/2021 11:27

@orchidsonabudget

Sorry didn't meant to be vague. He was a deal maker for small cap companies He is good at juggling multiple projects and bringing things together and good at understanding both financial and legal documents but is not aca or solicitor

He has looked at bursar type jobs and got one interview but they went with someone with experience.

I agree that this is a good fit for project management. Is there any particular sector he focused on that he can leverage his contacts. In these covid times of change, there is a need for people who can navigate change and make things happen.

Is there any reason he went for a bursar job. Is he looking for a less stressful job (I have no idea if a bursar job is less stressful). Project Management can be quite full on, I think.

overthethamesfromyou · 22/07/2021 12:13

If he has been out for two years or more, most of the City firms offer Returners programmes, originally set up to encourage women back into the workplace but a lot are open to men as well.

Bargebill19 · 22/07/2021 12:26

Hgv drivers do not make £10-£11 per hour!!

Try more like £30- £40k if they are willing to work to their full potential.

MonkeysandParrots · 22/07/2021 22:47

@orchidsonabudget

Sorry didn't meant to be vague. He was a deal maker for small cap companies He is good at juggling multiple projects and bringing things together and good at understanding both financial and legal documents but is not aca or solicitor

He has looked at bursar type jobs and got one interview but they went with someone with experience.

I often work in M&A, if he does what I think he does, then he’s a very good communicator with excellent influence & persuasion skills akin to great solutions sales people rather than a PM.

Has he considered moving into that field? Maybe with a tech software supplier or systems integrator? Fab money to be made if you are good enough.

bert3400 · 22/07/2021 22:55

What about carpenter, plumber or electrician....there seems to be a huge shortage as construction is very busy at the moment, I think intensive courses are available

gogohm · 22/07/2021 22:58

Hgv driver? Serious shortages at the moment

Ariela · 22/07/2021 23:18

Also suggest HGV licence. Probably no need to pay for it yourselves (aside from which there's a backlog for taking the test) as many firms eg supermarkets AO etc all will pay for the training, but if you did pay for the test then you'd immediately earn typically £0k-40k /year,

Then there are plenty of just driving jobs about too...

StripyGiraffes · 22/07/2021 23:22

@drainrat

If you’ve never rented or been a tenant at a premium property, many lettings agents earn six figures Grin.
They may well do. Lots of us do. That doesn't mean they're any good at maths. 😂
StripyGiraffes · 22/07/2021 23:25

@Redyellowpink

Posted too soon...starting salary around 32000. Could make G7 in 3 years for a salary of 50000
Over this I'd go for a training scheme with a big firm in accounting/ consultancy. He'd start on a higher salary that above, earn more than £50k in 3 years after the training scheme and have far higher earnings potential for the future. And they're keen these days to diversify and find more experienced trainees with more experience.
Rhinothunder · 22/07/2021 23:27

How much does he need to earn to make life comfortable?

StripyGiraffes · 22/07/2021 23:27

@Bargebill19

Hgv drivers do not make £10-£11 per hour!!

Try more like £30- £40k if they are willing to work to their full potential.

Great. So nothing to do with his skillset, away from home loads and then if - after shelling out for training - he works crazy hours he may earn a little over average salary. Not sure that meets the OP's brief, really.
KaleJuicer · 22/07/2021 23:27

@orchidsonabudget I would suggest something with on the job training or where his skills can be transferred. Like the nhs job mentioned above, he could apply for something like this with a carefully written application that was sure to tick all the person specification boxes so the person in HR scores it highly enough for him to get to interview:
jobs.digital.nhs.uk/vacancies/304/senior-commercial-contracts-manager.html

Bargebill19 · 22/07/2021 23:38

@StripyGiraffes

  1. correcting an untruth regarding hgv wages.
  2. reading op original post - not that that was what I was responding to, it matches perfectly.
  3. your assumptions about hgv hours and work are quite off. Not all hgv jobs are the same. Plus you can currently only do 48 hours per week on a averaged 12 week turn around. Hard work yes, long hours no.
  4. hgv licence quicker to get than a lot of these suggestions.
ContessaVerde · 22/07/2021 23:40

www.gov.uk/government/publications/skilled-worker-visa-shortage-occupations/skilled-worker-visa-shortage-occupations

Interesting list.
We have a shortage of artists, orchestral musicians and ballet dancers.....

womaninatightspot · 22/07/2021 23:58

@Bargebill19

Hgv drivers do not make £10-£11 per hour!!

Try more like £30- £40k if they are willing to work to their full potential.

I think rates are lower in Scotland lots of jobs advertised around here 10-11 quid mark locally full time jobs on at 18-24K. It's not great money I'm always astonished that bus drivers only make 10-11 quid an hour locally as well.
Noterook · 23/07/2021 00:01

@LBOCS2

Something in procurement?
Yes that's what I was going to say judging by his experience.

OP get him to check the civil service, if he goes for a job at D band (£25kish) he could do CIPS level 4 and then progress probably quite quickly with his experience.

Bargebill19 · 23/07/2021 00:19

@womaninatightspot. The big hauliers and in house hauliers pay the same rates from north to south. Try a multinational haulier. Agency rates start at £14ph. £10-£11 is white van or 7.5t rate. Not hgv.
Add on a willingness to tramping and a forklift licence or hazchem or hazpak licences and you will be commanding a heck of a lot more. If willing to do nuclear work then you can practically name your price.
But you do have to be willing to work, get the licences and do the drug and alcohol test and abide by additional rules for certain loads.

Bargebill19 · 23/07/2021 00:21

@womaninatightspot

Dh has always said bus drivers should get more money as their loads talk and cause
more trouble than hauling steel rolls. 🤣

Rosecottage888 · 23/07/2021 00:32

@StripyGiraffes Total Facilities Management - maintenance, security, cleaning, portering, catering etc

There are so many opportunities out there in the FM world! I absolutely love it

throwa · 23/07/2021 10:05

Project management would seem to be playing to his skills - look at getting the formal Prince2 qualification as it would help with box ticking and getting interviews. He should be able to tweak his CV to make it very PM friendly if his role was what I think it is.

Procurement is another one - you can be on 50k as a category manager within 3-4 years if you're good, and it's the softer skills which are needed to be good at this type of work. All about project and stakeholder management. CIPS is the qualification here - you can self study, but it takes time to get through to full MCIPS assuming no exemptions. Public sector procurement has huge demand at the moment and you're going to progress quickly if you have the soft skills to do it, especially for central gov roles.

pinkfanman · 24/07/2021 12:27

Oven cleaning business, - just paid £100 to get my two ovens cleaned - I waited 2 months to get a slot! Woman who did it said she did a short course, got a van and set herself up.

BuffySummersReportingforSanity · 24/07/2021 12:29

If he has a track record of having made big things happen on time and to budget, is financially literate, and has good soft skills, I really think he could tell a very good story as a project manager, and could very quickly acquire an online qualification in same to make him a bit more legit. Really good PMs are highly valued.