What's a stable job I can train for quickly?

[howtocope]

I'm going through a divorce after 20 years as a SAHM. I've applied for 67 jobs so far, had two interviews and no offers. I'm applying for admin, reception type jobs. Can't do cleaning, catering or retail as I have disc problems in my back. No lifting, standing for hours or repetitive movements.

I have a BA and an MA in art history, an MA in creative writing and have published two novels in the last two years, but I don't make enough money from writing.

I need to find a career where I can make a decent wage (£30,000+) quickly. I have a little time to retrain if necessary, say two years, before the money runs out. What can I do?

I looked at teaching and shadowed a friend who teaches, but I don't think I'd be good at it. I looked at training as a therapist/counsellor but two people have said that the market is flooded with therapists. But I think I would enjoy and be good at that. What does Mumsnet think?

Any other ideas please?

But the jobs aren't there. It's a saturated market, with a lot more qualified people than vacancies.

After twenty years out of the workforce, OP needs to target areas where demand for people with particular skills outstrips supply. It's of absolutely no use being technically qualified for something if there are no vacancies, or if there are twenty candidates with current experience for every vacancy. Supply and demand are critical here.

Still v difficult to get a job and you need a relevant degree. Data science degree is more useful. I have a friend who retrained in this and is now employed by the government in a library.

If you’re interested in speech therapy all I would say as a parent with a non-communicative, non-conversational 3 year old, is that in reality he does not receive enough intervention in this area. He’s has less than 3 hours of NHS speech therapy input and that has only been to assess. I as th parent have to do 100% of the actual therapy, and given his level of need and the fact that I’m not a qualified speech therapist, frankly I am out of my depth. So, in short if you want to help people with speech therapy, don’t become an NHS speech therapist.

With your background surely you need to be looking at writing roles. Copywriting, article writing, ghost writing, marketing etc. you can work remotely doing all these things too.

How about teaching adults at FE college or night school or similar? You sound as though you have the background and its less stressful than teaching children.

You could try cyber security. Or training AI bots. Or do a recognised TEFL course like Cambridge CELTA and teach English online, there is currently almost inexhaustible demand from some countries such as China. Have a look on indeed and LinkedIn as a couple of suggestions to see what skills are in demand and then work out the cheapest easiest way to acquire them.

You could look at NHS jobs or your local hospital trusts but you will be unlikely to go in as a Band 6 with no previous experience, which is the salary range you're wanting unless it's a very tough job to fill. A relative works in social work, they're crying out for staff but it's a very tough job.

Some of the suggestions on here about writing and library work are kind and well meaning but at least a couple of decades out of date. I work in one full time and the other part time, the average amount a writer currently makes in the UK from recently released figures is £6-7k per annum. Libraries are also notoriously badly paid. For entry level roles in we can get hundreds of applications often from people with no experience who think anyone can do it and some who literally think an application form with "i want job library" is acceptable. In most libraries you are still dealing with people and that's the most difficult skill of all.

On the writing side if you are willing to write for very niche markets or companies like HVAC or cosmetic and dental surgery you might hit lucky.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

Look for police staff jobs in your local force area.

Project management. Do agile courses. Money is fantastic. Won't earn big money in first 6 months as you get experience but can really ramp up to big payckecks, can work remotely or in office, contract or perm roles available.

Residential childcare? Most take relevant quals on the job and you could work your way up to a Team Leader post.

Some of the advice on this thread is wildly over optimistic.

Based on the industries mentioned upthread that I’m familiar with no one who has been out of the workforce for 20 years is going to land a £30-35k role in uni comms or as a HEO in the civil service.

I work alongside people in both these roles. The typical uni comms officer on £30k will have around five years of recent experience at comms assistant level, or maybe been a comms officer in a similar type of org.

And routes to HEO level in the civil service are obviously varied, but many HEOs will have a decade plus of relevant experience, often Masters and Phds as well.

OP, I have no doubt you can demonstrate many of the essential skills in your cover letters - but the reality is that nearly everyone applying will be able to work independently, as part of a team, have good writing skills, communication skills etc. However the unfortunate truth is there’s likely to be many applicants with much more recent and relevant experience for these type of roles compared to you.

Are you ok?

It's 2 years post-grad

It's not poorly paid ... Same as other NHS wages.

Don't comment if you're ill informed 🫣

Don't try and reinvent the wheel. You don't have to go from zero to 2 years training to £30k.

Get a job. Work up.

I mean, if you have a specific career path in mind you'll be more limited. But you could probably walk into a callcentre for a bank and earn £24-£25k plus annual bonus immediately, for example. Lots offer some WFH too and with the big UK banks they have some pretty unbeatable benefits. And there will be plenty of internal opportunities after a year or so - possibly in comms or whatnot if you're good at writing, to progress.

While you’re deciding I’d recommend looking at Volunteer roles on charity jobs website.
You could volunteer a day or two a week for 6 months and get relevant experience for a paid role. There are some looking for writing skills.

Not nothing no.

but I do think this thread demonstrates the risk of giving up work and allowing a man to take financial responsibility. Especially now spousal maintenance is not the norm.

when that man is no longer around- and 1 in 2 marriages fail, it’s not easy to get back into the workplace. Once your kids are grown and benefits are limited it can be a real struggle.

meanwhile he’s sat comfortably in his job he’s never had to take a break from or worry about career gaps.

I am in a similar position only I haven’t worked for 25 years due to bringing up children etc. I am currently doing an MSc in AI and Data science and they are paying 10k for me to do it. I don’t have a post grad currently so I also get funding for the degree but some people are using the 10k for fees on my course.

I am hoping to get a remote job afterwards but I am terrified of the whole process. Good luck whatever you decide but definitely take the increasing prevalence of AI into your considerations.

What an amazing opportunity. Did you have a relevant degree? Who is this funded by?

This might be a bit random but art law is niche you have a good educational background for it

A paralegal role should be £40k to start

Could also checkout auction houses like Christie's

Good luck - I love your energy for a plan! Inspired!

The funding is just from the Uni. My previous degree is a Bsc in Pychology so I have statistics experience. However, there are some people on the course who don’t have any maths or science experience. They are struggling though.

Interesting thread.

I'd temp, to get some work experience as soon as possible. It will be easier to get a permanent job then, possibly at one of the companies you are temping for. Once permanent, if it's a small company you might be able to do the admin but also take on things like social media or copywriting.

I'm an Executive Assistant, my role covers all sorts of things - office management, research, some grant writing, as well as diary management for CEO. The traditional PA/EA that just looks after diaries and expenses is a dying role.

I'm on £60k in London. I have decades of experience but know other EA's with only about 4 years experience on similar money. It is absolutely not something you can walk into though with no work experience.

In your position, on the side, I'd also offer editing services for aspiring writers.

All except dental nurse require degree training at university, not a quick option for the OP.

How interesting.

most Dental Nurses make either minimum wage or less the same as shop work also it’s constant cleaning between every patient and terrible on your back

Definitely a market for this as I've local to me is always booked!
Might be tough on the back though.

Can you become a paralegal without training or on the job? I'm interested in this

@lalaland898 yes, you can. It's the job you do pre law degree but there are also ways of training on the job - Cilex, SQE for example.

Data technology - can be done for free but reliable and successful courses can be done with SheCodes. They are a genuine company that aims to get more women into data roles and having a degree in research will serve you well. The market can be quite saturated but with so much moving into AI/Cloud Space it's still a good option.