Desperate for work at 59

[Pinkypong]

Please help.
im 59 and desperate for work. I’ve had the odd shop job. I don’t have any skills, years ago I did design, well I can do design but my photoshop and illustrator skills let me down.
im supposed to retire and I can’t, ever I don’t think.
is it ridiculous to apply to be a teacher? By the time I get in the course I’ll be 60.so that’s stupid, I’d have to do maths o level too.
what can I do? Is there some sort of help out there? Are there courses? Not degree but just something to get me into a job. I’m so stuck and lost and anxious. It’s causing massive riffs between me and Dh. I don’t know how I got to this age without a job, I get the odd bit of freelance but it doesn’t last. I’m too anxious to think straight.

And breathe.

Yes you'd be mad to consider embarking on teaching now.

Why haven't you worked before, you need to unpick that?

What about a supermarket, Waitrose are great of you have one nearby.

There are enough horror stories on here about being a teacher and to be quite honest having read them and other anecdotes from teacher friends I wouldn't even be considering becoming a teacher at 59.

The next step is to focus on something a bit more about specific interests. What do you want to do? What are you interested in? What sort of hours are you wanting to work?

It'll feel very anxious because you don't have a plan yet, narrow down some finer points of directions and things will feel clearer.

First, try to calm down. And ask your DH to back off, he isn't helping.

Have you considered being an account manager for a design agency? Or getting an entry level job at a design agency and then topping up your skills while you are there? Understanding the principles of good design is a saleable skill.

A lot of women in their 50s have storming organisational skills as well because they've spent decades organising children. Don't underestimate your abilities.

If you're considering something with children like teaching, would something like child minding not be an option for you? Or a private tutor teaching some after school learning activities if you are confident in a certain subject? You don't need to have teaching experience or a teaching qualification to be a private tutor, as long as you have a good understanding of the subject and can follow the yearly curriculum.

Both child minding and private after-school tutoring you could do from home, which might be easier on your anxiety?

Try the local library or technical college for back to work top-up skills. Ask in the job centre if they have reopened after Covid.

What about these guys. They seem to have govt funding. college www.virtual-college.co.uk/resources/expanding-your-employment-options-over-50

If you already have some shop experience then that would seem a sensible option. I am 62 and work part-time in a supermarket and I am not the oldest one here.

Try the national careers service for free advice. And look at the website restless for over 50 jobs. Loads of free on line courses to upskill- Google classroom etc.

Retail? Care work? I know a few women in their 50's and 60's who work part time in care. It's easy to get into and no qualifications or experience needed

Loads of free gov.co.Uk courses here

I did one and it really gave me the confidence in brushing up my skills to apply for jobs, I was back in work in 3 weeks after 20 years “off”!

Good luck OP!

I don’t know why I haven’t worked in ages. First it was childcare then no direction, then cancer, then even less direction, then husband had an aneurysm so supported him through that, then covid, and now here we are. I lost a lot of confidence. I got the odd shop type job but Dh would make it very difficult to go. Similarly doing a maths exam to apply to be a teacher was very difficult to get to, as Dh wasn’t so good at childminding, but this is ages ago.
I then just got ridiculously anxious. I didn’t know what skills I had, I didn’t know what to train in or how to train in something. I thought about graphics refresher course, maybe social media, everything was very expensive to pick the wrong thing. I just seem to have got stuck for years and years. Too scared to do anything and not knowing enough to get anything.

These are good ideas, thank you. I know Dh wants me to get a ‘ proper’ job but I just want anything.

mintjulia thank you but the link doesn’t work!
yesitsbess what skills did you brush up on? What skills do I need to be employable?

Also, you could consider becoming a counsellor? The course is 3 or 4 years long but then you have the opportunity of working for yourself. Many colleges offer evening courses for this so perhaps find part time day time work and do something like this in the evening? I know people in their late 50s and 60s doing the course and going on to have their own businesses.

NowTeach is a charity that offers teacher training on the job (so a salary immediately) for people at the ‘other’ end of their careers. Might be worth looking into?

Are you anywhere near a hospital? Or a big medical centre? You could sign up to join the staff Bank and do admin work. That's what I've been doing since I left banking in 2018 (I'm 61 now). The NHS will always need people and there's no age discrimination.

No to teacher as most teachers are retired around 60 as its a tough ask to keep going after that. Retired one myself.
Recently l have noticed a lot of women my age..and yours working in our local supermarkets. Wondering was it to do with anxiety over energy bills. Years ago in US always saw older people in supermarkets supposedly to pay health insurance.
But they looked happy enough and as they are big stores there may be a social element involved..that would be vital for me, maybe not for you. You could start part time.
Other jobs l have seen are one colleague who became a companion for an older person bringing her to appointments/ for lunch and generally keeping her company. Her amily paid as they were all busy and rich.

Going into teaching at 59 would be v tough- the link by @YesitsBess gives some great resources and info on free courses.
talking to the national careers service is free and could give you loads of ideas.
what jobs are advertised locally on indeed etc? See who are recruiting. And what skills they want.

Look at health records and clinic prep jobs in the NHS. Entry level positions with room for progression. Bank and permanent staff positions.

How about reception work eg at gp, local cafe, supermarket, care work?

I’m looking. It all seems so helpless. I can’t breathe.

I did a Microsoft office skills brush up course, it was really useful and I learned loads of functions I didn’t even realise were there!

Certainly not hopeless, the jobs market is very candidate weighted at the moment and I had my pick of jobs. Your husband, if you don’t mind me saying, doesn’t sound terribly helpful. Is that part of the problem?

Seriously, NHS Bank is excellent. You can do as many days as suits you and there is lots of admin to be done.

Have you thought about volunteering to help you gain confidence and find something you enjoy?

If you're wondering about being a teacher, what about being a teaching assistant. The pays awful but there can be a lot of job satisfaction and potential to move into other positions in the school once you've worked out if you like working there

Civil service administration?