According to GOV.UK, the employment rate of workers aged 50-64 years has been generally increasing. In 1984 just 55.8% of 50–64-year-olds were employed: in 2023, figures were 71.3%. More employees over 50 are staying in work. It’s not surprising when you think we are expected to live longer. According to Statista average life expectancy in UK in 2020 is 81.15 years compared to 52.07 years in 1910 (roughly the time the ‘Old Age Pensions Act’ came in at 1908). So, if you’re over 50 and planning to stay in work but want a career change at 50, there’s lots to consider. Read on to get tips and ideas to gain a new career at 50.
Why choose a career change at 50
Here are some reasons why you might choose a career change at 50:
- You’ve been in the same type of job for decades and are looking for a new challenge.
- You’re facing redundancy or your current job is not stable.
- Your finances are such that you can afford to take a risk or pay cut (e.g. your mortgage is paid up and/or you have savings).
- It’s the right time; maybe the kids are grown up or off to university so you don’t have the family commitments that mean you can focus on a new career.
- It’s now or never to chase your passions and make that dream job come true.
Before you start a career change at 50
Take some time to consider the following before you embark on a career change:
- What's your financial situation? Can you afford to take a pay cut or time off work to gain a qualification?
- Do you have the time and potentially the funds to learn new skills, gain new qualifications?
- How do you want to work? e.g., full-time, part-time, work from home, self-employed, freelance, flexibly.
- Do you have support to make the change? Think of the friends and family who will be your cheerleaders. Is there someone who can be your mentor during this transition?
How to start your career change at 50
Here’s a simple five-step plan to start your career change at 50:
1. Consider your passions
What you were passionate about at the age of 20 is likely different to your passions at 50 – people change after all. Is there a serious hobby that you’ve wondered about making into a new career? Have you been involved in voluntary work or a side hustle that could be developed?
2. Research job roles
Now you’ve done some soul searching and had a think about possible job roles (or at least industries / sectors) you want to consider transitioning to, it’s time to do some research! There are some great resources out there including:
- Prospects – an extensive list of job profiles including information on responsibilities, salary, qualifications needed and career prospects.
- National Careers Service – government website with ‘explore careers’ section and advice.
- Look at job adverts for the job roles you are considering, getting an idea what skills, qualifications, experience and type of person employers are looking for.
- If you want to work for a particular sector, rather than a particular job role (e.g. NHS, police) then look at their careers section.
3. Do you need to retrain?
You may not need to retrain to change your career as it depends on the job role; you’ll get a better idea once you’ve done your research. If you do then now is the time to research what new skills or qualifications you may need. Depending on your needs, it could be upskilling or reskilling through a free online course. These are usually at level 2 or 3 or introductory and usually free because they are funded by the Adult Education Budget. Speak to your local FE college. However, your new career at 50 might call on you to invest in yourself by gaining an undergraduate or postgraduate degree. Consider a distance learning degree option for full flexibility.
4. Update your CV and covering letter
How can you stand out amongst the 20-something-year-olds? Key is to highlight your transferable skills, as well as your strengths that is evidenced in your many years of experience.
5. Apply for jobs and don't give up!
Try a specialist recruitment agency for over 50s such as Restless; use the many professional contacts you’ve accumulated over the years; network at career fairs; and look at the career sections of organisations that are more open to a diverse workforce (such as the NHS, universities, retail). Don’t give up. Remember you’ve been here before (probably lots of times) and you’ve succeeded in the past and you’ll succeed again.
20 job ideas for a new career at 50
To provide a little inspiration, here’s a list of 20 job ideas for a career change at 50:
1. Civil service
Look at this Civil Service website for the types of departments and roles you could work in; it includes a ‘career matcher’ quiz to see what civil service job role best suits you.
2. Retail
If you’re not looking for a nine-to-five office job then retail offers a variety of roles such as shop assistants, customer service, store managers, and delivery drivers. There’s usually more scope for different working patterns as well such as part-time, shifts, evening / weekends.
3. Writing / blogging
There’s a huge demand for content online these days, including online blogs and articles. If you’ve got a talent for writing, consider this new career move, especially if you have expertise in a different area, e.g. a solicitor who writes for legal website. HubSpot Academy is a free learning platform usually aimed at marketers, but they have courses to help develop writing skills as well as courses that help you understand SEO and writing online.
4. Proofreader / copy editor
With a demand for online written content, comes a demand for good proofreaders and copy editors, so if you already know when to use ‘effect vs affect’ then this could be a good fit for you. The Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) offer several relevant training courses.
5. Driving instructor
This gov.uk page is helpful to understand the steps involved to becoming a driving instructor in the UK.
6. Counselling and mental wellbeing
Working to help people improve their mental health can be a rewarding career and over 50s have a wealth of life experience to draw on to help them empathise with their clients. Being a counsellor is one option but there are many different roles in the mental health arena that requires differing levels of training/qualifications.
Find out more about our distance learning degrees in Applied and Clinical Psychology BSc and Mental Health MSc and Child and Adolescent Mental Wellbeing MSc
7. Healthcare
The types of jobs in healthcare are wide ranging from porters to administration to clinical roles and many more. In fact, there are more than 350 career options within the NHS and this NHS careers website provides a description of the various job roles you could consider. Working for the NHS or any healthcare provider means joining a diverse workforce including those over 50.
8. Virtual assistant
This is a great work-from-home option particularly for those who have had previous administrative or PA roles. Websites such as Outsourcery, Peopleperhour, and Upwork are potential places to explore if you have the flexibility to work as a freelancer.
9. Tradesperson
Are you handy? Always done your own DIY jobs? Why not consider the next level and retraining to get the certification to become a plumber, electrician, painter… Find out about accredited courses starting at level 2 and moving to level 3 at your local FE college.
10. Teaching
You could consider teacher and teaching assistant jobs in mainstream primary and secondary schools. You could also think more broadly and explore roles in further education colleges and even universities depending on your own educational level and subject specialism. Now Teach describes itself as a network for career changers in teaching and is worth a look.
11. Trainer / Assessor
If you like the idea of teaching but don’t want to teach in a school or college, consider a job as a trainer or assessor. Trainers can work for companies and organisations to provide in-house training or work for an agency that outsources training. An assessor assesses the work of students studying and training to gain their vocational qualifications or apprenticeships. If you’ve got experience in a line of work and you can use that experience to help the next generation of employees, that can bring great job satisfaction.
12. Life coach / mentor
Life coaching is a great option for those in a position to freelance. It’s potentially a hugely rewarding vocation helping others improve their lives and meet their goals. It is not currently regulated in the UK so anyone can set up and call themselves as a life coach. However, gaining certification, training and accreditation in a coaching qualification will not only give you confidence going forward but also let potential clients know that you are legitimate. Prospects offers good advice on how to become a life coach including links to organisations that offer accredited training.
13. Childcare
Providing childcare either as a childminder or as part of a nursery can be a rewarding career change at 50, especially if you love children and have lots of experience looking after your own children. You don’t have to have formal qualifications, but an employer may ask you to have a level 2 or 3 childcare course. For those interested in a more academic route and to understand child development more, we offer a variety of Childhood Studies undergraduate degrees.
14. Carer / social care
There’s always a demand for carers either a personal carer working or visiting clients in their own home or working in a care home. Great for those looking to change careers to a vocation that serves others and contributes to the community.
15. Run your own business
Has it always been a dream of yours to run your own business? Consider starting your own business as a new career at 50. You’ve built up experience both in personal and professional life and this will help you patiently navigate the ups and downs of a start-up. It’s now or never!
16. Celebrant
If you’re a good public speaker and good with people, think of a new career as a celebrant. A celebrant performs and officiates at ceremonies including weddings, funerals, and memorials.
17. Charity fundraiser
If you’ve got a background in marketing, sales, PR, event management or finance, then you’ve likely got lots of transferable skills that could transition you to a role as a charity fundraiser. Employers in this area often value experience and skills rather than specific qualifications. Find out more from the Chartered Institute of Fundraising.
18. Sales
This is a good career change to consider if you’ve got excellent interpersonal skills and like answering people’s questions. Again, experience and attitude play a bigger role than what you studied.
19. Customer service / support
If you’re patient, a good listener and like to help people solve their problems and questions, then this career move could be for you. Customer service roles can be found in all sorts of companies and sectors.
20. Project manager
Project managers are needed in all types of organisations and sectors. Rather than moving completely out of your current industry think about moving to a project management role within the sector instead. Find out more about our Project Management distance learning degree, as well as our other management degrees here.
Is it easy to retrain in your 50s?
Distance learning options have become more popular over the last few years as the technology that supports online learning gets better and people become more familiar with using it. If you’re over 50 and currently in a job that you don’t want to give up as you retrain for a career move, then distance learning could be the solution. It means flexibility to study on a schedule that suits you, without any compromise on study resources and subject content.
There are various online learning options available from introductory right through to postgraduate level. If you’re looking to retrain in a new career that will benefit from studying a degree, take a look at our distance learning course list and have a chat to one of our advisers.