Well I find myself unemployed and struggling to find a job again and i'm starting to get fed up with working c**p jobs for c**p money so I have been thinking about re-training but i'm struggling with what to do.

I would like a skill/training/trade which provides an income of around £25k, more would be a plus! The way the uk is going you'll have to work till you die by the time I get to retirement so I need to take that in to account and if it was self-employed/your own business that would be a bonus.

I'm in my late 30's, 1 x A and 3 x C's at GCSE then did a BTEC national diploma in business and finance. I had a few white collar jobs after that but ended up doing blue collar work and being a welder for 10 years which I had to give up on health grounds. I'm reasonably intelligent and a logical thinker, english is ok but not great and I don't mind hard work or travelling if the job involves it.

There is a good mix of people on here so I was just wondering what you would recommend and if the career you have chosen would meet the above criteria and what training was involved? Thank you in advance for any advice.

Burls72, if you have a bit of capital behind you, what about taking on a franchise?

Two of my friends have done this in the last two years and are loving it, one used to be a photographer who had no real qualifications (bit like me), took on a Eco heating franchise and is doing very very well already.

The other, ex bank FA 😉 qualification coming out of his ears, now runs a priniting franchise, found the first year hard but now making a living out of it.

I know its not for everyone and there are many pitfalls to franchises, but worth keeping an open mind.

Good luck btw

get a subway franchise. in the right place and with right management you can earn a fair bit – speaking from experience of a friend who earns £60 from one shop, his second one was doing the same until it burned down.

Ski – Unfortunately I don't have any money behind me which makes things even harder, I also made the mistake of selling my house 10 years ago and renting. If I could go back I would give myself a good kicking for that one 😆

jimmy – People must be catching on to that one as we didn't have any in the local area and 2 have just recently opened.

http://www.thecyclingexperts.co.uk/cycle-industry-jobs/?page=1&searchterms=&searchtype=any&postcode=&towncity=&browsecounty=&letter=

Burlz

sorry to hear about your current jobless predicament. Can't be good, especially if you're fed up with the prospects your current skills base limits you too.

If it helps, be aware that others are probably in a similar situation.
I'm fortunate to be employed right now, but my jacket hangs on a shoogly peg, and if it falls then I'm out.

Any time I think about what I'd do, I get in a major depression 'cause I have a mixed bag of previous experience, with minimal appropriate qualifications for any.

I'm not stupid, or lazy, but an issue I have is not being clear enough to recognise what my natural talents are; the ones I could use to make a reasonable living doing something that felt worthwhile, something that mattered to me and that I enjoyed doing so much that it didn't feel like work.
Christ, if we spend the bulk of our waking hours at work to earn money to live, why can't we at least make that work something that gives us some level of happiness? (Too naive, perhaps?)

If there are any career advisor types on here, are there any surveys/questionnaires/tests that are used by you and your colleagues which help lost souls identify their strengths/interests/skills and guide them into a relevant and appropriate career field?

Maybe a wee online search would turn something up….

..right, family duty calls. Gotta go.

Good luck Burlz.