Graduates expecting career changes

More than 70 per cent of recent graduates expect to switch careers by the age of 35, a new survey reports.

10:08 11 August 2005

More than 70 per cent of recent graduates expect to switch careers by the age of 35, a new survey reports.

The Teacher Training Agency survey, found that nearly three quarters of employees that have left university since 2003 anticipated being in their job for ten years or less.

And 72 per cent of the 1,778 respondents aged 21 to 36 said that they expected to have a different career by the time they were 35.

Many of those questioned said that a job, like teaching, that made a difference to peoples lives would be an appealing career change choice.

Those graduates in their early 20s showed a particular interest in changing professions, with 40 per cent planning to stay only five years in their chosen career.

One in five of the 69 per cent of respondents who were planning a career change was considering re-training as a teacher.

Executive director of the TTA, Graham Holley, said: "Today almost a third of newly-qualified teachers are over 30 years old.

"This means our classrooms can draw on a far broader range of talent and experience," he added.

Other fields destined for an influx of more mature graduates were the media and publishing industries and banking.