What the average Londoner’s career looks like

The average person in London thinks about quitting their job 19 times a year, and will retrain for an entirely new role twice over the course of their working life. However, they worry that 45 is the age at which it could prove too late to ever change career again. A study from AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) found that the average person in London:

• Works 36 hours a week, totalling 1,877 hours a year, and 88,219 hours in the course of their career. Longer than the national average of 34 hours and 26 minutes.
• Does an additional eleven hours of overtime a month, totalling 6,204 hours over the course of the average career. Also longer than the national average of eight hours of overtime.
• Gets through nine office romances and battles through 1,223 workplace arguments from when they start working to the day they retire.
• However, the average Londoner will get in 8,381 rounds of tea or coffee for their colleagues to smooth over any hard feelings.

The survey also found commuting over a lifetime takes its toll, with the average person in London clocking up 42 miles to and from work in a week, or 103,959 miles over their whole career.

Rachel Kellett, Head of Qualifications and Product Development at AAT, which commissioned the study, said:

“The impact our jobs have on our lives spreads far beyond the workplace, taking in days of commuting and thousands of pounds, not to mention the impressive number of tea rounds and cheeky office liaisons we might become entangled in.

“With careers having such a big impact on our lives, it’s important to make sure that we are in the right one. Despite what some people might think, you can make a change at any point in your life – we have people studying finance qualifications while in their 70s.”

Over a third of people (37%) in London have taken the plunge in the past and retrained to follow a new path meant for them. And almost a quarter (23%) are currently thinking about retraining for a new career.

Rachel Kellett adds: “It’s easy to look at the figures and get the impression that working life can become something of a grind, resulting in a carousel of commuting, overtime and cups of tea.

“It’s important to make sure you are happy with your career. If you’re not, considering retraining for could help make you more content. At AAT we see people of all ages and backgrounds come to retrain in order to start a new career in finance, and this can have a hugely positive effect on their lives.”