Career change
How to change career with no money
You can change career without savings if you choose a route that pays you or costs nothing up front. In England that means an apprenticeship (paid, at least £8.00 an hour in the first year), a free course such as Free Courses for Jobs or a Skills Bootcamp, or a loan you only repay once you earn over £25,000. Then plan for any drop in pay, using real figures rather than hope.
Updated
Free and funded ways to retrain
These are the main routes in England that do not need savings. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own schemes.
| Route | Who can use it | What it costs you | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprenticeship | Aged 16 or over, living in England and not in full-time education. No upper age limit. | Nothing for the training, and you are paid: at least £8.00 an hour in the first year, then the minimum wage for your age (£12.71 an hour at 21 and over, from April 2026). | GOV.UK: apprentice pay; funding rules 2026 to 2027 |
| Free Courses for Jobs | Aged 19 or over and earning below £25,750, or unemployed. Some areas set slightly different rules. | Free. Covers a level 3 qualification in subjects such as accounting, digital, health and social care or engineering, or a level 2 in construction, engineering or manufacturing. | GOV.UK, updated July 2025 |
| Skills Bootcamp | Aged 19 or over. Most need no previous knowledge of the subject. | Free to you. Up to 16 weeks, with a guaranteed job interview at the end. If your employer puts you on one to upskill you, the employer pays 10% (fewer than 250 staff) or 30% (250 or more). | Department for Education; funding guide from August 2025 |
| Advanced Learner Loan | Aged 19 or over, for a level 3 to 6 course at an approved college or provider in England. | A loan for course fees only, with no credit check. You repay 9% of your income over £25,000 a year, and interest is charged from the first payment. | GOV.UK: Advanced Learner Loan; repayment plans |
| Learner Support | Aged 19 or over, on a further education course at level 3 or below, and in financial hardship. | Money from your college for travel, equipment, a laptop or childcare (20 or over for childcare). It may be a grant or a loan. | GOV.UK: Learner Support |
Source: GOV.UK and Department for Education pages linked in each row. Checked 28 September 2026.
On Universal Credit? GOV.UK says you can apply for a Free Courses for Jobs course if it will improve your chances of getting work, and that many claimants can take full-time training for up to 16 weeks and keep claiming. Ask your work coach before you enrol.
Degree-level study. From 1 January 2027, student finance for certain level 4 to 6 courses and modules, including most undergraduate courses, moves to the Lifelong Learning Entitlement, with Tuition Fee Loans of up to £39,160 in total, repaid once you earn over £25,000 a year. Applications open at the end of October 2026.
Skills Bootcamps are described as free in the Department for Education's funding and performance management guidance. Find one, or a free course, with the course finder. For more on paid training, see apprenticeships for adults.
Free careers advice changes on 1 October 2026
The National Careers Service website is being renamed "Get careers information and advice" from 1 October 2026. The address stays the same, and the job profiles, skills assessment and course finder stay online. What changes is personal advice: you will no longer be able to chat online, email or ask for a call through the site. Adults in England will instead get careers advice from the Department for Work and Pensions Careers Service, and the government's new Jobs and Careers Service has a CV builder and job search.
Source: National Careers Service, "The National Careers Service is changing", checked 28 September 2026.
Plan for the pay dip
ONS annual pay only covers people who have been in the same job for more than a year, so a median is not a starting salary. The lower quartile, the level a quarter of full-time employees earn less than, is a more careful figure to plan with.
| Job | Lower quartile | Median pay | Paid way in |
|---|---|---|---|
| HGV driver | £33,749 | £39,905 | Large goods vehicle (LGV) driver C + E apprenticeship, level 2, typically 13 months |
| Data analyst | £30,835 | £38,572 | Data technician apprenticeship, level 3, typically 24 months |
| IT support technician | £29,206 | £35,128 | Information communications technician apprenticeship, level 3, typically 18 months |
| HR officer | £29,116 | £35,194 | HR support apprenticeship, level 3, typically 18 months |
| Marketing executive | £27,373 | £33,412 | Multi-channel marketer apprenticeship, level 3, typically 18 months |
| Bookkeeper | £26,802 | £31,560 | Accounts or finance assistant apprenticeship, level 2, typically 12 months |
| Paralegal | £26,740 | £35,507 | Paralegal apprenticeship, level 3, typically 24 months |
| Healthcare assistant | £25,189 | £29,084 | Healthcare support worker apprenticeship, level 2, typically 8 months |
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.
- Paralegal: ONS codes paralegals with legal professionals not elsewhere classified, a group that also includes legal executives and conveyancers.
A worked example. If you earn the UK full-time median of £39,039 and move into IT support, planning on the lower quartile of £29,206 means a gap of about £9,833 a year before tax, or £819 a month. Going in through an apprenticeship on the £8.00 minimum would pay £15,600 a year at 37.5 hours a week in the first year, so ask employers what they really pay.
- Work out your monthly gap from the figures above, or better, from real job adverts.
- Count how many months you could cover it, from savings, a partner's income or overtime before you move.
- Check whether you would get any benefits on the lower income with a GOV.UK benefits calculator.
- If the gap is too big, look at the ways to switch without a gap below.
How to change careers without losing money
- Train while you keep your job. Part-time and online courses let you keep your income. Every employee has the right to ask for flexible working, such as compressed hours, to make time to study. GOV.UK: flexible working
- Move inside your employer. A move to another team keeps your income while you change the work you do. Existing staff can also become apprentices, as long as the role needs significant new skills. Funding rules 2026 to 2027
- Take a bridge role. Move to a job that uses your current skills in the sector you want, then move again from the inside. Our transferable skills guide helps you spot them.
- If you are being made redundant, with 2 years' service you can take reasonable time off during your notice to look for work or arrange training, and statutory redundancy pay under £30,000 is not taxed. GOV.UK: redundancy rights
Common questions
How do I change careers without losing money?
Keep earning while you train. You can take a part-time course and ask your employer for flexible working, move to another team inside your employer, or start an apprenticeship, which pays a wage while you train. Before you move, compare the lower-quartile pay for the new job with what you earn now and work out how many months you could cover the difference.
Can I retrain for free in the UK?
In England, often yes. Free Courses for Jobs pays for a level 3 qualification if you are 19 or over and earn below £25,750 or are unemployed. Skills Bootcamps are free to learners, last up to 16 weeks and end with a guaranteed job interview. Apprenticeship training is free to the apprentice and you are paid a wage.
Can I retrain while claiming Universal Credit?
Often, yes. GOV.UK says Universal Credit claimants can apply for a free course if it will improve their chances of getting work, and that many can take full-time training for up to 16 weeks and continue to claim. Talk to your work coach first.
What is happening to the National Careers Service?
From 1 October 2026 the website is renamed Get careers information and advice. It keeps its address, job profiles and course finder, but you can no longer chat, email or ask for a call through it. Adults in England get careers advice from the Department for Work and Pensions Careers Service instead.
Do I have to pay back an Advanced Learner Loan?
Yes, but only when your income is over the threshold. For courses started since August 2023 you repay 9% of your income over £25,000 a year, and interest is charged from the first payment. If you take the loan for an Access to Higher Education course, Student Finance England writes off the balance once you complete an eligible higher education course.