Free resource
Explaining a career change
By Nancy Osazee, Founder
The useful answer is four sentences: what you do now, what you want to do, why, and the evidence you have already started. Motivation without evidence sounds like a whim.
You do not have to criticise your old field. You do have to show that you understand the new one.
Written by Nancy Osazee, Founder of CareerPilot. This is a practical note, not advice about your own visa, contract, or legal case. Read the official page linked on this sheet before you rely on a figure.
How to answer 'why are you changing?'
- Name the shift. From X to Y, in one line.
- Give a reason that is about the work. The tasks you want more of, not a slogan about passion.
- Show a step you have taken. A course, a project, a shadowing day, or a duty in your current job that already overlaps.
- Stop. Invite the next question. Do not narrate your whole twenties.
A shape you can say
'I have been a teacher for six years. I want to move into learning operations, because I already build the timetable and the data for my department. I have taken on the cover system this year, which is the closest work we have to that role.'
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On CareerPilot
If you want to hear the four sentences out loud, the interview coach is there to rehearse.
Questions
What if I am leaving because of burnout?
You can say the pace or the pattern no longer fits, and then talk about the work you want. You do not have to disclose a health condition.
Should I say I will take a pay cut?
Only if you have decided that, and you know the number. Do not volunteer a cut you have not thought through.
How long should the answer be?
Under a minute. Then let them ask.
Sources
Last checked 10 October 2026.