Care as a career
Some people will never consider a career in care – and others, who work in care, will never consider what they do as a career.
We often hear “it’s just what I do” or “it’s just the way I am, I like helping” – those brilliant people who have no idea how much light they bring into a room with them when they enter.
Traditionally, care has been viewed as a non-skilled job, and whilst it’s true that you don’t need to have lots of qualifications to work in the industry, we would argue that it is very much a skilled position. Not everyone can care, not everyone can find empathy for another human being and not everyone can think on their feet and find a solution when faced with a problem – it’s a very select set of skills.
We would love more people to consider a career in care – as our population is ever ageing, there is a real need for more support – in the community and within residential care settings, so let’s look a bit more at what it’s like to work in care:
Hours – Care can be a 24/7 job – so there are hours to suit everyone – part time and full time, and often there can be some flexibility around school drop off and pick up times too – although each employer is different. For those night owls, there are overnight hours – or for the early birds, there are always breakfast shifts across the industry.
Qualifications – Although you don’t need any qualifications to work in care, there are opportunities to gain qualifications throughout your employment – some of these are ongoing safety related qualifications – and others are more specialist or career progression qualifications – depending on the individuals desire progress.
Support – although each company is different, we have found that the care industry is supportive – and friends you make within the industry will be friends for life. At Ashwell Home Care Services, we really love to support our teams, because we know that they will always go the extra mile for our clients – sometimes that means that we need to be flexible with workloads, or sending messages of support when someone is having a tough time.
Pay – This is a tricky topic – but it has to be talked about. The pay in the care industry is not great – we can’t possibly pay staff what they are worth because they are absolutely priceless – but that doesn’t mean that we don’t pay fairly. Some care jobs pay minimum wage – and others are paying above that. At Ashwell Home Care, we pay above minimum wage, but we have a range of other benefits and treats for our team to recognize their brilliance.
If you think that a career in the care industry might be right for you, we’re always happy to chat and answer your questions, or give advice on pathways that might suit you best.
Drop us a line if you want to book in for a chat – you can call us on 01684 778 750.
