Career change at 40 or 50: how to choose a career and retrain

Thinking about a career change at 40, or even at 50? You’re not too late, and you’re far from alone. In a February 2024 poll of 2,002 UK adults aged 40 to 65 who hadn’t retired, nearly half (48%) said they would consider changing career (Public First for Phoenix Insights). Many of the careers that welcome newcomers value exactly what you bring: steadiness, people skills and experience of real life.

The harder question isn’t whether to change. It’s how. Some routes let you start earning almost straight away and train as you go. Others ask for hundreds of hours of placement or supervised practice before you’re qualified. Which one suits you depends on three things: how much income you need while you retrain, how much time you have around work and family, and how much risk you’re comfortable taking.

This guide helps you weigh those up. It explains the two main kinds of career change, looks at six careers that suit people changing direction, and ends with a checklist of what to check before you pay for any course.

Two kinds of career change

Most career changes fall into one of two types. Knowing which one you’re looking at tells you a lot about the money, time and risk involved.

Gradual entry: start working while you train

In some careers you can get a job or volunteer before you’re qualified, then study alongside it. Care work, teaching assistant roles and adult training all work this way. Many care employers hire people without qualifications and train them. Many teaching assistants start by volunteering in a school.

This is the lower-risk route. You can try the work before you commit, keep some income coming in, and build your qualification as you go.

Supervised practice: qualify before you practise

Other careers ask you to complete a set amount of placement or supervised practice before you’re qualified. To qualify as an Early Years Educator, for example, you need at least 300 placement hours with children aged 0–5. To practise as a counsellor, you’ll usually need supervised client hours at diploma level, on top of your study.

These routes take longer and may mean unpaid hours. Before you start, think honestly about whether you can fit the placement around your current job and family.

Career change ideas: 6 careers that suit career changers

1. Care worker

Route: gradual entry. Care is one of the easiest sectors to move into. Many employers hire people without a care qualification and train them on the job, so you can start earning quickly. Families and the people you support often value an older, calmer presence, and mid-life carers tend to be good at the small, patient conversations that make someone’s day. Shifts come in many patterns, including days, nights, weekends and part-time, which can fit around your other commitments.

First step: once you’re in a role, or alongside applying, the Health and Social Care Diploma Level 3 leads to the regulated NCFE CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care. It needs at least 50 hours in a care setting and must be completed in England.

2. Teaching assistant

Route: gradual entry. The usual way in is to volunteer in a local school. That also counts as the placement the qualifications need, so you’re gaining experience and working towards your certificate at the same time. School hours and holidays suit many parents.

First step: the Supporting Teaching and Learning Certificate Level 2 needs you to work or volunteer in a school or college. If you already have some classroom experience, the Level 3 Certificate needs at least 100 hours there. Both are regulated NCFE CACHE qualifications, completed in England.

3. Early years practitioner

Route: supervised practice. If you’ve raised children of your own, you’ll already know a lot about routines, play and what upsets a toddler. Early years turns that into a profession. Be realistic about the placement, though. It’s a real commitment, and you’ll need to fit it around your current job.

First step: the Early Years Educator Diploma Level 3 needs Level 2 English (GCSE grade 4/C or Functional Skills Level 2) and at least 300 placement hours with children aged 0–5, paid or voluntary. It must be completed in England.

4. Counsellor

Route: supervised practice. Clients often find it easier to open up to someone who has been through ups and downs themselves. Counselling is the longest route on this list, so it makes sense to test your interest before committing years to it.

First step: start with Introduction to Counselling Level 2, an endorsed knowledge course. If it’s right for you, practising later usually needs further training with supervised client hours and membership of a professional body such as the BACP or NCPS.

5. Trainer or tutor

Route: gradual entry. You don’t have to leave your expertise behind. If you’ve spent 20 years in IT, health and safety, hospitality or a trade, you can teach it to adults, whether at work, in a college or as a freelancer.

First step: the Education and Training Award Level 3 is a regulated TQUK qualification and the usual first step for teaching adults. It doesn’t give qualified teacher status (QTS).

6. Life coach

Route: neither, it’s self-employed. Life coaching is unregulated, so there’s no placement or licence to get first. That makes it easy to start but slow to build: you’ll need to find your own clients, and that takes time. It suits people with savings or another income while the business grows.

First step: the Life Coaching Diploma Level 3 is an endorsed diploma you can study online while you plan the business.

Career change at 50: what’s different

A career change at 50 works the same way as at 40, but a few things matter more.

Shorter routes in. If you’d rather be working in your new field within months, not years, look at gradual-entry careers such as care, teaching support or adult training. You can start in a role and build your qualification alongside it.

Part-time and flexible work. Many people at 50 want a career that fits around caring for parents, grandchildren or their own health. Care shifts, school hours and freelance training or coaching all give you some control over your week.

Using what you already know. Twenty or thirty years of work count for something. A former manager may make a confident trainer, and someone who has cared for a relative already understands much of what care work involves.

People retrain in their fifties and beyond all the time. What matters most is picking a route whose time and money fit your life now.

What to check before you pay for a course

Before you enrol on any course, from us or anyone else, run through this checklist:

1. Is it regulated or endorsed? A regulated qualification is listed on Ofqual’s register, and employers in care, early years and schools often ask for one. An endorsed course is quality-checked by an awarding organisation but isn’t on the register. That can be perfectly fine for self-employed work, but check what your target employers expect.
2. Does it need a placement, and can you get one? Some qualifications need a set number of hours in a real workplace. Line up your placement before you start, not halfway through.
3. Must it be completed in England? Our regulated care, early years and teaching assistant qualifications must be. If you live elsewhere in the UK, check first.
4. What else will you need to work in the role? Some careers need more after the course, such as supervised hours, insurance, a council licence or professional body membership.
5. How many hours will it take? Look for the total qualification time (TQT) on the course page and be honest about how many hours a week you can give it.
6. How will you pay? Prices and payment options are on each course page.

Which careers are hardest to automate?

If you’re changing career partly because of AI, look for work built on face-to-face care, trust and hands-on skill. Most of the careers above fit that description. Our guide to AI-proof careers looks at eight of them in more detail.

FAQ

Is 40 too late to change career?

No. At 40 you may have 25 or more working years ahead of you, which is plenty of time to build a new career. The bigger question is which route fits your income and time, so start by deciding between a gradual-entry career and one that needs supervised practice first.

Is 50 too late to retrain?

No. Many people retrain in their fifties. Look for shorter routes in, such as care, teaching support or adult training, where you can start working while you study, and for roles with part-time or flexible hours.

What is the easiest career to change to at 50?

Care work is one of the most accessible, because many employers hire without a qualification and train you on the job. Teaching assistant roles are another good option, and you can often start by volunteering in a school.

Can I retrain online while working full-time?

Yes. You can study our courses online at your own pace. Some qualifications also need placement hours in a real setting, so check how you’d fit those around your job before you enrol.

Not sure which route suits you? Talk to a course advisor: call 0333 344 2126 or email learn@associationoflearning.com.