Lucy Johnson quit her job as head of foreign languages to join the financial services industry where she was thrilled by the incredible support and freedom she enjoyed…
Name
Lucy Johnson
Old Position
Head of department of modern foreign languages
New Career
Trainer in leaning and development
Can you tell us about your current role?
I’m a trainer in the learning and development department of Phoenix Group. My role involves delivering all kinds of training on the back-office side of the business. Recently, I’ve started to do soft skills training as well and some design work on training materials.
What was your previous role?
I came from education in a very different subject area. I was head of department of modern foreign languages at a local secondary school for about 14 years.
Why did you decide to make a career change?
The Covid-19 pandemic happened. Education was changing and I started to feel it wasn’t what I signed up for originally. I had a very satisfying, rewarding job, but I just felt that there was a lot more stress compared to when I signed up in 2008. I felt the time had come to change career while I was still of an age to retrain in a different area.
If you had said to me ten years ago that I’d now be working in the finance industry I would probably have laughed.
How do you go about making the move into your new career?
I knew I wanted to make a change, so I gave myself a little thinking space. In that time, I did a bit of teaching supply work and started up my own business as a private tutor teaching Spanish. I wanted to push myself and do something completely different but using my existing skills, which is what steered me in the direction of Phoenix Group.
What transferable skills did you find you had?
If you had said to me ten years ago that I’d be working in the finance industry I would probably have laughed. What I bring is the confidence to stand in front of a room of people and deliver. As head of languages, the skills included management, performance management, training student teachers, working with a variety of stakeholders. Those are all things I do in my new job, just in a different arena.
What have you found to be the most rewarding aspects of your new career?
For me, moving from the public to the private sector has been a case of ‘wow, this is how the other half lives!’. What struck me from day one at Phoenix Group was the extraordinary level of support. The benefits are extremely attractive but it’s just the freedom as well. I’ve finally claimed my life back, I feel. I come to work, and I work hard but when the day comes to an end, the day is over. That was not the case previously. I’m enjoying learning about new areas. I didn’t know what an annuity was until I came to work here!
I feel when you get to mid-life you need to push yourself outside your comfort zone. Standing in a room of people, training them on things like fund switches – gosh.
I’m passionate about languages but it became the case that it was purely what I was known for. But I want more than that from my career. It’s great to be able to speak Spanish but what else can I do and how far can I take my other skills?
What support or help did you get along the way?
When I left teaching in 2022, just after Covid, I didn’t really know where I wanted to go next. The main thing that helped me was a Facebook page called Life Beyond Teaching – Exit and Thrive. It’s been an amazing source of information.
Through that site I learned about the whole area of learning and development. It’s also where I learned about what qualifications would be useful so I’m currently studying for my CIPD Level 5, which I just feel is not going to do me any harm, shall we say.
What obstacles did you overcome?
I just started applying for jobs and I had constant feedback that although I was qualified, I lacked experience in industry. It was extremely frustrating, and I just felt that I wasn’t being recognised for the skills I had. Then along came Phoenix Group. They were the first company that were interested in what I had to bring to the table and didn’t dismiss me as a classroom teacher.
I’ve halved my salary, essentially, and that’s been the hardest thing because I’ve come from management and now I’m further down the scale but keen to make quick progress and show what I can do. Sometimes, you have to take a step backwards to move forwards.
What would you say to other people who are thinking of making a mid-life career change?
Resilience is important. I’d made hundreds of applications before I got to Phoenix Group. It’s not easy to make that change and you’ve got to develop a thick skin. Hang on in there, keep going and be resilient. It may sound corny but believe in yourself and the opportunity will be there. I’m testament to that – here I am.
