To completley change career?!

[Stickystickystickstick]

Im 32, with 2 under 3s and a lone parent.

Currently, i work 16 hours a week over 2 days doing a job i no longer enjoy but it is relativley well paid for the hours.

I have actually been and had another interview for a role within a completley different sector (think home care type) and have fallen in love with the job description already - the hours are far more flexible so i can do more if i have the childcare but having spoken to a few friends, they have told me they think i am silly to do this in my current position 🙄

Depends what it is but I'd personally avoid home care like the fucking plague tbh!

Ooo can i ask why? Sorry if i sound naive in asking!!

Badly paid for one thing, and ime carers have to drive from call to call using own car and petrol. Split shifts. Unrealistic expectations meaning calls have to be rushed. That sort of shit. And literal shit too

Is it home care with an agency? What sector is it? Seniors? Children with disabilities? Dementia patients? I have friends who work in home care and deal with a lot of abuse and have virtually no support from their employers. It’s dire.

There are very very few home care jobs I would touch with a barge pole. You never get enough time with clients, never have time to do things properly, rushing about, I think it's rarely as flexible as they make out either.
You'll spend all day dealing with people who deserve so much more than you'll ever be able to give, and you'll be totally powerless to change this.
I do know some people who do the job and love it though so people are different, companies are different. If you think it's right for you go for it (but read reviews of the company first).

Thankyou - i will bear this in mind! I know a lot of the home carers have worked there for a long time and they also pay 40p per mile for driving in addition to the hourly rate! Currently i am salaried and often end up doing some extra WFH for no additional pay - i just want to be in a better position financially before UC kicks in as i have done an online calculation and i will be worse off then i am now (sorry if that sounds selfish)

If you're reliant on UC don't go there, honestly. I am being dead serious. You go 15 minutes over your hours or 15 minutes under and you're in trouble.

Im not on UC as yet!! But am aware its arrival is imminent, feel i am stuck between a rock and a hard place! I want to earn more money and have more flexible hours - i jave serious envy for those with DPs who work and help support their DPs to work/share the household load :( (yes i know comparison is the theif of joy)

I know mate but I honestly don't think homecare is what you need. It's hard, hard work as well physically and emotionally.

Sorry if I sound negative, I just wouldn't want someone ending up in a tricky position.

No, its fine, i appreciate your honesty! Thankyou!

That’s actually untrue about UC.

I’m on it, it doesn’t affect me if I work overtime one month. They just deduct I think 66p for every £1 earnt. So if my wage is more one month, uc will be less, based on that calculation, the next month.

care varies so much, have you looked at supported living services? Spend a big chunk of time with one service user, so not rushing from one person to the next?

I presume the UC will vary from month to month but as it is i stand to lose £60 per week under it and i cannot afford this as it is already a struggle at the moment :( yes i have looked at different avenues of care work i just thought maybe a company people are happy with and seemingly loyal too would be better.

If you want to do care, work for the NHS, or a care home. Too many companies take advantage of home carers.

Are you sure about losing that much money on UC. Honestly didn’t effect me this way. I actually find UC much better, and easier.

I would personally never do home care. If you do want to work in care I can highly highly reccomend working with adults/ children with learning disabilities. It’s the best job I’ve ever had and I’m sad to be leaving for my degree.

Imustbemad have you had any issues with pay dates? My colleague is on uc and when we get paid early because our payday lands on weekend, it messes up her uc, she gets nothing cause it looks like she's been paid twice.

It's very normal now to have a number of completely different careers.

I would never in the history of ever go back to home care work. It was utterly fucking awful. And cost me more than I ever actually earned (they pissed me about with hours but had to pay child care still). I could tell long and involved stories of how terrible and unsafe the company were - which I understand is not uncommon.

In house work might be better tbh or community work with people with LD but never home calls.

UC will inevitably be a clusterfuck for lots of us but I feel home care would add an extra headache to trying to deal with it.

Home care can be very rewarding, helping people stay in their own homes if that's what they want rather than moving into a care home. There are some great companies who really value their staff but there are also diabolical ones, no travel time, piling the work on, no appreciation. In general you find you do a lot of unpaid hours as generally you don't get travel time and if you get a gap where its not worth going home you end up just sitting around in your car unpaid. Care is a very very rewarding career however.

It sounds like a similar situation to myself, I worked in an office part time and wanted to change to care work (actually would love to be a nurse but will need to look at training when kids are older). There were a lot of home care companies advertising but one company stuck out to me so I only applied to them, a small family run company who offer set days, relatively good pay, they are putting me through my SVQ2 just now after working there a year and pay will go up again once I finish next month. Also mileage paid and travel time between clients. At first I felt I was rushing between houses but I'd say after a couple of months I settled in and don't worry about time now. I think if you are interested in home care you need to research the company and you may find one that is better than the norm! Good luck whatever you do.

Thankyou all again! I have been to CAB and yes the calculation shows i will indeed be worse off!
Had a job offer with NHS for HCA last year (before we escaped dv etc but thats a whole othet threas) and they advised the minimum acceptable part time hours were 24 and would usually be completed over 12 hour shifts which isnt something i can commit to at this stage!
I would also love to be a nurse, but again i need to wait until my DC are bigger before i even consider it!
The company i have found are also small and family run, paid for full shifts + fuel allowence + studying paid for and encouraged!

@Moominfan no never. My UC assessment period runs from the 7th-6th and my payday is around the 25th so even if I get paid a few days early or late it still falls within that assessment period.

I guess the only way it could look like you’ve been paid twice is if you are unlucky enough that your assessment period start date falls around the same time as payday. Assessment period depends on date you made application but I when I went for my initial UC appointment they asked me when payday would be for that reason.

Can your friend not have it changed?