APPRENTICE star and West Ham United vice-chair Karren Brady answers your careers questions and meets an inspirational CEO.
Here she gives a reader advice on how to feel go back to college and retrain as a teacher.
Q) I’m in my 50s and I work in an admin role for my local council.
I’ve been planning for a while to go back to college to study classical literature – one of my passions – as a mature student, with the intention of teaching the subject in the future.
Then the pandemic hit and forced me to delay my plans. And now the cost of living crisis seems to have scuppered my dream completely – there’s no way we’d be able to get by on just my husband’s income alone.
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Do you think it’s time for me to give up on the idea of teaching and keep reading as a hobby?
Sheila, via email
A) I admire your ambition to keep learning and to change careers.
Doing something you’re passionate about is important, and yet it does seem to be a luxury when there’s so much worry about the cost of living.
I absolutely do not think you should give up on the idea of teaching – after all, a good teacher is one of the most important people a child (or adult) can have in their life.
So you need to consider how you can make it happen without hugely reducing your finances and quality of life.
Can you study as a part-time student perhaps? It’ll take longer, but will enable you to earn while you study.
Universities and colleges offer scholarships or bursaries and there is help available to fund an Access to Higher Education course, where the loan can be written off once you complete a subsequent qualification.
Check out Gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan, plus visit Getintoteaching.education.gov.uk for webinars where you can ask an expert what you could be eligible for.
Seek as much advice as you can before making any decisions. Good luck!
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- Got a careers question for Karren? Email bossingit@fabulousmag.co.uk
