what can I retrain in that will definitely lead to a job?

[indemandjobs]

I am about to lose my job (redundancy). Have young kids and no income. I am early 50s. What can I retrain in that will lead to definitely getting a job - so looking for something in a high demand /low supply area.

Can only afford to retrain for a year ( so no degrees) unless its an on the job training deal.

Nothing in IT/ tech as I am not good at that.

Nothing involving blood or gore as I am too squeamish and nothing where someone might die if I make a mistake as I will make mistakes.

Any help gratefully received as I am sick with worry.

If you already have a degree I would suggest training as a teacher. You can train in school and get paid at the same time. It may not be your ideal choice but I knew someone who did it simply because it fitted with having two young children and made a great success of it.

What kind of job(s) have you had in the past, what kind of skills do you have etc?

Join the Civil Service. Do not waste money on retraining. You can move within the Civil Service if you don’t like your initial role. PM me if you want to discuss more.

I could not be a teacher! Also, where I live, my maths GCSE grade is not high enough for me to get on the PGCE course.

All in public sector but very miscellaneous jobs so nothing where I can say, 'I am a social worker/ accountant etc). This is why I am so terrified, I don't really have a career or specialism to sell to anywhere else.

This is why I think I need to retrain.

How much do you need to earn?

I would urge you brush up your IT skills. Just all the usual Microsoft ones like Word and basic Excel. As a former recruiter this was the factor which let down every workplace returner I saw. Good luck.

Why not join your local Citizens Advice Bureau and undertake their training programme? Way to make a difference and will lead to a lot of paid post opportunities in due course. Your eclectic background could be ideal.

Family worker? Not SW but similar field/environment- you don’t need an official qualification but will need to have had experience of working with people and children in some capacity. You haven’t said what your previous roles were so might not be applicable

Have you got any tips for resources to do this? My IT skills are pretty basic.

About 40k would be ideal ( what I am on now) but probably unrealistic.

Would love this and have applied several times in the past, but they get a lot of applicants as it pays well for this sort of work and I never get an interview. Don't have experience of working with children and young people.

Decades ago I did well in a statistics course ( social statistics) but have not used this since and I am not a natural ( had to work hard) but really enjoyed it.

If you were interested in teaching. You could book yourself to complete the Functional Skills level 2 maths. However, it is still worth applying due to your age and skills.

What is the minimum you need to earn? What skills do you have? What job do you do currently? How long have you been doing it? What have you enjoyed about the jobs you’ve done so far? What have you not liked doing? What hours do you prefer working - 9-5 or shifts? Night shifts? Weekends? What qualifications do you have?

I would not suggest this. Teaching is not family friendly. I say this as someone who taught for 31 years. The hours are brutal.

Book keeper, bus/HGV driver, Virtual Assistant or PA roles? £40k with a limited skill set doesn't make you a stand out candidate for much Im afraid, so you'll need to think laterally.

I second or third to look at civil service website. You have lots of experience so you should be able to find job that suits. It's a long process, but you don't need to retrain. So that's benefit. Lots of civil servants came from different jobs with transferable skills but not formal qualifications (there are really none for many of the jobs anyway).
Have a browse and see. Plenty of operational or policy jobs where jack of all trades fits.

Teaching

I would avoid investing too much in retraining as it seems you need a job first and foremost. Then once you have that, any further training needed would be clear.

It's tough out there at the moment, even the usual suggestions of civil service, NHS or uni professional services, or charity are really squeezed. Are you prepared to work your way up? I feel you should concentrate on getting a foot in the door somewhere you would like to work and go from there.

Agree with this especially charities. I work for a charity and my fixed term contract is ending in a few months despite there being desperate need for my job role. There seems to be barely any funding to bid for new posts.
I'm watching this thread with interest as I need to find a new career soon but am a few years older than op and thinking I will probably try to find a way to retire early instead.

This is the problem. All the sectors I have worked in have very few jobs at the moment. It took me two years to find my current job. I usually got very good interview feedback, told I was the second preferred candidate, but was told there was someone with ' slightly more experience' - well there would be as I am not a specialist in anything but have a wide range of experience.

I have savings I can use to retrain and would like to have proper career where I can say ' I do that' as its the lack of that, that has made me vulnerable.

At your age I retrained as a gardener. I mowed lawns whilst I studied and as soon as I improved my skills I started more skilled gardening work. I was turning down work almost immediately as I was so busy.

If you work full time you could easily earn more than your target.

Gardeners are in short supply, the pay is good, you can be self employed and work hours to suit you around family life. Or you can work as an employee in a larger garden and have all the benefits of holiday pay, sick pay, funded training etc.

Most of my clients are elderly women who prefer to employ a woman. You will have a USP before you start.

Downsides are obviously that it's hard, physical work outdoors in all winds and weathers. Also, you have to be garden inclined.

Most trades are in short supply. Is there one that appeals to you? They are almost a licence to print money in the current market.

undertaker. Never be out of work