How to retrain for a trade?

lg13mza

I'm late 40's, university educated and have been lucky enough to have been full-time employed for the last 25 years in various good, but corporate office based roles.  But I'm a bit bored!  We are relatively secure financially and could cover the cost of a period of retraining.  I'm fit and healthy and have been toying with the idea of picking up a trade.  Becoming self-employed and then hopefully being able to give my 2 boys the opportunity to join me in a few years.  My wife thinks I'm mad to be considering walking away from what I do and thinks I should just suck it up for 10 years and then retire!

I've always been fairly handy and enjoy doing most jobs myself and if I don't do it now I never will.  But I don't know where to start.  I've done google searches but it just seems to return loads of private companies desperate to offer training for a fee.  anyone got any tips?

StevenB12

Have sent you a message as it was quite a long post! 

MalMonroe

Hi, I feel your pain! Although I'm now retired - but just launched my own online business, with HMRC registration for tax and everything. I don't have to pay NI now, though. But I don't want to stop and while ever I'm able to work, I will do. Keeps my mind active and that's helpful for my physical state, too.

However, I digress. I don't think you are mad. After all, for most of us, work takes up a lot of our time and we do it so we can pay our bills and hopefully enjoy life but if you can enjoy work too, that's always a bonus.

You say you've done a google search but have you tried looking on your council's webpage to see what jobs they have? They often have apprenticeship roles - and although the pay isn't brilliant to start with, you get paid to learn - as opposed to being trained in advance somewhere and then getting a job. The council where I live has all kinds of apprenticeship opportunities, including admin ones - I think it's worth a look. Nowadays you can be an apprentice at ANY age, so don't let that put you off (if indeed it did). Pay is a tad higher too, for the more mature apprentice. But to me, a retiree, you are still very young.

You could also try your local NHS hospital, see if they run similar training schemes. They do where I am but they aren't called apprenticeships, it's something like training programmes.

You can also have a bash at the civil service and if you have a degree you could even apply for jobs via their 'fast track'.

https://www.faststream.gov.uk/

Open to anyone with a 2.2 degree or higher.

I hope some of that is helpful, just a few ideas and it's just the kind of research I'd be doing if I were looking to retrain right now. 

I work for myself but of course I do have the soft cushion of pensions, so in your case it'd be sensible, as you say, to get some knowledge/training and then you can hopefully start your own business later on and your children can join too, if they wish. I think it all sounds very exciting. New starts and all that. 

I'm also one of those people who think if you are determined to succeed and have ambition, you definitely will succeed.

I wish you all the very best. 

lincroft1710

What sort of "trade"?


If you haven't already done so I would advise speaking to a qualified tradesman in one of the trades you may be interested in. A training course can give you theory but not experience. Having employed several tradesmen in the past few weeks, it is experience that counts. Because every job will have its problems and your customer will expect you to know how to overcome these.


You won't need to cover the cost of retraining, you will need to cover the cost of retraining and at least the first year's self employment.


Will your 2 boys really want to join their father in his preferred trade in a few year's time?

lg13mza

Thanks all.  Some useful info.  I will definitely look at my local council website.

It's something I've thought about before but reading this made me think more seriously about it:

‘I left teaching to train as a heat pump engineer’ - BBC News

It's exactly that kind of field that would interest me.

And I'm not expecting my kids to have to follow me if they don't want to.  The eldest is quite academic and probably will want to go off and do his own thing.  The youngest is less so    But having the option if they want it is better than not having the opportunity.

lincroft1710

lg13mza said:

Thanks all.  Some useful info.  I will definitely look at my local council website.

It's something I've thought about before but reading this made me think more seriously about it:

‘I left teaching to train as a heat pump engineer’ - BBC News

It's exactly that kind of field that would interest me.

.

This is certainly more focused than your original post where you say "picking up a trade". But It seems to be employed rather than self employed. 


BTW don't bother with the Civil Service as another poster suggested, think frying pan and fire

Sarahspangles

I think your issue will be that you’re more expensive than a younger apprentice who may be on national minimum wage.  But there must be ways around that, like shadowing and then going into partnership with someone who may eventually retire and sell you their half of the business.