Ten ways for retreads to get their grip again

HamishMcRae <i>Learn new skills. Many of the new jobs did not exist five years ago</i>

WHEN I was a child I was told that choosing a career was a trade-off between pay and security. If you wanted to make money you started a business or went into something like advertising where you would be well-paid but might be sacked at a week's notice. If you wanted security you joined the civil service or a bank.

WHEN I was a child I was told that choosing a career was a trade-off between pay and security. If you wanted to make money you started a business or went into something like advertising where you would be well-paid but might be sacked at a week's notice. If you wanted security you joined the civil service or a bank.

The world has changed. The surrender last week of NatWest to the Royal Bank of Scotland will lead to the loss of 18,000 jobs. LloydsTSB is shedding 3,000 jobs. Expect more such announcements.

Fortunately, the job market is strong at present. In some parts of the country the staff told to pack their bags will slip swiftly into new jobs, maybe better ones. But 45-year-olds who joined a bank for security will find it tougher, particularly if they are not in the booming south-east. What do you say to them?

It would be arrogant of any journalist to try to tell them what to do, and futile too, as individual circumstances are always different. But we do have experience of an insecure career and we can see the changing structure of the job market, so maybe there are some ideas worth retailing. Here are 10: