Career change
Changing career at 50 in the UK
It is not too late. GOV.UK gives a State Pension age of 67 for anyone who turns 50 in 2026, which leaves around 17 working years, and the Equality Act 2010 protects you from age discrimination when you apply. The trade-off is pay: ONS puts median full-time pay for people aged 50 to 59 at £41,866, and starting again as a trainee can mean a large drop.
Updated
Your rights when you change job at 50
Age is one of the protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010. GOV.UK lists what that covers at work: recruitment, pay, training, promotion, redundancy and dismissal. GOV.UK: discrimination, your rights. Acas has more detail on age discrimination.
- You do not have to give your date of birth when you apply for a job, and there is no longer a default retirement age. GOV.UK: working after State Pension age
- You can ask for flexible working from your first day in a new job, for example part-time hours or working from home. Your employer must deal with the request reasonably and decide within 2 months, but can refuse it for a business reason. GOV.UK: flexible working
- If you have a health condition or disability, an Access to Work grant can pay for things like equipment, a support worker or travel to work. It does not affect other benefits and you do not pay it back. GOV.UK: Access to Work
Money to check before you move
Before you resign or accept a redundancy offer, check these numbers. Some decisions, such as taking pension money early, are hard to undo.
| What | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| State Pension age if you turn 50 in 2026 | 67, under current law | GOV.UK State Pension age checker |
| Earliest age most private and workplace pensions can be taken | Usually 55, rising to 57 from 6 April 2028 | GOV.UK; HMRC policy paper, 2021 |
| Statutory redundancy pay for each full year of service from age 41 | 1.5 weeks' pay | GOV.UK: redundancy pay |
| Cap on a week's pay for statutory redundancy pay | £751, so no more than £22,530 in total (redundancy on or after 6 April 2026) | GOV.UK: redundancy pay |
| Statutory redundancy pay that is not taxed | Under £30,000 | GOV.UK: redundancy and tax |
| Flexible working requests | From day one in a new job, 2 requests in any 12 months, decision within 2 months | GOV.UK: flexible working |
Source: GOV.UK and HMRC pages linked in each row. Checked 28 September 2026.
If you are being made redundant after at least 2 years with your employer, you are also allowed reasonable time off during your notice to look for work or arrange training, though your employer only has to pay up to 40% of a week's pay for it. GOV.UK has a redundancy pay calculator.
Taking money from a pension early to cover a pay gap has costs. GOV.UK warns that the pot will probably be smaller, and that it can reduce means-tested benefits such as Universal Credit.
On pay, the ONS figures cut both ways. Median full-time pay for people aged 50 to 59 is £41,866, below the £44,244 for people in their forties. Several jobs in the table below have medians above that level. Starting again as a trainee is different: an apprentice aged 50 can be paid as little as £8.00 an hour in the first year.
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 (provisional), Table 6.7a, published . Median gross annual pay, full-time employee jobs, UK.
Jobs where experience counts
These jobs draw on judgement, dealing with people and knowing how organisations work. Each has a documented way in, so you are not starting from nothing. Pay is the ONS figure for the whole occupation group.
| Job | Median pay | Lower quartile | One way in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project manager | £59,834 | £46,399 | Associate project manager apprenticeship, level 4, typically 18 months |
| Purchasing manager | £58,005 | £44,801 | Procurement and supply assistant apprenticeship, level 3, typically 18 months |
| Compliance officer | £50,083 | £37,854 | Compliance and risk officer apprenticeship, level 3, typically 15 months |
| Health and safety adviser | £46,444 | £37,925 | Safety, health and environment technician apprenticeship, level 3, typically 24 months |
| Facilities manager | £43,365 | £33,185 | Facilities management supervisor apprenticeship, level 3, typically 18 months |
| Further education lecturer | £42,218 | £36,630 | Learning and skills teacher apprenticeship, level 5, typically 18 months |
| HGV driver | £39,905 | £33,749 | Large goods vehicle (LGV) driver C + E apprenticeship, level 2, typically 13 months |
| Learning and development adviser | £36,357 | £29,544 | Learning and development practitioner apprenticeship, level 3, typically 18 months |
| Work coach | £33,000 | £29,021 | No apprenticeship listed |
| Careers adviser | £32,418 | £28,749 | Employability practitioner apprenticeship, level 4, typically 24 months |
| Counsellor | £31,124 | £28,703 | The National Careers Service profile names BACP |
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 (provisional), Table 14.7a, published . Median gross annual pay for full-time employee jobs in the UK, tax year ending 5 April 2025. Figures are for whole SOC 2020 occupation groups and exclude the self-employed.
Source: Skills England, apprenticeship standards. Checked 28 September 2026. Apprenticeship standards cover England.
- Work coach: The pay figure covers all national government administrative occupations, not only work coaches.
You may also be thinking about consultancy, non-executive roles or freelance work. ONS earnings data covers employees only, so there is no ONS pay figure for self-employed work. If you are weighing it up, read our guide to freelance careers in the UK.
Free help and training at 50
- Midlife MOT. The government's free online Midlife MOT brings together tools on work, health and money. It is aimed at people aged 45 to 65.
- Careers advice. From 1 October 2026 the National Careers Service website is renamed "Get careers information and advice" and keeps its address. Face-to-face careers advice for adults in England moves to the Department for Work and Pensions Careers Service. National Careers Service notice
- Apprenticeships. There is no upper age limit: you need to be 16 or over, living in England and not in full-time education. GOV.UK: become an apprentice. The funding rules say you cannot be asked to pay for the training, but your employer may pay part: at an employer that does not pay the apprenticeship levy, the government pays the full training cost for apprentices aged 16 to 24 and 95% for older apprentices, leaving the employer to pay 5%. GOV.UK: apprenticeship funding
- Course fees. Free Courses for Jobs pays for a level 3 course if you earn below £25,750 or are unemployed, and an Advanced Learner Loan can cover level 3 to 6 course fees for anyone aged 19 or over. GOV.UK: Free Courses for Jobs; Advanced Learner Loan
A sensible order: check your pension and redundancy position, use the Midlife MOT to take stock, try the new work part-time or as a volunteer, then rewrite your CV around recent, relevant experience. How to write a CV for a career change shows how. If you are in your forties rather than your fifties, AICareerSwap has a separate guide to changing career at 40.
Common questions
Is 50 too late to change career?
No. GOV.UK's State Pension age checker gives 67 for anyone who turns 50 in 2026, so most people have around 17 working years left. There is no upper age limit on apprenticeships, and Advanced Learner Loans and Free Courses for Jobs are open to anyone aged 19 or over.
Can an employer turn me down because of my age?
Age is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, and GOV.UK says the law protects you against discrimination in recruitment, pay, training, promotion, redundancy and dismissal. You do not have to give your date of birth when you apply. If you think you have been treated unlawfully, Acas and Citizens Advice can help, and you may be able to bring a claim at an employment tribunal.
Can I do an apprenticeship at 50?
Yes. GOV.UK says you need to be 16 or over, living in England and not in full-time education. The minimum pay is £8.00 an hour in the first year and then the National Living Wage (£12.71 an hour from April 2026), though employers can pay more. You do not pay for the training. For apprentices aged 25 and over, an employer that does not pay the apprenticeship levy pays 5% of the training cost.
When can I take money from my private pension?
Usually from 55, depending on your scheme's rules. HMRC is raising the normal minimum pension age from 55 to 57 from 6 April 2028. GOV.UK warns that taking money early will probably leave a smaller pot and can affect means-tested benefits.
How much redundancy pay will I get at 50?
If you have worked for your employer for at least 2 years, statutory redundancy pay is one and a half weeks' pay for each full year you worked from age 41, one week's pay for each year from 22 to 40, and half a week's pay for each year under 22. Service is capped at 20 years and a week's pay at £751 for redundancies on or after 6 April 2026, so the most you can get is £22,530.