Job after 20 years' child-rearing..?!

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I've name-changed for this so that I can be completely honest.

I'm 43, and have spent the last 21 years raising my children (more than five of them). Now my youngest (and last) is getting past the baby stage, I'm finally able to start thinking about returning to the world of work.

(I say 'returning'; after graduating with a 2:1 from a London RG uni, I worked for a year before getting married and having my first child. This was editing/marketing/admin for a small trade publishing company.)

My degree was in English Language and Literature. 3 As at A-level, in English, History & Communication Studies (sort of a psychology/sociology/media-type subject).

Strengths:

Use of language. I'm articulate, can speak clearly and confidently, high level of comprehension, good at writing clear prose, and explaining complex concepts in easy-to-understand language.

Emotional intelligence. This is also a weakness, as I am extremely empathic.

Good at reading people's emotions, active listening, responding in an appropriate register.

Weaknesses:

Possibly over-empathic (though I think my hide is hardening as I get older).

Sensitive to criticism, due to...

Lack of confidence.

Fairly basic IT competence (Word, Excel, that's about it...)

Lack of experience and employment history.

My IQ is 142 (1% of the population), so theoretically I know I should be able to work at a fairly high level - but what that actually translates to in reality is what I'm struggling with!

I'd be very grateful for any ideas as to possible sectors of work/types of job/ideas/tips/encouragement. I've browsed this board quite a bit, but I feel that my personal situation is a bit unusual, so isn't discussed often.

Gosh, so long - sorry!

I should have added - I've worked as a semi-official personal assistant supporting my husband's businesses, mostly proof-reading, writing & correcting emails, editing proposals... over the last five-ish years.

Could you set yourself up as a self-employed proofreader and editor? Possibly also copywriting?

What are you willing to do?
What do you feel confident to do?

I have some more impressive things in my background than you, but when I started back after 8 yrs as a SAHM, I took a minimum wage zero hours job just to start getting my confidence back. I saw myself as equivalent to a school leaver in terms of employability & I haven't regretted taking that perspective.

There are literally constant ads in my area for cleaners, care workers, pub/restaurant staff, delivery people.

But if you feel sure you have better oppotunities, then fair enough. Let us know what you end up doing.

@BunnySneezes I think I need to work outside the house, rather than remotely. There'd be too many domestic 'calls on my time' for me to successfully zone them out in my own home.

I also have the impression (perhaps wrongly) that the editing/proof-reading sector is saturated, and not very well-paid as a result..?

@lljkk that is certainly one way I could go about it; however, having spent the last two decades constantly clearing up and cleaning, and caring for small children, I'm drawn to the idea of a job in which I can operate at a more cerebral level.

Having said that. I've also considered getting the driving license (the name of which I've now forgotten) to be able to drive minibuses, as I'm a good and confident driver (15 years' driving a long-wheel base 9 seater van around Central London). I see plenty of these around my area transporting children/adults with additional needs to/from daytime facilities; I think I could do that (would need an enhanced DBS check though).

I've also thought about Ubering, but the costs (both upfront and ongoing) feel a bit off-putting.

Whether or not it's well-paid or not depends entirely on your perspective. CIEP publishes its recommended minimum rates:

https://www.ciep.uk/resources/suggested-minimum-rates/

As always it helps to have a niche to work within.

I took a similar approach to what @lljkk describes after my time away from work.

Have you got the time/inclination/resources to do a post-grad qualification in an area that interests you? Or some micro OU courses? Something that indicates you're interested enough in the field you apply for jobs in that you're prepared to put in some effort to update your skills? What kind of area would you ideally like to work in?

Or given the PA type work you've been doing trying and get some temp PA / admin work? You never know what it might lead to. Make sure your CV is very well written and laid out.

I think those ‘skills bootcamp’ 16 week courses are free if you want to upgrade your IT skills (as opposed to seeking work that doesn’t need advanced IT skills)

Have a browse through online uni courses and see if anything fits. You have academic strengths, but your as qualification was more than 10 years ago, an update would be a good idea.

@WhatWouldTheDoctorDo I don't really know, that's the problem! There are so many jobs out there, and I know nothing about most of them.

I have an interest in education, particularly the policy end ( I home-educated for a time, and read quite a lot of the related literature).

That could be a niche to aim for if I pursued Bunny's suggestion of copy-editing/writing (thank you for that link, btw: very helpful to have an idea of hourly rates).

I'm not averse to further study/qualifications, but I'm definitely more of a Humanities person than a technical STEM-type, so I'm not sure what kind of course I could do without a very specific career already in mind.

I would imagine you need to brush up on all things IT - so many jobs require high competency now

This would probably be sensible - it would make me feel more confident about facing any new job, as well as hopefully more employable.

Try a temp agency for office jobs - admin type. Then you can take it from there.

Would a temp agency be worth a physical visit? I'm a more attractive prospect (as an employee!) in person than my rather empty CV would suggest.

Lots of free courses on Alison . And yes go in person to an agency.

Try law. You can get a job as a paralegal without any legal background as you learn on the job and are supervised extensively. Quite a bit of paralegal work is admin and communication based so your skills would fit nicely. You will get some great transferable skills if you decide not to pursue law as a career. It’ll be challenging but not overwhelming. You’ll probably need to be a little bit more enthusiastic than you may otherwise feel about the legal sector at interview stage though as it’s fairly competitive.

It might be worth you looking at Executive Assistant route in the longer term, given your PA experience and potentially aiming to go in that direction - building up some experience in admin roles. One to add to the list to have a look into perhaps. (Most roles would be full time so might not suit you yet).

Copywriting/editing jobs are typically better paid in wealthier niches - like tech and finance - but you could do some work on building your knowledge in those areas potentially to get your ahead round some of the more complex concepts - might be quite satisfying to learning about something new if you're looking for something more cerebral. Healthcare is another better paid area (pharmaceuticals) but they tend to be looking for people from scientific backgrounds.

Those courses on Alison - are they any good? Valued?

Are you able to volunteer? Your skills may suit something like CAB. If you're any good, you may well get a job out of it.

What does your work history comprise of? If you haven't been in the real world of work for some time , then volunteering may be a good start?

@ageingdisgracefully mentioned CAB work. I did this for a couple of years and the skills you acquire are immense. You are dealing with the public ( who are often in crisis), researching information, using ICT skills and working as a team. Often ( depending on where you live ) there can be paid work at the end. Plus the opportunities for training are great and it can be very rewarding, knowing you have helped in some way.

Just a thought anyway 🙂
Good luck !

You could be an English teacher with your degree.

If you aren't sure you could apply to work as a TA to begin with. Pay is crap but it's better than nothing and good experience

I've thought about being a TA, or I suppose also a teacher, but tbh the recent threads on MN about the state of schools and all the staff leaving in droves has rather put me off the idea!

The CAB might be a bit too emotionally draining for me at this point in my life. I'm still caring for a large family, all at different stages of life, and I'm not sure I'd have the headspace for the world's problems as well as our own!

Maybe have a look at the civil service?

I applied through one of their big recruitment campaigns last year after ten years of out of the 'normal' workforce.

The application and interview asked nothing specific about previous jobs/qualifications/etc. I thought at the time how good that was for people with gaps in their CV, like stay at home mums.