From the public sector to private…

Can you tell us about your current role?

I’m currently a trainer in the learning and development department of Phoenix Group. My role involves delivery of all kinds of training on the back-office side of the business – our processes. Recently, I’ve started to do soft skills training as well and some design work on the materials we use in the training courses.

What was your previous role?

I came from education. It was a very different environment, a very different subject area. I was head of department of modern foreign languages at a local secondary school for about 14 years.

Why did you decide to make a career change?

The Covid-19 pandemic happened. There were a lot of changes in the education arena, and I started to feel it wasn’t what I signed up for originally. I had a fantastic time and a very satisfying rewarding job, but I just felt that the ground was shifting a lot – there was a lot more stress in the role compared to when I signed up in 2008. I felt the time had come to change career while I was still of an age to retrain in a different area.

How do you go about making the move into your new career?

I knew I wanted to make a change, but I still wasn’t entirely certain what I wanted to do so first of all I gave myself a little thinking space. In that time, I did a bit of teaching supply work and started up my own business as a private tutor teaching Spanish, which was great to tide things over. I wanted to push myself and do something completely different but still be able to use my existing skills, which is what steered me in the direction of Phoenix Group.

What transferable skills did you find you had?

If you had said to me ten years ago that I’d be working in the finance industry I would probably have laughed. It’s not my forte. What I bring is the confidence to stand in front of a room of people, in the first instance, and deliver. As head of languages, the skills involved include management, performance management, training student teachers, working with a variety of stakeholders. Those are all things I do in my new job, just in a different arena.

I’m passionate about languages but it became the case that it was purely what I was known for. But I want more than that from my career. It’s great to be able to speak Spanish but what else can I do and how far can I take my other skills?

What have you found to be the most rewarding aspects of your new career?

For me, moving from the public to the private sector has been a case of ‘wow, this is how the other half lives!’ What struck me from day one at Phoenix Group was the extraordinary level of support from such a big company. The benefits are extremely attractive but it’s just the freedom as well. I’ve finally claimed my life back, I feel. I come to work, and I work hard but when the day comes to an end, the day is over. That was not the case previously. I enjoy the freedom. I’m enjoying learning about new areas. I didn’t know what an annuity was until I came to work here!

I feel when you get to mid-life you need to push yourself. It’s really important to push yourself outside your comfort zone. Standing in a room of people, training them on things like fund switches ¬¬– gosh. It’s difficult for someone like me but also a tremendous sense of satisfaction. There’s a huge amount of support to learn new skills, which is appealing.

“If you had said to me ten years ago that I’d now be working in the finance industry I would probably have laughed.”

What support or help did you get along the way?

When I left teaching in 2022, just after Covid, I didn’t really know where I wanted to go next. If I’m honest, the main thing that helped me was a Facebook page called Life Beyond Teaching – Exit and Thrive. It has a huge number of members, thousands. It’s been an amazing source of information. It’s through that site that I got to learn about the whole area of learning and development. It’s also where I learned about what qualifications would be useful so I’m currently studying for my CIPD Level 5, which I just feel is not going to do me any harm, shall we say.

What obstacles did you overcome?

I just started applying for jobs – many, many applications. I had constant feedback that although I was qualified, I lacked experience in industry – always the same thing. It was extremely frustrating, and I just felt that I wasn’t being recognised for the skills I had. Then along came Phoenix Group. They were the first company that were interested in what I had to bring to the table and didn’t dismiss me as a classroom teacher. They could see beyond that from day one at the interview.

I’ve halved my salary, essentially, and that’s been the hardest thing because I’ve come from management and now, I’m further down the scale but keen to make quick progress and show what I can do. Sometimes, you have to take a step backwards to move forwards.

What would you say to other people who are thinking of making a mid-life career change?

Resilience is an important word here. I’d made hundreds of applications before I got to Phoenix Group. It’s not easy to make that change and you’ve got to develop a thick skin. It’s easy to become discouraged and think, I’ll just go back to my safe place. Hang on in there, keep going and be resilient. It may sound corny but believe in yourself and the opportunity will be there. I’m testament to that – here I am.