I’m in a really tough spot in life. Previous jobs haven’t worked out in my 20s mainly due to my mental state and I’m now 32, unemployed and living with parents. I have absolutely no idea what to do for a living and keep getting incredibly depressed and thinking I’m completely screwed in life and regret not sticking with previous jobs and being way more responsible.
That’s the past though and I can’t change it sadly. I’m thinking about apprenticeships and learning a trade but I have a feeling there’s a reason apprenticeships are done after school leaving age and not done by someone in their 30s - because it’s a huge learning curve to be set up and out on your own.
Do people do apprenticeships in their 30s? Additional question, but does anyone have any suggestions for ideas of jobs to get into at my age? It’s so hard to remain hopeful at all.
Thank you and sorry for the defeatist attitude but I hate this feeling that I’ve really screwed my life up
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In my cohort of degree apprentices (engineering) there are two people in their 30s, one of which was a school teacher before joining!
We have level 3 and level 6 apprentices in their 30s 40s and 50s in the civil service. It's a blind application so the panel won't know your age until they see you at interview stage.
Ah yes, I have no idea how old this person with 30 years teaching experience and a master’s degree is.
Often these sort of applications are competency based rather than CV fwiw
Adult apprenticeship are hard to get. But if you start as say a sparkles mate and show willingness you should get a firm to take you on.
You may have to start with agency work 1st.
It's never to late, if you are willing to put in the effort.
I no longer take on young apprentices. They just cannot handle the early starts and long days. I find guys who are older and really want to get on are more keen.
It is so hard to get people to work in the trades who want to really work.
Worth noting I believe the apprenticeship wage is only for the first year, and after this you'll be on national minimum wage! A lot of people get put off apprenticeships because of the initial earnings, but it soon pays for itself!
Plus, I think you can claim Universal Credit to top up your money for that first year.
It's still shit though. As an older adult I don't believe any one should do them.
why? the pay was shit for 2 years but i got some really good experience and a supportive introduction to the workplace. if i hadnt have done my apprenticeship i would be stuck in retail or something because i didnt have the grades/ability to go to uni or the experience thats expected even for 'entry level' professional jobs.
All well and good. But apprenticeships should be AT LEAST minimum wage. What you're saying is "I'm ok with being paid shit for 1-2 years" it's bad attitude for the worker and it allows companies to exploit you. I'm sure you know but Labourers were getting near double what you were getting in your apprenticeship. And I know guys that don't even have NVQ's just experience in the trade role getting a full trade salary and not even that much experience to boot. I've known a few that have lied their way there. I'm not saying you should've done that, but I'm just saying.
absolutely i was okay with being paid shit for 2 years in exchange for a valuable training programme, a qualification and the support of my employer. i didn't know wtf i was doing at first, they had to take time to teach me. i wasnt in a trade role it was a professional one. i had friends working in retail making more than me but theyre still stuck in retail and i make more now thanks to my apprenticeship.
Then you're half the reason why those apprentice salaries will stay shit. Lol.
people with experience compete for minimum wage jobs these days. if the apprentice wage was higher, companies would not hire people fresh out of college with no experience because they wouldnt bring in enough value to justify the cost. and that leaves a lot of people unemployed and excluded from the workplace. thats partly why the rate of unemployed graduates has increased after the last increase in minimum wage.
"companies would not hire people fresh out of college with no experience because they wouldn't bring in enough value to justify the cost"
Yeah they would, they use that excuse to keep paying you shit. The Big trades companies especially. You know there's always a shortage in construction, you know they're always hiring people from abroad. So their still gonna have their apprentices. Because it's still cheaper long-term than a full on tradesman.
No advice but thinking the same thing. i’m 27 and hate my job and would like to retrain but not sure how it would work financially.
If you can save up a canny chunk to see you through the first year. After that you’ll be on NLW which at the upcoming rise in April 2026 will bring in just over £26kpa on a 40 hour week.
Yup, did an apprenticeship at 42
In what?
You can do it. I did it at 23, I know its not the same but there was applicants older than me. In a more recent interview for my old apprentice role after I qualified, they shortlisted a girl in her late 30s. They can't discriminate based on age and it should be based on experience
You generally don't see "older" people doing it because they are more established (rent, mortgages, debt etc) so can't financially cope on lower income whilst doing the training but people change careers at all ages so it isn't a barrier for everyone. I went dairy farming in my late 20s after working corporate, took a massive paycut but worked my way up into management and quickly earned that back - you'll get out what you put in.
My mum was a secretary until her fifties, when she did a law degree and qualified as a solicitor. Took ages and was a bit cheaper back then, I'd guess. Twenty years ago now but still
That's amazing, it's no easy feat that!
Are you set on a trade? The civil service do apprenticeships and they're actually decently paid. I was on around £35k my first year and not in London. The oldest person in my cohort was a 57 year old woman, the youngest a 17 year old school leaver. Pretty good progression opportunity if you work hard and keep the head down, and schmooze the right people.
In my 50s now but I worked on building sites on and off so I could travel until I was 28. Then I went to university, got a degree in animation and have worked in that field ever since. So I'd say it's more than possible to change or start a career well into your thirties. I can only talk about my career but VFX has always been competitive, so starting late I really needed to impress to get my foot in the door.
I went to Uni later than usual. I wasn't 30+, but in my very early 20s, and it was the best decision I made. The earning potential with a good qualification can be so much more than if you don't have it, especially in a stem field like me where a qualification is a requirement to get through the door in many places. Plus I feel good about what I do now, and feel like I am actively contributing to making abteer society rather than wasting my time doing a pointless dead end job which really does nothing to make the world better.
if you have a good idea of what you'd rather be doing, go for it, don't regret not making the change
I was living with a friend at the time, with cheap rent (2019, NE England prices) so managed to get by without a maintenance loan by working approx 30 - 45 hours weekly doing various things like agency shifts and dominoes driver before finally getting a 4 days per week perm contract at a local warehouse/outlet shop. Nothing glamorous, hard physical work at times. it was simple enough, and if your worth your salt, most places that aren't massive national chains will treat you with respect.
Also, you'll more than likely be classed as a mature student, so you'll be eligible for fairly generous grants at many colleges and unis
My daughter is in an engineering apprenticeship in her late 20s. It's difficult from a financial perspective, as apprenticeship rates are low. You can go on Universal Credit for it. Look around, you're by no means the oldest they can will interview
Been posting this a lot lately but I’ve gone back to uni at 43 to study physiotherapy, and there are several mature students on the course - I’m not the oldest, which I didn’t expect!
You’re never too late to retrain, some courses/professions take more effort and study to get into, others you can simply start and work your way up.
Volunteering or shadowing is a great way to see what an industry is like and it lets you see if you’d actually like it or not - forewarned is forearmed when it comes to big decisions. Seeing adverts claiming people are retraining into cyber security in 6 months and earning 75 grand a year isn’t realistic. Try to get some experience of what you actually want to do.
The government also has a lot of free courses on the skills for careers website, including technical and vocational qualifications, and you can get financial support while you’re studying. Check out the turn2us and entitled to websites to see what you’re eligible for.
Good luck!
Nephew did his apprenticeship as a joiner and started it age 30. Now fully qualified and already has joiner knee 😂
In our apprenticeship groups we have mostly over 30s. They often come in with a lack of belief in themselves and leave to go onto do much much more than they thought. The thing with screwing up the past is that you have from today onwards to change that. I did my nursing training in my thirties.
I also thought apprenticeships were for school leavers. I just completed a Level 5 at the age of 41. It was quite pleasantly surprising that there are a lot of people at our age doing them.
I'm in bus repair. We've had people starting apprenticeships in their 50s fairly regularly. Some coming from a mechanical background, but plenty switch from bus driving
From experience older apprentices have been pretty good, they know exactly what they're getting themselves into rather than just ending up wherever their parents told them to apply for. Incidentally, the biggest pains in the arse have been the apprentices who started slightly older than the average (e.g. starting around 20 as opposed to 16-18).
I've had an apprentice start in her late 20s, and therefore finish in her 30s. She was actually a pretty decent apprentice, one big thing in her favour is that I didn't need to teach her to become a functioning adult and how to actually work (on account of being around the same age as me). She'd worked shite jobs before so was very much prepared to take the hit in wages for four years as she knew it'd be worthwhile. I've also got a friend who started his apprenticeship at a different site at a similar age but I've never worked with him.
We had an apprentice start at something like 37 a few years back too; he was in a different trade so I never worked with him but by all accounts he settled in fine.
I went to university at 32. I know people who've done apprenticeships in project management in their 30s.
I’m not sure about trades but I did an engineering apprenticeship with a bank a couple years ago and many of my cohort were 30s+
It's an option as I'm looking for a career change too, my biggest hurdle is the wage and my financial commitments ie mortgage.
I'm 32 and finishing one up next year, There are people in my group over 40 and 2 over 50
I started one at 28, no educational reason you can't do one at any age. The wages can be a problem though. For the first year of an apprenticeship you are only entitled to the apprenticeship minimum wage, which is currently £7.55/hour. Once you finish your first year you'll get standard minimum wage for your age (as long as you're 19+ for some reason). So lots of proper adults don't do them simply because they can't afford to. The company I did mine with paid a sensible wage the whole way through though. If you find a company that does that you'll be golden. I enjoyed mine, and I'd do it again.
I had my thermostat moved as it was basically in two separate parts (?), the electrician did an apprenticeship through the social housing provider. She was in her early to mid thirties I think
My family member did an apprenticeship in her late 40s, she's working as an SEN teaching assistant now and loves it
I know a few folk that have done higher level apprenticeships and standard level apprenticeships at their 30s and even in their 40s. It's never too late!
I did mine at 40 after 25 years in physical low paid jobs.
Do something you're interested in, think longer term about the future, do you really want a manual labour job in your 50's?
I'm not going to lie, it's hard to get an apprenticeship after 25, I believe businesses get more money for younger people so you have that against you, for that reason I would look at public sector
My mate is doing a software development apprenticeship, previously he was an SEO consultant. He is in his late 30.
I started mine when I was 31
Started one this year age 31, great scheme they pay living wage, straight on to 3 on 4 off shift pattern and will also pay you to re locate if you live more than 40 miles away
You can get a free level 3 through free courses for jobs, that government backed deal if you haven’t got one already, I’d start looking at courses, see if there’s anything that stands out.
I retrained from engineering to counselling in my early 30’s, wasn’t easy but incredibly worth it. The main reason was my own problems with my own mental health, it really helped to understand what was going on with me, then even more so to help others going through similar, might be something to look into.
I did a 3 year apprenticeship at 28 and it was completely worth it. The funding changes after 21 (or 23?) so the employer may have to pay the college to employ you (for me it was £900 - still cheaper than going back and doing a college course) so just be aware of that. Save up + offer to pay yourself - good incentive to take you on.
Did my undergrad degree aged 30 (Business), and Masters degree aged 38 (Quantity Surveying).
You can get student loans for BOTH. You can work whilst you do both, but it'll be tough. I did my Masters full time, in 1 year, whilst I worked part time - but that's because the part time salary just about covered my part of the bills (was living with my now ex).
The Construction industry has LOTS of apprenticeships, moreso for areas in Quantity Surveying and Construction Management. I understand it takes about 4 years, you attend uni once every few months, but get paid a salary whilst you work (I think it's 4 days a week at first)?. There are plenty of mature entrants into both professions, as there is a HUGE shortage!
There’s some funding coming up for exactly this. I don’t know how much that will help you but if you can get that placement sorted that is the key thing as 16 year old’s can be paid nothing or peanuts so if the government can put some money down it just makes it doable. I retrained entirely in my late 30s and am now unhappily in work (hooray) but I can pay the bills and get by. I’d recommend a short term/medium term and long term strategy to give you the ability to tide yourself over whilst reaching for your ultimate goal. Get it done u/DelonghiAutismo!
My mrs did her hnc in engineering, currently doing hnd
I did an apprenticeship in my 30's. I was sick of my current career and wanted to know if I was able to do something completely different. I researched what job I would like to do and if I was able to achieve that where I lived, then I started applying to training colleges. Training colleges can act as recruitment for employers that are wanting to find apprentices so it's a good place to start.
I got a lot of interest as employers wanted someone with a proven work ethic and drive. The only downside is starting from the bottom of the wage department, but that does only last a year or so.
It was a good experience overall and I took it a lot more seriously and got a lot more out of it than if I would have done it if I was younger.
I did one, hated every minute of it, managed to get a job in the field though and moved before I had completed it.
Yes, me. I did a Motor Vehicle Mechanic apprenticeship starting at sixteen, then retrained as an Electric Engineer (six years) when I was twenty nine.
I’m a third year at 33 on a technical level three qual. And I’m about in the middle of the age range in the cohort. I’ve seen apprentices in their 50s and one in their 60s.
If you get a civil service apprenticeship you’ll get a full salary and pension from day one. Just search for “Apprentice” on the CS Jobs website.
However it takes perseverance - one lad on my course spent over five years applying to find a place.
Bro, I just turned 50..did 22yrs mil, got out at 39, moved to Spain 3yrs, came back worked in Aerospace Engineering 8 months, it was boring. Worked as a store manager at Harbor Freight (quit), became a contract federal background investigator for DCSA..DOGE fired us. Now at 50 I'm in Graduate School for Architecture/Interior Design.....you can do ANYTHING no matter age!