Working In Education Sector

With government-backed financial incentives and a shortage of teach-ers, it’s a good time to find work in this sector. Teachers are required at all levels, from pre-school to post graduate, with the greatest need at inner city secondary schools. Teachers still complain there is too much paperwork and red tape eating into time they would rather spend in the classroom and there is a high drop-out rate.

However, qualified teachers can insure themselves against unemployment in recessions and often get preferential visa status if they want to work abroad. There is also the holiday factor that attracts a lot of parents into the profession – you can be off school when your kids are and save on childcare costs. Careers in education extend beyond teaching in schools of course and include disciplines as varied as educational psy-chology, TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and grounds-keeping.

Career paths
With so many vacancies it’s possible to move up the ranks to become a head of department or to increase take-home pay by taking on extra-curricular duties. Experienced teachers may choose to apply for deputy headships and headships. Universities also need staff and it’s possible to lecture part time on specialist subjects without extensive teacher training.

Entry points
Vacancies are frequently advertised in the national, local and special-ist press. You can get (unpaid) classroom experience as a teacher’s assistant in many schools. 160 sector-by-sector information for career changers

Qualifications
You need a degree to start teacher training and must have your Post Graduate Certificate in Education before you can apply for teaching work.

Salary information
Newly qualified teachers can expect a starting salary of between £17,000 and £21,000. Teachers with seven years’ experience can look to be earning more than £25,000 outside London. Head teachers of
schools that perform well in inner cities are being incentivized with salaries up to the £80,000 mark.

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Having Career In Consultancy

Most people think they can tell other people how to do their jobs better. This universal truth of ego means there are plenty of people who want to get into consultancy, either as a one-man band or by join-ing a City firm. The belief that consultants are well paid, do very little work and accept no responsibility still seems to be true. Career changers tend to fare far better by going the solo route (City firms are geared up for recruiting recent graduates) and if you have extensive enough 156 sector-by-sector information for career changers knowledge of and experience in a certain field, becoming a consultant could be lucrative. Generally you will be self-employed and build up a portfolio of clients for whom you will work on a project-by-project basis or for a few days a month. Many consultants report earning more money for working fewer hours.

Career paths
Ideally, you should be able to line up your first clients before you leave your current job. Clients are generally built up through recommendation and networking. Career progression comes from working for more exciting companies on more exciting projects.

Entry points
If you’re looking to join a firm of consultants, your opportunity to join the team may be pegged to them securing contracts requiring your specialist knowledge. Alternatively, smaller and specialist consultancy firms tend to have more liberal entry criteria and will consider candi-dates on aptitude and attitude as well as academic brilliance.



Qualifications
If you are working for yourself, it will be your contacts, networking ability and experience that qualify you best for a lucrative career as a consultant. If you want to join a firm, specialist sector knowledge and a good degree from a good university will open a lot of doors.

Salary information
A consultant at a City firm can expect a salary of between £40,000 and £60,000 after a couple of years. Partners earn considerably more (£125,000–£350,000). Self-employed consultants’ earnings
sector-by-sector information for career changers 157 depend on their sector, with rates varying from £200 a day to £200 an hour.

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Career In Banking and finance

Sector overview
The job seekers are still attracted to this sector because of the enormous salaries on offer. Banking is a volatile sector, subject to the whim of the markets and greater competition. Some analysts predict there are more takeovers to come, which would almost certainly lead to job losses. It is a very traditional area of the economy and it’s still the case that young white men who went to the right university rise highest and fastest, although the picture is improving for female and minority
candidates.


Generally, the salaries compensate for a stressful work environment. Burn-out rates are high, working weeks can easily be 80 hours for juniors at City firms and competition for promotion is fierce. Consequently, this is a sector to which not everyone is suited.

Career paths
You can specialize in any number of disciplines – fund management, stock broking, currency trading, corporate finance, venture capital – or you can work in a high street branch as a mortgage adviser, business banker, etc. Often managers take entire teams with them when they are poached and career advancement seems to have nearly as much to do with networking as it does performance.

Entry points
Generally, this industry is geared up to recruit graduates and getting in several years after university can be difficult without a personal recommendation. Try smaller banks as they often have a more creative approach to recruitment. Non-graduates can take part in in-house training schemes (normally three to five years) operated by most banks that pay between £12,000 and £17,000 pa. You could also work sector-by-sector information for career changers 155 as a clerk – maybe in a department such as settlements or funds – and earn £18,000 to £22,000 pa.

Qualifications
A 2:1 degree or higher is a standard for City jobs and generally banks only look at candidates with at least 24 UCAS points at A-level. For career changers, banks also look for the following qualities: problem-solving and numeracy skills, lateral thinking, good communication and analytical skills, leadership potential.

Salary information
Starting salaries are higher than most sectors, typically around £25,000, but senior bankers earn anything up to £150,000 a year, with an annual bonus of roughly a year’s salary on top of that. Top brokers and financiers can easily earn a basic £500,000 pa.

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