…to seriously wonder why care work is seen to be the lowest of the low

[NellesVilla]

Yup, this old chestnut again.

And sorry for the dramatic title, but it really bothers me. I’m an ex-carer (live-in) and up until recently worked in admin for a care company. So have a background in care so to speak.

By trade I am a trained teacher but left due to mh issues to work p/t as a tutor (pre-covid). I’m now working again as a tutor part time and wish to take on a second job.

I have applied for many a social care job, and sadly (imho) they all get back to me within minutes of my application, keen/desperate to interview me.

Other than the personal care (which I dislike and makes me anxious- there, I’ve said it) I think it’s a lovely job. Why then does society look down on it?

”Oh, you’re a carer are you? Good for you!”, or something like “Can’t you do better; surely there’s something else out there?” or “Do you really want to do this? Aren’t you embarrassed?”: just some of the things that people have said to me on hearing my plans to (possibly) embark upon this as a job again.

Working in care can be greatly fulfilling and fun. As a tutor I’ve helped with clients’ literacy skills, accompanied them to college and also on holiday a few times.

How do you get society to not judge and instead actually view it as a viable career? Do you train carers further to almost become nursing assistants? Do you enable them to specialise in something like learning disabilities/autism/dementia etc? How do you get youngsters interested in it as a job/career?

How do you get society to recognise care as a career? Can care be a career unless you train to be some sort of manager in the field?

I don't know if people look down on it as much as they personally wouldn't want to do it/don't think it's an aspirational career? And that's because of how hard work it is for such rubbish pay not because it's not an important job! I certainly don't look down on people who work in care homes etc. if anything I take my hat off to them as I couldn't do it!

The people whom care assistants care for are not valued by our society, so by extension those who care for them are treated with similar derision/pity/contempt.

If you don't agree with me merely avail yourself of the different societal attitudes towards nurses who work within social care and those who care for the (presumably) largely economically active sector of society within the NHS or private hospitals.

I think society looks down on it because it is poorly paid. Pretty much all poorly paid jobs are looked down on because it is assumed that the person in those jobs must be too thick to do anything else.

Care work can be a stepping stone to other things, but on its own, it is not really a career. There was a BBC documentary where Ed Balls shadowed care workers for a few weeks. He worked with one young lad who all the staff and residents loved... and all were sad that this lad was going on to study paramedic science (I am pretty sure that was what he was going on to do) but they said if he stayed working there, he would be stuck... probably could never buy his own home or have luxuries as the pay is so poor and there is no progression.

Because it's low-paid and involves menial tasks and personal care. It's not the kind of job most people want to do unless they have few other options. That doesn't mean that people should be looked down on for doing it, of course.

Because society does not value the care of our most vulnerable, whether young, old, MH or LD.

It's incredibly unfair, but ingrained in this society.

At school I remember kids who barely scraped any GCSEs, weren't engaged with their education and had no interest in what came next in their lives being shunted into 'care work.' It was considered a total dead end, but better than not working or studying at all.

Good, compassionate carers make such a positive difference to people's lives - they should be valued far more.

I think the main ones have already been mentioned, traditionally done by women so 'worth' less and also because the people being cared for aren't really valued, therefore those who care for them aren't either.

Caring for someone properly is skilled, but they're not skills that are valued and appreciated, nor are they considered 'professional' skills.

There's also not enough investment and regulation - there's plenty of rules and policies, but not proper regulation or universal standards for all carers except having a '*clean' dbs and covid jab. So while yes, it's a job anyone can do, it's not a job anyone can do well, but there seems to be no issue with it not being done well (abuse aside) as long as it's done.

The social impact is also never considered either, I do wonder how many of the people who look down upon carers actually do, or have relied upon them to care for their families when it's been needed to ease the pressure on them and enable them to continue to learn, or work and earn, or basically do anything that having someone reliant on you for their basic needs would hamper. It's a short sighted, but not uncommon view unfortunately.

The only way to really make carers respected and valued is to make them professional in their own right (and not 'unqualified' nurses, or associated with nursing - different though related skill set) but to train carers consistently to the same level and recognise that training. It will never happen though because it will cost money that no one wants to spend.

I think it should be much better paid along with bin collection and teaching assistants to mention just a couple

I agree, it is seen as the lowest of the low and that tells us everything we need to know about our society - we should be ashamed - especially those with the power to change that perception. perception = pay

I don’t think that people look down on care work in particular, it’s just that because you are a qualified teacher it’s not something people would generally expect you to opt for, because you can earn more money, and probably get more intellectual stimulation as a teacher.

I think there is a general issue with the UK not valuing what used to be called manual, semi skilled and service work, which is part of the reason we are perpetually short of truck drivers and plumbers as well as care workers.

I am not sure trying to re-spin it as a career is the right way to go. It’s a vocation as well as a job, but it doesn’t offer the progression career jobs do. I think we would be better valuing truck driving, care work, retail work etc for the valuable occupations they are, rather than dressing them up as something they are not.

No one who uses carers look down their noses at them. They're bloody heroes. We employ 3 private carers at £16ph plus petrol money subsidy.
To be honest, I know I read on here all the time that no one respects carers, but that has not been my experience. I have never heard anyone ever be sneery about them. They command great admiration for the job they do. It can be messy and nasty and often there is little gratitude from the patient. But the relatives value them utterly.

It’s because of the shit pay for what they do. If carers were paid like stock brokers, people - including the males in society - would be lining up to wipe the arses of the elderly. And who gives a shit about stock brokers? Nobody. At least people like carers even if they do pity them.