Neil Dyball
Established Member
Hi All,
I've generally posted on the 'spinney world' forum in the past but have ventured over here in the hope that some of you might be able to give me a pointer or two. Sorry if any of the following is a bit rambling or disorganized but that will become clear as to why. At the moment my head is spinning with all sorts of ifs, buts and maybes.
I learned three days before Xmas that my 20 year career in I.T. (after 12 years in finance) may be coming to a very abrupt end, likely to find out for definite first fortnight in Jan. At 50, and living in rural Suffolk, further employment in I.T. looks pretty unlikely so a complete career change is on the cards. I'm a competent DIY'er, (my father was a 'general builder' and he and I have renovated my houses), and love all things 'woody'. I've done a 'DIY furniture making' course as leisure learning at the local college for a couple of years. I have also tackled any woodwork required, from rough carpentry to turning, second fix to furniture making, all with acceptable results using 'entry level' tools.
Given my background/interests, and the fact that I'd rather do something I love for considerably less money than something I hate for more, I'd appreciate any advice,suggestions etc. from anyone on my current thoughts, which are... There are a few small businesses locally making bespoke or reproduction furniture, specialist kitchens etc. and I'd like to try and get into one of them as a 'mature' apprentice/student/trainee. I realise things are tough for everybody at the moment but basically I'm willing to work 'cheap' for a fair while in order to prove my commitment to a potential employer. I'll get a redundancy cheque (of unknown size, but stat. min. circa £10k) that I can afford to invest in training/subsidising income as necessary.
So, some questions, in no particular order, for anybody who may have done something similar, taken someone on as a trainee in the past or have anything to contribute.
1. Is age a problem? In I.T. if you're over 35 you're on the scrapheap whereas age/experience in a 'craftsman' seems to be considered a plus, (and yes I realise that "craftsman" is some way off!) When I've interviewed 'junior' people I've always considered enthusiasm/motivation for the work at least as important as qualifications/skills, which can always be learned.
2. What level of 'trainee' salary expectation should I pitch at so as to appear keen but not desperate?
3. If you could do an extended training course, and I'm looking at fine furniture/cabinetmaking in all likelihood, what would you choose? The David Charlesworth/Marc Fish/Geoffrey Rowe courses are the first I've found in a brief Google, who else should I be considering? What would be the best magazines for adverts for these types of courses?
4. I'd consider my professional transferable skills, (apart from anything practical which needs to be honed as per item 3), as being; logical (almost to OCD!), meticulous attention to detail, able to follow detailed plans/instructions, able to manage projects to time, self-motivated, team leading (perhaps not particularly appropriate as a junior!). I can do a decent C.V. but is that what this type of 'practical' business is really looking for?
5. If anybody has answers to questions I haven't thought of yet please feel free to add any comment.
6. My head hurts now! I'm sure I'll think of more later but for now any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. :?
Cheers,
Neil.
I've generally posted on the 'spinney world' forum in the past but have ventured over here in the hope that some of you might be able to give me a pointer or two. Sorry if any of the following is a bit rambling or disorganized but that will become clear as to why. At the moment my head is spinning with all sorts of ifs, buts and maybes.
I learned three days before Xmas that my 20 year career in I.T. (after 12 years in finance) may be coming to a very abrupt end, likely to find out for definite first fortnight in Jan. At 50, and living in rural Suffolk, further employment in I.T. looks pretty unlikely so a complete career change is on the cards. I'm a competent DIY'er, (my father was a 'general builder' and he and I have renovated my houses), and love all things 'woody'. I've done a 'DIY furniture making' course as leisure learning at the local college for a couple of years. I have also tackled any woodwork required, from rough carpentry to turning, second fix to furniture making, all with acceptable results using 'entry level' tools.
Given my background/interests, and the fact that I'd rather do something I love for considerably less money than something I hate for more, I'd appreciate any advice,suggestions etc. from anyone on my current thoughts, which are... There are a few small businesses locally making bespoke or reproduction furniture, specialist kitchens etc. and I'd like to try and get into one of them as a 'mature' apprentice/student/trainee. I realise things are tough for everybody at the moment but basically I'm willing to work 'cheap' for a fair while in order to prove my commitment to a potential employer. I'll get a redundancy cheque (of unknown size, but stat. min. circa £10k) that I can afford to invest in training/subsidising income as necessary.
So, some questions, in no particular order, for anybody who may have done something similar, taken someone on as a trainee in the past or have anything to contribute.
1. Is age a problem? In I.T. if you're over 35 you're on the scrapheap whereas age/experience in a 'craftsman' seems to be considered a plus, (and yes I realise that "craftsman" is some way off!) When I've interviewed 'junior' people I've always considered enthusiasm/motivation for the work at least as important as qualifications/skills, which can always be learned.
2. What level of 'trainee' salary expectation should I pitch at so as to appear keen but not desperate?
3. If you could do an extended training course, and I'm looking at fine furniture/cabinetmaking in all likelihood, what would you choose? The David Charlesworth/Marc Fish/Geoffrey Rowe courses are the first I've found in a brief Google, who else should I be considering? What would be the best magazines for adverts for these types of courses?
4. I'd consider my professional transferable skills, (apart from anything practical which needs to be honed as per item 3), as being; logical (almost to OCD!), meticulous attention to detail, able to follow detailed plans/instructions, able to manage projects to time, self-motivated, team leading (perhaps not particularly appropriate as a junior!). I can do a decent C.V. but is that what this type of 'practical' business is really looking for?
5. If anybody has answers to questions I haven't thought of yet please feel free to add any comment.
6. My head hurts now! I'm sure I'll think of more later but for now any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. :?
Cheers,
Neil.