Majority of Brits plan on a career change

One in four Britons expect to change careers at least three times in their life, while 60 per cent expect to do so twice, according to a new report.

The government's Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) conducted the research, which also found that many employees want to move to a job that can give them the opportunity to make a difference to society, reports the Press Association.

It was carried out as part of the agency's Transition to Teaching campaign, which was launched by prime minister Gordon Brown in March of this year.

The aim of the scheme is to try and get more employees to transfer their work skills to children by becoming a science, technology, maths, or engineering teacher, with those already considering a career change being targeted.

Around a third of new teachers are already career changers, many of them coming from high-powered business jobs, who bring their own talents and experience to the classroom, TDA chief executive Graham Holley told the news provider.

If this campaign is successful it could offer a much needed boost to science teaching in state schools, as researchers at the University of Buckingham recently found that the UK is facing a serious shortage of specialist physics teachers.

And it's not just teaching. As the credit squeeze tightens, all kinds of career professionals will be looking a new horizons, according to ClickAJob Customer Service Manager Kurosh Kiani.

Because there is also a skills shortage, most employers will look at applicants from other disciplines, as long as dexterity in numeracy and literacy is sufficiently strong, he says.

Acquired skills are also widening the scope for employees looking to change.

Though you may be trained in one area, techniques and working practices you have picked up day-to-day may qualify you for other things as well, he says.

And with round-the-clock access to online evaluation services like ClickATest, its easy to provide internationally recognised evidence of these skills too.

Added to which, employers are no longer so concerned about a track record of job-switching, he continues.

A varied background shows versatility, yet another string to your bow when change becomes inevitable.