Career Advice Required

james_Roberts

Hi,

I am looking for some career advice as I am stuck what to do next. I am now 46. I lost my permanent job back in March 2018 in financial services as the company I worked for went into Administration. I have worked in this field since 1999 with the odd year gap in between jobs. I was hoping to get back into the same line I enjoy and what I am qualified for but it quite clearly is never going to happen now and cant wait any longer as time flies past quickly. I am back at my parents while I try to find a permanent job. All my life I have always relocated to where the job is and I am fully mobile and can work anywhere except Scotland and London. I am not keen on London as its so expensive to live and secondly I cant see how I would ever get on the property ladder which puts me off.

I am currently doing some temporary work for my local council which is repetitive and is not getting me anywhere which is supposed to be about 3 months work which is better than nothing.

My mother wants me to study accountancy which I am not keen on as its going to take me years to do the exams and will not sort out my current impasse.

I have a good analytical mind and enjoy problem solving and just want to get a decent job where I can use my brain and skills to use.

Any advice would be appreciated as I need to get myself sorted out as lost at the moment.

Many thanks

James

nameisryeon

Hey mate,

I'm sorry to hear about your situation but bravo for being keen to get started again.

Have you considered something in data? Data analysis, SEO, strategy-based jobs.

I work with data all day (SEO) and I love it. I, like you, have qualifications in other areas but, I sorta stumbled into this job and it paid off. There isn't really any entry level requirements and companies are usually willing to take the opportunity on guys with an analytical mind.

Blatchford

Is your temporary employment with the council directly employed by them? If so, usually, this provides you with access to internally advertised jobs, and few councils these days advertise externally for the pick of the jobs.

What's wrong with Scotland?

Paul38a

Thanks for your replies. Iam employed by Manpower the agency.

With regards to Scotland, I just dont fancy being a flight away from my parents on the South Coast and the snow during the winter.

Paul38a

What companies should I be looking at or would you recommend?

Thanks James

JayRitchie

Hi

I think people would need a little more information in order to advise properly.

What qualifications and grades do you have?
What salary level are you looking for?
If buying property is important to you, and you are now 46, what level of savings / deposit do you have?

james_Roberts

Hi,

Thanks for the message. I have GCSE's, 3 A Levels and a BA Hons Fine Arts Valuation Degree. I am also CISI Level 6 Qualified within investment management.

I am looking for a salary of around £33,000 which I was previously earning, I am flexible on this of course.

I have savings of around £80,000 towards a deposit for a house.

Kind regards

James

jonnygee2

One tactic that has worked for friends of mine - go to an aganecy and look for temporary admin jobs. You have experience that would probably be relevant. You may not be able to get 33k with this, but you can always ask the agency what they have. You'll get moved around a bit into different companies and roles, and sooner or later you'll find a good fit.

JayRitchie

james_Roberts wrote: »

Hi,

Thanks for the message. I have GCSE's, 3 A Levels and a BA Hons Fine Arts Valuation Degree. I am also CISI Level 6 Qualified within investment management.

I am looking for a salary of around £33,000 which I was previously earning, I am flexible on this of course.

I have savings of around £80,000 towards a deposit for a house.

Kind regards

James

Hi James

Thats much better than I expected from your post! As a thought have you considered the M62 corridor (Leeds, Manchester). I have a relative who works in financial services (I don't understand what she does exactly). She seems to have a steady flow of contract work, and others in the same field seem to be gainfully employed and find new work a few years older than you.

The pay may not be southern rates but the housing costs can be pretty reasonable. You could buy a place (not a palace but perfectly ok) easily enough. I get your issue with London. You might find yourself never able to buy but not able to save enough to get somewhere outside of the city for living in the future.

Appreciate that its a long way from your parents which could be a problem.

I could advise a little about accounting careers (my field) but suspect that you would be better off going flat out for your area of experience first.

Paul38a

Thanks for the message. I have no problem moving up north as property should be cheaper, as I worked up in North Wales before I lost my permanent job.

Its a chicken and egg situation as I cant wait for any longer to get back into my old line of work, but ofcourse new areas need experience like accountancy so you cant win!

Kind regards James

JayRitchie

Paul38a wrote: »

Thanks for the message. I have no problem moving up north as property should be cheaper, as I worked up in North Wales before I lost my permanent job.

Its a chicken and egg situation as I cant wait for any longer to get back into my old line of work, but ofcourse new areas need experience like accountancy so you cant win!

Kind regards James

Could you give it 3 weeks or so until people start recruiting again and then go hard with job applications, visiting agencies etc?