Would you take a job in care if you needed a job?

[whydoesitalwaysrainoe]

Pretty much that
I'm admin trained and office roles but I'm having no luck at all
Had a interview yesterday but not hopeful
I have been offered a job as a home carer
The company seems pretty flexible and I can pick my hours etc
It's more pay than the role I applied for yesterday too
It basically entails going around your community and washing /dressing etc
I used to care for my gran myself and nothing phases me really.

Would you take this job until something else comes along ?

Yes of course!

Care work is incredibly rewarding and decent money.

Its not for everyone, but if things don’t phase you then you should be fine.

Give it a go and see how you get on.
It might lead to you wanting to become a nurse or physiotherapist or staying as a carer.

Care work is incredibly rewarding and decent money.

Sorry, I have to take issue with that last bit - carers are paid nowhere near enough.

Not that I was aware. There is lots of on the job training.

I wouldn't want to, as I haven't done anything like that before and I don't think its a bit of me tbh but I would if I had to, if thats all that was available to me. I'll do what I have to do to keep money coming in.

Yes and I did a bit as a student. I have huge respect for carers. They do a very important job, for too little money.

Most jobs aren’t paid enough but it’s decent money compared to many other jobs.

Any sort of job like this should be paid a lot more but OP will still get more than working in some other jobs and if she likes it, then even better.

My friend gets £700 a week minimum and petrol expenses.

I've been a registered care manager for 23 years. I'm just about to quit to go back to what I actually like about the job-the actual care work. Fraction of the pay, but more enjoyable, rewarding and flexible. I'll lucky I'm able to.
Am I being judged by everyone for it? Yes.
Do I care? No.

I’d completely agree with you. I worked in a care home as a housekeeper for minimum wage and it was hard, physical, work. I’d go home knackered, school hours though. I’m paid more now for easier work, I wfh so get travel time/ mileage paid to go to office etc. I think people who do hands on work are massively undervalued. I wouldn’t mind doing any job but I think the pay should reflect the amount of hard graft involved.

I moved from retail to support work. It was supposed to be a stop gap while I looked for something else. I'm now not looking for anything else 😊 as I really enjoy my job. I work in a residential setting.

My friend gets £700 a week minimum and petrol expenses.

Ours get minimum wage, and not enough time to get between clients. They get a small increment for Sunday and unsociable hours.
I don't know if they get petrol allowances, I would assume so.
£700 a week is much better, assuming she is not doing double shifts to earn it.

BeachBae · Today 09:17
I wouldn't want to, as I haven't done anything like that before and I don't think its a bit of me tbh but I would if I had to, if thats all that was available to me. I'll do what I have to do to keep money coming in.

No insult to you intended, but this is the trouble with the service. Many people do not want to do this work, or couldn't - I couldn't, so not judging.
A lot of the staff 'do it until..'. or 'have to' .
If the service was better paid, with better conditions and career progression more people would be drawn to the job for it's merits, rather than as a stop gap.

Care work can be really rewarding. I did it whilst I was at uni and I really liked it. You get past the physical 'ick' factor very quickly and it just becomes part of the job. The nicest thing is the people you will meet and talk to. If you're a people person then it's a great job.

My 18 year-old DD has just been offered a job as a care worker. The only qualifications she has are GCSEs (she’s awaiting A Level results but the agency weren’t interested in those anyway). I think she answered the questions well in the interview so they offered her the job.

Absolutely I would, and you don't need to worry about people judging you - it's an honest living and the vast majority of people won't even have an opinion on it.

I know it can be a tough job, but it's a decent job and you seem like you have the experience and right attitude to do it well. I hope it goes well for you.

I would, I would prefer to work with children with disabilities as I have experience with my own DS (rather than elder care) though jobs with adults of working age who have disabilities can also be very rewarding. We have a young woman who is blind who comes to our choir and obviously her carer is there more in a transport role but she sings too!

I think you should definitely give it a go. It wouldn't be for me though I would do it if I had no other option. But I don't think I'm right for it and you say you have experience and nothing phases you.

I'll let you into a little secret about social care. Due to the social perceptions of the sector, not many people with additional skills and qualifications want to join it. Therefore, it's a really good way to work your way into a more senior role. I know someone who has a senior governance role and another who is Director of Operations who both worked their way up from a care role. Both say that it was much easier to break into senior roles than if they'd tried though a corporate service role, so if I were you I'd do it and go after every promotion you can.

Great advice from @KenAdams - to add to it, there are also a variety of roles and specialisms with care that you can work your way into if you wish - assessment, brokerage, scheduling, training, quality assurance, and all sorts of management roles.

Well yes

I'll let you into a little secret about social care. Due to the social perceptions of the sector, not many people with additional skills and qualifications want to join it.

^

This. Same with Health and Safety

No way. My mum does it and I have massive respect for anyone who does it. It's poorly paid for what it is, it's often back breaking work and you shouldn't do it if you aren't suited to it. I wouldn't and it's not fair on the vulnerable people you work with.

Home care can be notoriously stressful being tracked throughout the day, no travel time factored into each visit time so some calls cut short. There's more freedom compared to working in a care home of course, its personal preference. Some prefer the camaraderie etc of being in a residential setting. Either way its a PITA at times and you'll be leaned on to cover more and more shifts. The idea you can pick and choose your hours doesnt ring true.

I would not personally because my own medical needs would disqualify me from doing the job. If I was capable of doing the work and I needed work, I would do it.

Go for it. It's hard work but rewarding (I've worked in nursing homes before), and once you've got some experience with a company you might be able to apply internally for admin roles since that's your background.

Go for it OP, I started out in home caring at 18 and never left healthcare as things just clicked and I realised I wanted to be a community nurse, now 17 years later (had to take time out for family etc) I am about to qualify a registered nurse and have been offered my first community nurse post!