The Careers Adviser

'Can I use my teaching skills in business training? And should I get into HR or accountancy?'

Language barrier

Q. I am a 40-year-old teacher of English as a foreign language looking for a change. I also have a history degree and qualifications in IT, publishing, and business administration. Could I get into business training?

A. There is a demand for those who can teach English in relation to specific areas such as business, and your combination of skills should stand you in good stead.

Look up "teaching English as a foreign language" and "English as a specific purposes teacher" on the job profiles section of www.prospects.ac.uk – these give ideas about jobs and freelance work in this area.

Try approaching business training firms directly, promoting your experience, or trawl trade directories for major firms to contact. It might be worthwhile presenting a summary of any course that you could deliver, especially if it is outside the current remit of a training company. Could you produce booklets or online material to cover these specialist areas?

You say that you don't want to teach in the UK, by which you probably mean mainstream school teaching. You could, though, consider teaching international students at college or university, and local education authorities often need tutors to work with small groups of adults.

You could think about teaching the TEFL qualification, course planning or language school administration – or even setting up your own school. Many people undersell their experience and skills when attempting to shift direction – usually because they want to put their old career behind them and move on.

Make sure you emphasise your skills, and focus on the way you express them, to maximise their impact in your new career.

Analyse this

Q. I am a single mother and work part time as an analyst programmer. I am looking for a complete change and want to study something in my own time. I am interested in human resources as my previous role was in-house recruitment and I enjoyed that. Or accountancy, as I like budgeting and forecasting.

A. You have two clear ideas about the way forward – now you need to do detailed research to work out which would suit you best. It would be useful to talk to people who work in both areas. Work experience would help but might be unpaid.

Accountancy has the advantage that there is, according to the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, a big shortage of qualified accountants. You'd need to approach firms that might offer a job and provide this training – to become a Certified Accounting Technician – so you can earn while you learn.

It might be possible to be supervised as you work part time or from home, and you might be able to start with book-keeping work and build a career over time. Visit www.accaglobal.com.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (www.cipd.co.uk) offers part-time and flexible learning courses (020-8612 6208). HR is highly competitive and employers will usually expect a CIPD qualification, although having one won't guarantee a job. You'd need to use your previous experience to sell yourself and work experience, again, would help.

If you become a CIPD member, they'll be able to tell you about local branches where you will be able to meet others and network.

Careers adviser: Liz Hagger, careers consultant, Graduate Prospects.

Send your queries to Caroline Haydon at 'The Independent', Education Desk, Independent House, 191 Marsh Wall, London E14 9RS; or fax 020-7005 2143; or e-mail to chaydon @blueyonder.co.uk