Cate Taylor

Age at time of shift

26

Gender

Female

Education level

Graduate

Universities attended

University of Sheffield

Shifted from

Category Manager

Location

?

Salary

£30,000-£40,000

Years in old career

3

Shifted to

Teacher

Location

?

Salary

£20,000-£30,000

Years in new career

3

Year of shift

unknown

What was your role in your old job?

I was responsible for procurement of packaging. I also had project management responsibility. 

What is/are your new role(s)?

Teacher (age 11-18), tutor, responsibility for Year 11 and 6th form. 

Why did you change?

I was unfulfilled by the job that I was doing and felt that I wasn't achieving my potential. 

Are you happy with the change?

Yes. 

What do you miss and what don't you miss?

The drop in money was quite difficult when I first changed as I had to spend a year training (bursary of £6k) and then my starting salary was less than £20k. I don't miss being bored. 

How did you go about making the change?

I thought about all the pros and cons very carefully before making my decision. I investigated the different options open to me. 

What was the most difficult thing about changing?

Wondering if I was making a terrible mistake. 

What help did you get?

None. 

What have you learnt in the process?

Go for it. There's no point staying where you are if you're not happy. 

What do you wish you'd done differently?

Nothing. I'm glad I had the experience of business and industry before I became a teacher. I have undoubtedly progressed much quicker and am much more successful in what I do because of my previous experience. 

What would you advise others to do in the same situation?

Definitely. I do not regret making the change at all. If you do change and find that it's not what you hoped, you can always return to your previous career path - with more experience and a different perspective.