To think being a carer is actually quite a nice job?

[Shouldbeworkingnotreadingtalk]

It's a honest question.... I've taken on a (subject to completing the training) a new job as a carer, visiting clients in their homes ... , having never done it before in my life. So far, the training is all Zoom workshops / e-learning. The trainers and management seem lovely, really caring about their clients and I'm actually quite excited to start in real life. Family and friends seem to think it's a grim job and think I'm mad to be doing it .... so, am I being unreasonable to think it's quite a nice job? Or is it grim?
If I'm looking at it with rose tinted glasses tell me now

Nah, enjoy the feeling while it lasts man

Good for you though. Good luck.

The RCN did a video a few years ago and it had a quote about nursing (and of course caring) brings joy and sadness in equal measure. I think that is fairly accurate; but the hands on, caring for people aspect of the job is so rewarding and enjoyable. Good luck with your new job OP, sounds like you have the right values to be an amazing carer!

My best friend just started caring and loves it. She only does 18 hours a week though, but says it is a great break from her dc.

Enjoy your naivety while it lasts.

I think it will depend on your clients. The lovely ones, of which there will be some may make it worthwhile.

In normal curcumstances, i expect it can be a nice job, if you are accompanying people to the library and have a manageable work load and pleasant clients

Providing personal care to people who hate this being provided by a stranger, and frustrated that you're giving them dinner at 5pm so you can get across town for a 15 min appointment that should have started already, not so much

And working as a carer during a pandemic, I salute you.

It's hard work, hurts your back and tests your patience but it's very rewarding

I think you won't know it's for you until you get out there and get stuck in. I didn't ever want to be a carer, didn't think I could handle the smelly messy stuff. I took on a job very grudgingly alongside my NHS degree (not nursing!) as I couldn't afford to live on student finance. I actually love it, soon got over the squeamishness!

I hope you love it too

A good friend of mine works as a carer. She loves it. I can imagine that she's brilliant at it, too.

It can have some lovely moments and some really horrible ones like every job. Not all elderly people are gems some of them are nasty pieces of work and if you are dealing with dementia etc they can be quite difficult. When you’re cleaning poo off someone for the third time in a day or wiping it off the walls it loses it’s shine a bit. Sometimes it’s really sad too when you realise how lonely you’re clients often are but it’s an undervalued job for sure and should be better recognised.

I used to work as a care assistant and I absolutely loved it! In my opinion it’s down to the management of the company/home you work for. If they give you very little time to make each visit or pressure you to meet certain targets it can be really miserable, but if they are nice people who genuinely care about the people they look after that trickles down and it can be a really rewarding job. Hopefully in your case it’s the latter!

I will add though that I hated community care, the hours and stress were ridiculous. I work in a lovely little care home now and it's worlds apart

A teacher friend (SLT) had a breakdown and had to give up her job.
As she recovered, she took on some care work and has gradually increased her hours as her health has improved so that she now works full time two years on.
She absolutely loves it in the way she used to love teaching when she was a young classroom teacher.

My daughter did it when she was at uni one summer. It was very very hard work and distressing in places. Particularly as she was involved in personal care.

She was abused by dementia patients, had to wipe the backsides of old men, give people bed baths, and help move patients who were in pain.

It’s a worthwhile job but it is not easy by any means.

It's a factory The client pays £20.00 an hour,you get 10,the bastards in the middle keep 10.Theres nothing caring about care.

Yes it was a great job for me. I did it for a decade. Throughout the same time I sat my A levels, completed a degree in accounting, then went to night accountancy school. Also completed an NVQ2/3/4 whilst working. Also pushed me to learn how to drive. The job was hugely financially beneficial for me as I finished my education with no debts at all. I have been practicing as an accountant for the last ten years so in a different job now. I loved the job. I met some lovely people with great stories. Made me very humble in life. Good luck.

I think in theory it is a nice job if you didn't have to rush while doing it, also if it had better pay and you felt appreciated for the hard work you put in. Part time is definitely more enjoyable than full time as it isn't as relentless.
I worked at a residential home for 5 years and it was lovely 'making a difference' but some days were just exhausting and stressful. If you have good management supporting you, that makes such a difference.

It is a very rewarding job, which is good because by and large the pay and conditions are absolutely shite 🤣
But, you need resilience, a thick skin, a strong stomach and a lot of energy as well as compassion, empathy and common sense. It can be draining, emotionally and physically.
There's much, much more to it than changing incontinence pads, though honestly, you're not a carer until you've been 'christened' by a bodily fluid 🙈 I have had just about every bodily fluid on me at some point!
I think that's why people think it's grim, but being able to do that, with a smile on your face and putting the person you're dealing with at ease about the situation isn't as easy as it might sound.
It's harder at the moment with the PPE and the fact you're working with those who are very vulnerable to covid (disabled, ill, elderly) and a lot of them are very frightened, and more isolated than usual, so that can be challenging.

Best job in the world 😄 good luck!

Well I've been caring for 30 yrs, so must like it lol. Don't know if I could work in the community though.

@randomer

It's a factory The client pays £20.00 an hour,you get 10,the bastards in the middle keep 10.Theres nothing caring about care.

Yes, my mum had a carer for a while after an accident. She paid £25 per hour to the agency and I think the carers were getting under £10 per hour. They had to work from early morning to late at night, too.

@randomer

It's a factory The client pays £20.00 an hour,you get 10,the bastards in the middle keep 10.Theres nothing caring about care.

Those bastards are probably paying for utilities, laundry, the meals etc. I don't thin there's much money left by the end.

Yeah they get paid next to nothing.

But I think it can be a nice job. We had carers for years and they became part of the family. Except family who could walk out the door!

We had carers who were with us 7 nights a week at bedtime and they were happy to have a job they could work around their kids.

You become very very attached to your carers.

That said, working in a nursing home is easier and pays more. More support from other staff and more equipment. Even if you're mad busy.

I hated domicillary- I felt that I never had the time I needed to properly provide the care for clients. I now work as 24/7 week on week off with vulnerable adult clients and I love it - I can provide the level of care that my clients require, I can follow up with everything so have a rounded view of what is needed but most importantly I can provide real enrichment.

I ran a small domicillary care company years ago. One of my questions to applicants was "What is personal care". You would be surprised by the number of people who said it was making a sandwich or reading someone a book. Oh dear. No, it really isn't. But it is not all toiletting and bed baths.

I found the excellent carers left pretty quickly to move onto bigger and better things. Retention was always a problem. We were a not for profit but struggled to break even. As you re-advertise, it makes the company look bad to work for and you are in a vicious circle.

The problem was the continual cut backs from our contractors ie local Council. How can you provide a decent level of care for fifteen minutes? Having said that some families were equally unrealistic. I would be presented, by private clients, with a list of care expectations to be undertaken in a minute amount of time because they did not want to pay much.

It is such an undervalued role with low pay. Where I live there has been a horrifying case where a male worker has sexually abused a lady with dementia - he was caught on camera. Just awful.

It is very rewarding ...i have done it but i cannot survive well on the wage.
You cannot be squeamish though.

My late father needed a carer when he developed dementia and my mother didn't [wouldn't] look after him properly.
She used the carer's visit as an opportunity for company for HER!!!! She sat in the lounge with the carer and made a cup of tea for each of them and had a 30 minute chat - and my father wasn't being cared for at all. His was the first visit of the day so all they did was drive from their home, sit chatting and drinking tea for half an hour - and get paid for it.
Meanwhile my dad was still wearing the same mucky clothes for weeks and having no help with getting washed etc.

You sound like you're going to be a lovely carer, OP.