Physiotherapy and sports massage

moksha76

I have recently qualified at level 3 in sports massage. I'm not sure what to do next, however. I enjoyed it, and am wondering whether to re-train as a physio. Or am I too old (I'm in my 40s)?

Grumpy_chap

Forty-something is not too old to retrain for a new career.
I have no insight as to what is required to qualify as a physiotherapist.

LightFlare

3 year degree program as far as I am aware

Marcon

moksha76 said:

I have recently qualified at level 3 in sports massage. I'm not sure what to do next, however. I enjoyed it, and am wondering whether to re-train as a physio. Or am I too old (I'm in my 40s)?

You'll probably be working for at least another 20 years, so the more pertinent question might be whether you can afford to retrain, both in terms of the time it will take (?do you have the necessary entry qualifications) and the cost.

More to the point, given your posts in the last couple of years mention you are toying with the idea of private tutoring, and then training as a mortgage broker, and also mention you need 'a lot of alone time' https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6206033/self-employment-ideas/p1_ how sure are you it would be a worthwhile investment, in every sense of the word?

Maybe working in the field of sports massage and seeing if you can build up a practice would be a more sensible next step?

Savvy_Sue

Both physio and massage are quite physical jobs, and I have had therapists commenting that they're not sure how many years they'll be able to keep going for. I'd bear that in mind ...

It also seems to me that there's still plenty of demand for massage these days!

EnPointe

Grumpy_chap said:

Forty-something is not too old to retrain for a new career.
I have no insight as to what is required to qualify as a physiotherapist.

https://www.csp.org.uk/careers-jobs/career-physiotherapy

 as for the age thing in your  40s you have around 20 years to state  pension age , so it's hardly  'too old'  

lincroft1710

EnPointe said:

Grumpy_chap said:

Forty-something is not too old to retrain for a new career.
I have no insight as to what is required to qualify as a physiotherapist.

https://www.csp.org.uk/careers-jobs/career-physiotherapy

 as for the age thing in your  40s you have around 20 years to state  pension age , so it's hardly  'too old'  

For many careers being in your 40s is no problem, but there are some where being in your 40s is too old to start.

EnPointe

lincroft1710 said:

EnPointe said:

Grumpy_chap said:

Forty-something is not too old to retrain for a new career.
I have no insight as to what is required to qualify as a physiotherapist.

https://www.csp.org.uk/careers-jobs/career-physiotherapy

 as for the age thing in your  40s you have around 20 years to state  pension age , so it's hardly  'too old'  

For many careers being in your 40s is no problem, but there are some where being in your 40s is too old to start.

there are only 2  careers I can think of  where 40s is 'too old' 

Professional Sportsperson (in most sports)

Professional Dancer 

be interested to see  which others  you  consider , epsecially i nthe light orf the all the research into  and dismantling of  arbitrary age limits 

lincroft1710

I know quite a few people in various  building and associated trades who in their 40s and 50s say it is time to quit. fitness instructors in their 40s who move on to something less energetic. There are professions which welcome older entrants but the qualifying period can be 5 years or more and no guarantee of a job/work afterwards

EnPointe

lincroft1710 said:

I know quite a few people in various  building and associated trades who in their 40s and 50s say it is time to quit. fitness instructors in their 40s who move on to something less energetic. There are professions which welcome older entrants but the qualifying period can be 5 years or more and no guarantee of a job/work afterwards

with trades it;s perhaps the legacy  of the  30 - 40 years working in the trades that is the reason especially as although majority of the workforce  has  spent their  working livies in the post HASAWA1974  environment a lot of stuff  really didn;t  start changing until the 'six pack' of the  early to mid 1990s. 

Interestign assertiosn with regard to fitness instructuors as i know   a good number of their  40s and 50s who are still  teaching  , activiely  and  in a few cases still perofrming  in their  sport /   style of  dance  at a high level  

lincroft1710

EnPointe said:

lincroft1710 said:

I know quite a few people in various  building and associated trades who in their 40s and 50s say it is time to quit. fitness instructors in their 40s who move on to something less energetic. There are professions which welcome older entrants but the qualifying period can be 5 years or more and no guarantee of a job/work afterwards

with trades it;s perhaps the legacy  of the  30 - 40 years working in the trades that is the reason especially as although majority of the workforce  has  spent their  working livies in the post HASAWA1974  environment a lot of stuff  really didn;t  start changing until the 'six pack' of the  early to mid 1990s. 

Interestign assertiosn with regard to fitness instructuors as i know   a good number of their  40s and 50s who are still  teaching  , activiely  and  in a few cases still perofrming  in their  sport /   style of  dance  at a high level  

One of the trades had being doing the job for less than 20 years and had serious job related health issues. One of the former GPs at our local surgery often stated that the human body was only designed to last 50 years and decline is to be expected after that age (in my case even with a basically non physical job, fairly true) The fitness instructor thought that in their 40s a move to a less strenuous form of "exercise" was sensible.


Apparently the upper age limit for RAF pilots is 35.


As I said in my original post many careers would be OK to retrain for


I do wonder if for certain technical (there is probably a better word) professions there may be an invisible age barrier, almost certainly not lawful but probably practised