Unemployable? Please help Mr Small

[BlooDeBloop]

Like Mr Small I'm looking to step into work but keep finding unsuitable options. Without judgment please, my work life to date has been patchy but now I'm facing up to the fact that an income would be good for me and the family.

Background is

• Degree in life sciences
• PhD
• Teaching secondary (I left a year after QTS).
• Decade+ in bitty work - teaching English as foreign language, hospitality, translation work (fluent in a second language), secretarial work. The longest I last is 10 months before the novelty wears off and I get pissed off for a variety of reasons.
• Qualified recently in an alternative therapy but I'm struggling to find premises and with doubts about my ability to do this independent business thing.

Kids are in secondary so the time feels right to branch out but I'm mid 40s with sod all experience in anything. Feeling quite down especially as I invested money in the training (it seemed to be the answer but now feels like a silly pipe dream). I checked out civil service websites but I just can't see myself in those jobs. I feel like I've wasted the talents I was born with, like I've never found my 'thing', and now worried it's too late in any case.

I'd love a steady salary, a pension pot of any size and a bit of social standing if I'm honest.

I'm open to any ideas 😊

Another fellow wanderer 😆. Like you I am also afflicted with the creativity bug. But with my background in STEM I've never branched out in a serious way. I know lots of people in graphic design working freelance, but I imagine there is a lot of competition

The same. I feel like I've spent my life wasting my talents, not knowing what I want to do and on actual fact, not knowing what my talent even is.

I have a degree (which has proved pretty useless with no particular skillset) but a good honours degree nevertheless. 50 now and looking at early retirement - or in other words after working various admin jobs then a long stint at sahm just slipped off the employment map. Perimenopause has added to trauma related anxiety, it feels all too much to retrain - and retrain in what? I haven't come to terms with it yet. I really wish you well misskelly and you op, I hope you do come closer to finding your thing. I know what you mean when you talk about not finding your talents. I get a glimmer but nothing seems strong enough. My best bet now is to toy around with voluntary work...even that feels like too much of an ask right now. My world has shrunk and needs opening back up, the trouble is the merry-go-round is moving too fast. I think I'm going to have to accept things sooner or later. I'm rubbish at just enjoying myself. I like to be needed and the only thing that gives me that feeling are my dc and they are gradually getting older.

And yes, I love to be creative too.

What about being a TA in primary?

There's no social standing, the wage is stable but shitty, and the pension pot exists but it's more of a thimble.

The work is also a pain in the ass but, it is different often enough that you don't get bored and it keeps you busy. Younger children tend to have a lot more enthusiasm for learning. You can use your creativity in various forms.. displays,after school clubs(preferably paid over time or a day off in lieu), how you deliver certain interventions , how to explain/adapt a concept in a different way etc.

It wouldn't be a career as such, but it could be a good starting point to build some confidence, use your skills, find some new ones and you're earning while you're still thinking.

online tutoring - you don’t need to be near university or secondary school.

This is true. Look into thus, especially if you have any background in chemistry that could be put to use in the pharma industry.

I also agree with PP about smaller group teaching. Try Adult Education - teaching your modern language or introduction to life sciences or ESL. Approach small private schools, local home-schooling groups etc. With sciences and language, you'd be a hit. There are lots of opportunities to teach adult ed online these days - could suit an introvert.

If you get bored easily, don't rule out a portfolio career: 2-3 days a week teaching, 2-3 days doing your alternative therapy and translating.

Lab? What is your PhD? Research? Scientific writing? Tutoring? Tutoring gcse and a-level students can earn you £50-£100 an hour depending. There are so many jobs that don't involve the public and can even be done remotely or with other introverts.

If you get bored easily, don't rule out a portfolio career: 2-3 days a week teaching, 2-3 days doing your alternative therapy and translating.
Very good idea. OP you don't need to rent a whole premises you can find someone who has premises who wants to rent out a room for a few hours a week and even has clients ready.

I've come to terms with my 'checkered' life. I have filled my time with fulfilling things (I have gratitude I have been able to do this rather than just knuckle down, and I've been there for the kids which they love) but as I get older the nagging feeling doesn't go away. Just this week it has come upon me again. I hear you when you talk about your shrunken world. When kids do leave then inevitably there will be empty nest syndrome. I see the older women around me launch late life things such as voluntary work (mentoring teens, teaching asylum seekers), businesses (Etsy, airbnb) and what my heart would love, a creative career.

With a PHD if it's remotely quantitative, look into entry level data science positions.

Even entry level pay is decent, options to work from home for good companies etc.
very good progression opportunities if you have softer skills into management etc. and can explain things (you mention teaching) and very good pay with a bit of experience.

They love phds in data science.

Alternatively, look at big pharma companies.any are growing rapidly and very much value those with a science background. Often they feel they can teach relevant skills as long as the person has a science background. Many growing rapidly since Covid.

I agree with the portfolio approach. Have different things on different days.

You sound very suited to a legal environment or an acute hospital. I know more about the latter - I've just left the hospital environment after 11 years, I think most of us are adrenaline or drama junkies who can't stand long slow projects. I had a job with pretty much a fresh slate every day, needed physical resilience and an ability to be in the moment and to inform patients clearly and without judgement, and it really suited me for a long time.

Have a deep dive for NHS jobs (our trust uses trac.jobs, used to be jobs.nhs.uk). I'm wondering about pathology labs processing results, alcohol care workers on the liver ward, ward clerks (ok zero money but make a huge difference- consider also GP receptionist, good ones are very good), rehab technicians, therapy assistants... there's a lot of options out there and it would let you see and experience a lot of different roles. You could do most of these part time or at weekends too.

What is your second language?

Scientific translation work?
Book translation?
Medical proofreading for translated work.
My sil is a signed up member of a group who is on call as a translater for the police via phone call.
My brother did an online tefl course to teach English as a foreign language and is doing very well for himself as a private language.

His other language is an unusual one so there is lots of demand for that countries citizens to learn English as Polish isn't nearly as internationally useful.

I know it has been mentioned but you do sound like ADHD is a possibility. I am just being investigated as an adult, similar story, and lot now makes sense.

Portfolio career might work, but could easily end up distracting and you getting muddled / loosing focus.

With QTS and a PhD you have a fair few education options. Would you consider private schools - different set of issues, but might suit you better. Tutoring can be a great option, especially if you can cover all 3 sciences.

Then investigate science editing and if you can fit your alternative therapy in as well. You might need to be hyper organised (which I find easier than slightly organised!) but it could be very fulfilling.

For some time I pursued this but came up with nothing. Feedback was vague. Personally I think it was my teaching qualification that put them off. But maybe it was something else?

I'm similar, late 30s and yet to find my career passion, and have too many qualifications in too many different fields (if anyone needs a maths teacher, accountant, meditation guide and nail technician all rolled into one - I'm ya gal!). I've found the best compromise has been working as a secondary TA 3 days a week (consistent pay check, local government pension, long holidays, I enjoy working with the teens without having to deal with whole class behaviour management), then spending the other two days a week on a creative business (Etsy shop selling digital downloads). It doesn't make a lot, definitely not enough to live on, but it satisfies that creative/self employed/what is my latest passion project this week urge

With a PhD?

Would you consider teaching postgrad?

To get through a PhD you must’ve been really motivated. What was it that you liked about that? Did you originally intend to go into research/lecturing after that?

I didn’t really understand your comment about the commute to the uni. If commuting to a city is out, would something remote working work for you? It can be harder to feel really engaged with a new job if you’re totally remote from your co-worker though.

@BlooDeBloop how long ago was that? I would've thought your teaching degree would be a bonus, since we end up teaching anyway. In my area we're really struggling to recruit in the past few years, which definitely wasn't the case when I first started.

Whats the alternative therapy? I work in this sector and some are really popular some not so much 😁.

It was the year before COVID when I was trying to escape hospitality. In my area there is usually a steady stream in the primaries, secondary not so much. I haven't tried for any secondary TA posts to be fair

Turns out we are very similar 😀😆. I'm glad to see how the picnmix week works for you. I think something similar could also work for me.

Science keeps coming up. I checked technician posts last night and I believe I wouldn't be a great catch. I have a molecular biology PhD but my techniques and software experience are 2 decades out of date.

My language is common. I have tried translation and it didn't light my world. Increasingly, the field uses machine translation and rates are not high. It's also very isolating as deadlines are always yesterday necessitating long days in front of a screen. Then nothing till the next job. 🫤

Well for starters you have zero chance of getting back into a university. There are fresher graduates who have recent research work that is admissible for the REF. If you don’t have recent research work they can put forward for the REF, they won’t hire you. That includes teaching roles - even for teaching roles they hire you based on your research. There are ten times more PhD graduates than there are university jobs, so it’s very competitive.

Tuition could be a good option. Or sign yourself up with a teaching supply agency and teach in a college, they’re always looking for people to teach HND and BTEC etc. Of course those aren’t “careers”, just money making opportunities with limited prospects.

Starting your own small business could be another good option. It circumvents all of the hassle around “people don’t want to hire me because I’ve been out of the workforce for a while”. You could do something creative on a freelance basis?

The way in to work as a TA with a teaching qualification is to start with temping/supply work. You get to know a variety of schools and which ones you like. They get to know you too and realise that you aren't going to try and take over from the teacher etc

However, there is very little money in schools for supply work, except for early years when you have to meet a legal staff to child ratio and where a child has an EHCP and there is funding for a 1:1. These children are ones with the most extreme difficulties in mainstream school but rewarding too.

Yes, I think I came up against this. The 1:1 children required great TAs and I believe the people picked had their own children with similar problems meaning they knew what to expect and how to handle meltdowns etc.

I have checked a local ish secondary and found them advertising for 2 full time TAs, one grade B, one C. I may go for it.

I don't have your qualifications but am similar in that I've struggled to like/stay in various jobs.
I'm creative and would happily spend my time by myself making things but found it's not a way of making money as the craft market is so saturated.

What happened with me was that a friend of a friend ran a ladies group, similar to WI, and asked if I'd go along one day and demonstrate what I made and give a little talk.

This led to the group asking if I'd go back and demonstrate some more. Then members of the group asked if I could give them lessons in how to make the items themselves.

That was twenty years ago and I'm still doing it. I get the human interaction but on my own terms, if I want a week off , or to change anything about my group, I don't have to ask permission from anyone.
It's tutoring but it's fun, no one is forced to attend so all my members actively want to be there. I'm not connected to any kind of school or college so there's no qualifications to be gained.

My brain is kept ticking over because I have to come up with the items to make and be certain they're achievable for everyone, and things like can I buy the necessary materials and still make a profit? So there's a fair bit to think about really and sometimes it's stressful but in a good way.