Complete change of career, anyone done this?

littleredhen

I used to work in hotels on reception, had kids, now work in a school as classroom assistant and part week in office doing admin I love it

AubreyMac

InsideInsurance wrote: »

Worked in call centres for 10 years. The last 18 months of which was in a claims department for an insurer.

Applied for their graduate scheme as an internal applicant and the Head of Strategy offered me a 6 month secondment starting the following Monday if I could relocate to London with a promise of a perm job if it worked out or the option of either going onto the graduate scheme or going back to my old job if it didnt.

It chose me rather than I it. Been doing related jobs for over a decade now

That's good. Did you have to be a graduate to apply for the graduate scheme?

AubreyMac

littleredhen wrote: »

I used to work in hotels on reception, had kids, now work in a school as classroom assistant and part week in office doing admin I love it

When I worked in a school I loved it as it was term time only.

I had to leave as although the term time was wonderful, I was only paid pro-rata so couldn't afford to stay especially as there isn't much room for progression in a school.

comeandgo

My daughter trained in business management and worked in hotels. After 5 years she gave it up and trained as a nurse, starting again on a very low bursary wage for 3 years. She has been able to utilise her management training as now senior staff member.

dearlouise

Yes. Worked as a civil servant for nearly 5 years after I got my business/economics degree & felt stifled working with such incompetence.

Left, did my PGCE (1 year) to become a teacher. Which is where I am now.

pinpin

dearlouise wrote: »

Left, did my PGCE (1 year) to become a teacher. Which is where I am now.

Do you need a degree to do a PGCE?

jobbingmusician

PGCE stands for postgraduate certificate of education............

pinpin

jobbingmusician wrote: »

PGCE stands for postgraduate certificate of education............

Oh.
Anyone have any good career ideas for someone without a degree?

juno

pinpin wrote: »

Oh.
Anyone have any good career ideas for someone without a degree?

Have you considered getting a degree? It does depend on your current education level and financial situation, but if you genuinely want to be a teacher it would be worth considering. You could either go the traditional route and do a 3 year full time degree, or could study with the Open University or other distance learning organisation part time. As you've already got previous in-school experience this would help with getting on a teaching course, but you could also become a dinner lady or a reading helper or something if you needed more experience.

Cyberman60

I spent my first six years after leaving school working in branch banking for Midland Bank, now HSBC. During that time I also studied and passed my banking degree with the help of day-release and night school sponsored by the company.

The money was poor and I had friends working in IT doing well for themselves, so in 1982 I took an aptitude test via a jobcentre application at Control Data to do a three month course in computer programming.

On passing the aptitude test I waited a few months and then started the government sponsored TOPS (training opportunity scheme) course in Oxford Street, which I passed 3 months later, and which allowed me the way in to IT with a major white goods manufacturer/distributor. From there I worked up from trainee programmer to project leader/development manager and started my own consultancy business in 1996, working throughout Europe.

I've been retired for 8 years since the age of 52.