Surge middle-aged professionals retraining as cabinetmakers

The coronavirus lockdown has led to a surge in applications to a world-renowned furniture making school from middle-aged professionals looking to change jobs – including a pilot, a lawyer and a banker.

The Chippendale School of carpentry in East Lothian which has had an increase in applicants during lockdown.

The Chippendale International School of Furniture has welcomed more than 500 pupils from more than 50 countries through its doors in the 35 years it has been open.

But this year the family-run business said it has seen a record number of middle-aged students looking to move from a corporate career into a more creative one.

The professional cabinet-making course offered at the school in Gifford, East Lothian, was half-full before lockdown but is now fully booked and has a waiting list.

Principal Tom Fraser, who took over the business from his father Anselm this year, said: “These people are in careers, normally a desk job, where they have been crunching numbers for 20 years and are frustrated.

“What they do professionally doesn’t make them happy and they want to get into woodwork as a way to feel fulfilled and satisfied, something they can take pride in.

“People have been reflecting on life during lockdown, realised they have been quite creative, done a bit of DIY around the house, or learnt a new skill.

“And now they know they want to pursue that as a profession and feel fulfilled.”

The not-for-profit school teaches a professional qualification for would-be furniture makers looking to start their own business. It also offers various intermediate and beginner courses for those looking to learn a new skill or take up a hobby.

This year’s intake of students includes a female private jet pilot who lost her job after 20 years, an oil and gas worker, an investment banker and IT professionals.

While the majority of the course’s students are from the UK, others have travelled from the US, Poland, Russia, Spain, Germany and Israel.

Mr Fraser said: “Most of the people on the course have never done woodwork before, which is amazing when you see the furniture they are building.

“And one of the great things about that is we are not flooding the Scots market with loads of Scottish businesses setting up.

“Students can go to their home country and set up there – we don’t want to set up loads of business in Scotland year after year.

“We had a gin cabinet a few years ago that was shipped to New Zealand – I don’t think you can send furniture much further than that.

“We put the students up with host families in East Lothian and out of the city so it puts money back into the local economy.

“Getting more women on to the course is something I have been working hard on for a while – there is no reason men or women should be more proficient than the other.

“We are starting to see more women in the workshop now and have nine booked for the course next year which is great.”

Mr Fraser, whose older brother Jamie runs his own furniture business in London, added: “When we were children we would be tinkering around in the workshop with our dad making a chest table, while other people were on holiday.

“It might have been seen as the normal upbringing, but I feel lucky to have had that – it was in our blood.”