What to do

[Frostytiger87]

So I’m nearly 50 and have been a stay at home mum which I’m very fortunate .
However with the kids grown up I don’t know what to do now that I have time to myself
Am I too old to do a course ? Or go back to work
Previously I worked in admin for a big firm

What do you all do ? Did you go back to work when the kids were little or like me let the years slip by focusing on the kids

You are def not too old to get back into work, most people work until well into their 60s these days so that's 10-15 years of valuable work there potentially. You are far too young to just drift certainly - if you don't want/need to work that's a different matter but then maybe you could look at some volunteering to at least give back a bit? What kinds of thing interest you - if you are in the fortunate position of not being in desperate need of the money then you could take the opportunity to do a job you find interesting/fulfilling/worthwhile rather than just what pays most?

If you wanted to get back into admin then some online IT courses to refresh your skills would probably be worthwhile then maybe start off by temping to ease you back into the workplace and start to build some experience up again? But as I say don't limit yourself, there's a world of opportunity out there, maybe look at what your local college is offering, many courses don't have an age limit on them, depending on what qualifications you already have you may even be able to do an apprenticeship, browse the national apprenticeships website for inspiration, there's loads of different ones, horticulture/animal care/health and social care/hair and beauty/engineering/trades being some examples...

Frostytiger87 I can completely empathise with you. I too am a SAHM for many years and am now 51. I worked part time in schools for 4 years - in the kitchen, then as a dinner lady - but that didn't suit me. I used to work in IT before children, but after not working for many years nobody is interested!
I am studying with the OU part time to keep my brain going, and am now considering going into healthcare. There are many healthcare degrees that have a high percentage of mature students and there are lots of different roles. Don't know if that is your thing at all of course, but it's nice to know there are options. There are still many years until retirement.
So no, you are not too old to start again. Perhaps you could take on a voluntary role in the meantime, to see where your interests lie?

Sign up with an agency like Brook Street. They have contracts for some of the Civil Service and you're bound to get admin work through them.