Beginning Careers Later in Life

Hello

This is my first forum post. I graduated with a History degree in 2007, and have been teaching English in South Korea, and have recently returned from teaching in China. I love the experience of teaching abroad, picking up new languages, and meeting new people.

I am now 30 years old. I would love to go to Hong Kong, where I have been offered a good TEFL teaching position. Living and teaching there is what I would really like to be doing for the next year or two. However, the thing that’s holding me back is that I don’t want to be working as a TEFL teacher for the rest of my life, as although it’s a great way to immerse yourself and see different parts of the world, it seems to be limited in terms of career prospects.

I would be grateful if people could offer their perspective about the degree of flexibility for starting new career paths in their mid 30s. At this point, is it still possible to get on graduate schemes or enter an MA programme as a gateway into a new career?

I feel I’m at a point where I am deciding between what I would really love to do (head out to Hong Kong to teach English and experience the wonderful lifestyle that entails) and what I ‘should’ be doing ( getting a stable career in the UK in something aligned with my interests: Publishing/Marketing/HR). If anyone has any inspirational stories about people who began their careers later in life, I would love to hear them. Thank you!