One Resource Recruitment

Sometime during your 50’s you may decide that you want to slow the pace a little of your working life, you may have other commitments such as helping to care for grandchildren or you may just want to start to ease yourself into a gradual retirement. Whatever the reason it may be a good option to take on part-time work. Part-time work is fewer hours and general in a less stressful position to full-time work.

Some people at this age may feel that its too late to get a new job or that they are too old and people won’t want to employ them but actually many employers value the experience and established a work ethic that comes with age which can make you a very desirable candidate.

Employers are not allowed to discriminate against a candidate based on age so as long as you are fit and able to do the job safely you shouldn’t worry.

Popular part-time work available is in supermarkets, retail outlets and bars and restaurants. Depending on your lifestyle and current commitments you should be able to find something that you can fit in around you.

You may also want to consider working from home or doing something such as leafletting to get out and about.

If you don’t need the extra income you may want to volunteer for a project or charity that means something to you, this is a great help to many people and a way of giving back to a community.

 

There can be a number of reasons why a person has a long break in their employment history. It may be medical, family issues or to pursue a hobby or another interest or possibly to go back to education.

When you are ready to start looking for work again you may find that you struggle to get back in to the recruitment game. The first way to find jobs is through searching online and in local papers and job boards. You may need to try a number of different avenues, especially if you are looking to get a job in something that is quite specific.

You may consider also using social media. LinkedIn is great for advertising yourself to potential employers. Don’t be afraid to use your existing network on the social media sites to find work. It may be that a friend of a friend has the perfect position for you.

Always be honest about why you had such a long break off work. If for example it was due to health reasons, then state that and explain why you are now ready to return to work and any steps you have taken to ensure that it is the right move for you. If you do lie, it often has a habit of catching up with you, which is a sure fire way to not get hired!

 

If you are looking to start the new academic year as a supply teacher then you may want to start looking now for place you may be able to work at. You can often register with the local district council to allow you to be offered jobs within that area or you could register with a teaching agency. A teaching agency is often more likely to be able to find you work quicker and if you are willing to travel you may find you have enough work on a monthly basis to earn what you need to.

Some schools will only use teaching agencies, and therefore you may miss out on wok if you are trying to go it alone.

When signing up with an agency you often also get extra perks. These may include access to online material that can be used in the classroom as work sheets, lesson planning ideas and display examples. Some agencies also have a place that you can communicate with other members who are registered with the agency to allow you to share ideas of lessons and discuss lessons that have worked or even that have not worked. This can also form a great support network for teachers.

 

Thanks to the internet and the gig economy, there are a rapidly increasing number of options for home-working. However, working out if this is for you can be complex as there’s a lot to consider.

Firstly, don’t expect it to be a breeze. Working from home may sound great, but you won’t be able to slack off; being a successful home worker means being highly self-motivated, especially if you’re working in a freelance or piecemeal manner. In these circumstances, being unable to motivate yourself means one thing – you won’t make money.

With that said, because you’re in direct control of the work you take on, this can prove a better fit if you’re fitting around other responsibilities such as childcare.

If you struggle with motivation, an employed role may be a better fit as you’re likely to have the work fed to you, but you’ll still need to minimise any distractions. You’ll be taking calls in many roles, so employers will often insist you have a working space free from excessive background noise, and particularly children.

It’s also important to consider set-up costs – all roles will have some technical requirements, so research these diligently – you don’t want the costs to outweigh the benefits!

 

If you have a flare for business and enjoy analysing and improving processes then a business consultant’s job could be perfect for you. A small business consultant works with clients on strategy, planning and problem solving, and helps clients develop business skills and knowledge.

If you are happy to go it alone, you could set up your own consultancy business and work on a self-employed basis. Leaving full-time employment, and bringing all the skills and expertise acquired over a number of years to become a self-employed consultant, has become a popular move for people from a wide range of industries. Often when working in a job, you can see where the down falls are and what could be improved.

As a self employed consultant you may have to work a little hard to find the contracts and to convince people that they are better to hire you than a larger consultancy firm and often this will come down to cost and that you can offer a more personal experience.  You can run a consultancy business with very little over heads which is often what makes it an attractive job opportunity to many people.

Many people get to their 30’s and start to re think what they are doing with their life. They may have had a career break to have children or may just feel that they are under stimulated in their current role. However even if you are unhappy in your current job the thought of changing your career path can be a daunting one especially if you are in your 30’s and would need to re train.

It’s important to look at different job options and not rule out jobs that would require additional qualifications as many people choose to change career in their 30’s.

If your ideal job would require you getting a degree or similar then you may be able to do an access course to allow you to start your university course gradually to see if it’s what you want to be studying. An access course is designed to ease you back in to studying again so It’s suitable even for people who have been out of full time education for a while.

You can also access some careers advice from your local citizens advice bureau that can be helpful when considering a change in career, including what grants or loans you may be eligible for to help support you and your family while you study.

Teaching is by no means an easy job but there is so much demand for them that if you work hard and prove yourself you can very quickly move up the ladder.

With the population increasing there is more demand than ever for schools which in turn means a higher demand for teachers. Over the last few years many teachers have actually chosen to leave the profession often due to too much pressure and not liking the way education and teaching is changing.

There are huge incentives to attract new people in to teaching for example you could get a £26,000 bursary or be awarded a prestigious scholarship – which provides additional support and benefits throughout your training year. You may get more money if you chose to study a certain subject such as Maths where you can often get £30,000 – a £20,000 tax-free bursary while you train and a further £10,000 after tax once in teaching.

Even if you do not qualify for this you may be able to receive loans (which are usually little or no interest) to fund the training and may be able to actually earn a salary whilst you train.