Career change examples
These are illustrative examples of common UK retraining routes. The people are not real, but the pay, training times and qualifications are typical. Use them to compare routes, not as testimonials.
Manchester
Example age: 34. Training time: 14 months.
Before
£19,500
After
£38,000
Illustrative route
A typical route: a call centre advisor on £19,500 retrains for around 14 months, qualifies as a plumber, and moves towards £38,000. Customer-facing experience can help with domestic work.
Leeds
Example age: 41. Training time: 18 months.
Before
£42,000
After
£47,000
Illustrative route
A typical route: a bank manager on £42,000 retrains for around 18 months, builds electrical site experience, and moves towards £47,000. The first role may be about building competence rather than an immediate pay rise.
Bristol
Example age: 28. Training time: 8 months.
Before
£21,000
After
£34,000
Illustrative route
A typical route: a warehouse operative on £21,000 takes around eight months to move towards roofing work, with pay around £34,000 once experience and the right site opportunities are in place.
Birmingham
Example age: 37. Training time: 12 months.
Before
£17,800
After
£32,000
Illustrative route
A typical route: a teaching assistant on £17,800 retrains for around 12 months, then moves towards carpentry work at about £32,000. Practical and creative skills can transfer, but site experience still matters.
Belfast
Example age: 45. Training time: 16 months.
Before
£26,000
After
£44,000
Illustrative route
A typical route: an IT support technician on £26,000 retrains over around 16 months and moves towards heating-engineer work at about £44,000. Heat pumps and renewables are possible specialisms, but demand varies by area and employer.
London
Example age: 32. Training time: 6 months.
Before
£24,000
After
£36,000
Illustrative route
A typical route: a retail manager on £24,000 completes around six months of focused training and builds towards painter and decorator work at about £36,000. Self-employment brings flexibility, but also irregular work and business costs.
Newcastle
Example age: 39. Training time: 10 months.
Before
£35,000
After
£40,000
Illustrative route
A typical route: an accountant on £35,000 retrains over around 10 months and moves towards bricklaying work at about £40,000. The work is physical, so fitness, injury history and a realistic pace need checking first.
Sheffield
Example age: 36. Training time: 9 months.
Before
£23,000
After
£37,000
Illustrative route
A typical route: a chef on £23,000 takes around nine months to build welding skills and moves towards fabrication work at about £37,000. Shift patterns and local manufacturing demand vary by employer.
Derry
Example age: 29. Training time: 18 months.
Before
£18,500
After
£35,000
Illustrative route
A typical route: an office administrator on £18,500 retrains over around 18 months at a local FE college such as NWRC, qualifies, and moves towards £35,000. EV charger installation can be a later specialism, not an automatic outcome.
Liverpool
Example age: 43. Training time: 6 weeks.
Before
£22,000
After
£38,000
Illustrative route
A typical route: a delivery driver on £22,000 takes around six weeks for an initial scaffolding route and builds towards work at about £38,000. CISRS requirements, training availability and pay vary by stage and employer.
Edinburgh
Example age: 31. Training time: 12 months.
Before
£28,000
After
£34,000
Illustrative route
A typical route: a marketing executive on £28,000 retrains over around 12 months and moves towards joinery work at about £34,000. Measuring, accuracy and local renovation demand can make the route attractive, but competence takes time.
Nottingham
Example age: 38. Training time: 14 months.
Before
£27,000
After
£41,000
Illustrative route
A typical route: an office manager on £27,000 retrains over around 14 months and moves towards plumbing work at about £41,000. Self-employment may follow, but it also means handling quotes, tax, insurance and uneven demand.
Cardiff
Example age: 35. Training time: 8 months.
Before
£25,000
After
£31,000
Illustrative route
A typical route: an HR coordinator on £25,000 takes around eight months to move towards landscape work at about £31,000. Design, organisation and customer skills transfer, while tools, transport and seasonal demand affect earnings.
Manchester
Example age: 27. Training time: 5 months.
Before
£20,000
After
£35,000
Illustrative route
A typical route: a security guard on £20,000 takes around five months to build tiling experience and moves towards bathroom-refit work at about £35,000. Accuracy, physical tolerance and a reliable pipeline matter before going self-employed.
Glasgow
Example age: 44. Training time: 16 months.
Before
£21,000
After
£46,000
Illustrative route
A typical route: a taxi driver on £21,000 retrains over around 16 months and moves towards gas-engineer work at about £46,000. Gas Safe registration and the right supervised route are essential before taking relevant work.
Start with pay, training time and local jobs before paying for a course.