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 😊

With your science degree and teaching qualification, you'd be great as a trainer in the pharma/med-tech/medical devices industry, designing and delivering training courses, either in person or online to a specific brief.

The pay is excellent and there's high demand.

Or, you could become a medical writer, creating content for online sites.

Being an introvert myself, I feel your pain but sometimes you just have to get out there and pretend you're not.

creativetutor you're right the craft market is saturated. I met an accountant who said craft businesses were almost universally flawed as time invested was never worth the sale value (my friend knitted socks for example but could never sell them for the real time + wool cost). Locally I've seen artists and crafts running workshops. They do look fun to run and perhaps long term they are the answer. I'd like to build a body of work first to showcase.

LadyAstor, you're right I need to get on and pretend not to be an introvert 😆. I'm sure that's what I did when I was my younger braver self. It's like driving again after years of not driving. But I did do it before so I can do it again.

Hey, I would also like to re-enter the workforce. I'm trying to secure minimum wage work just to get back into the swing of things and then have a think about the future in coming years but it's very difficult. I've went through phases of applying for jobs but I find it a soul destroying process.

We live rural, and our nearest town is high unemployment/poverty so there are always between 50-100 applicants on indeed for each menial/minimum wage job.

I've thought of returning to study starting at an access course in something new but I don't even know what I'd like to do. There's so much choice and I can imagine myself being good/enjoying a few things and then I just feel overwhelmed.

I've recently applied for 30 vacancies and had rejections from some or no-response from others. It's disheartening.

"I'd love a steady salary, a pension pot of any size and a bit of social standing if I'm honest." - I align with this viewpoint you have.

I can't help with any fabulous suggestions but I can totally relate. I have a lot of qualifications but didn't want to do any of them. Often racked with guilt because for some people they are dream careers, for me they were just hell. After many interviews for things I really didn't want I came across an NHS role I had never heard of before and got it. Really chuffed but it took me a year to get here. Best of luck. x