would it be insane for a 30 year old woman yo apply for an apprenticeship?

[Titsalinabumsquash]

I'm currently a SAHM to 4 children and Carer for DS1, I've never worked apart from as a teen doing cafe work and cleaning weekend type jobs. I went straight into caring for various family members in their final years of life and then had DS1 who has a life limiting health condition. Therefore my cv is non existent.

I did my GCSEs maths and English at college and skin did a level 2 beauty therapy course and passed with destinations but although I really enjoyed being at college I hated actually doing the beauty stuff and don't want to pursue it as a job.

I'm 29 now and I'm desperate to do something to get out the house and to contribute, we don't need the money (not a stealth boast) DP gets paid very well for his full time job but I hate feeling like I do nothing but look after the kids/house.

So I'm looking at my options for next year when DS is at school and DD is old enough to go to a childminders.

I have no experience in the workplace to get into anything, it make sense for me to do care work because that's what I've always done in one capacity or another.
So I was looking at an apprenticeship in a care home but I know they're aimed at younger people leaving education, would it be ridiculous for me to apply? Would I get laughed out the room?

DS is still unwell and always will be but he does manage a good attendance at school so I'm hoping I will be able to maintain a work position and I feel I owe it to myself to at least try.

If not then I'll be looking at shop/supermarket work but I'm not sure if my lack of cv will effect this as most places ask for you to submit a cv and I really don't have anything, cub to put and no references.

Please don't flame me for never working, I care for my mum and my grandfather until they died and DS has had a few really rocky years health wise and I suffered for a year with horrific PND.

The apprenticeship might be funded and it used to be the case (in Scotland anyway) that over 25s didn't qualify.

However, care is a sector that is crying out for mature, experienced people which you obviously are so there would be no harm at all in sending an application in. You might also find that a job in care offers more flexibility than an office role would .

Best of luck.

I have no advice for apprenticeship applications, but perhaps you could approach a care home for volunteer hours to help your CV?

It sounds as though you will have no problem getting a job if you are looking at the care sector.

If you don't need the money, you are in a brilliant position to take time to get qualifications to do whatever you want. If you enjoyed college would you consider going back to education - that way you could train for in demand skills (nursing?) that might better enable you to be picky about your hours.

I don't know much Bout apprenticeships but there must be a pathway into caring for someone like you. They would snap you up. You've shown an aptitude for this career by caring for relatives so that will help.
Another option if you have GCSEs is an Access course which can give you the option to go to university and train as a nurse or even a social worker if you are interested in helping people.

I know loads of mums who have gone this route. I did the Access and am starting teacher training in September as a result. I only had GCSEs also. It was the best decision I've ever made.

I don't have any advice for you Titsalina but just wanted to cheer you on. What you have been doing at home and caring for others and your plans to do something for yourself jobwise now are really admirable. I wish you the best of luck.

I think the caring profession is crying out for workers, one of the few areas that there are still vacancies advertised routinely in my area. A large proportion of people just don't want to consider spending their time cleaning up cleaning up after ill/old people.

If you have the financial flexibility to go in at an entry level position and will pass DBS check (or whatever it's called now) then you should find work.

Most care home don't require any experience or qualifications so getting a job in one shouldn't be difficult. If I were you I would volunteer as a befriender first to give yourself a chance to see what it's actually like working in a care home.

With your experience you could easily get a job in care home as assistant they often take people on under provision will do NVQ 2 or 3 in a year or two. You can do it in college but also provision to do part time as most of it is practical based anyway.
You could also do agency work for the experience you have the option if experienced with certain disabilities if you work with children also.

Eveb if you only did part time and paid for course yourself you would probable be better off than an apprentiship. While money is not an issue a lot of care based ones would spent a lot of time getting experience and basic skills which because of mum and care roles you will have already.
29 still plenty time have a career!

I've just advertised an apprenticeship in agriculture. I wouldn't take you on as an apprentice as because you're over 25 I'd have to fund it. However, I would ring you up, have an interview and offer you a job. If after a year or so you'd proved you want to learn more I'd happily pay for further quals. I'm sure that care work will be no different. You sound lovely and I'm sure you'll do well.

Will an employer accept caring at home for family as experience?

I'm not sure going back to college then uni will work for me, I looked into the allied health access course which would be fine but our nearest nursing uni is quite a distance and the commute added onto the training would make childcare very tricky.
I'm more than happy to volunteer, we have loads of nursing home locally, I could email them all and see if I could do some voluntary work there to gain experience.
Cleaning bedpans and the like doesn't phase me, I love elderly people and would love to see them comfortable and happy and cared for in their final years, I also comfortable working with people with learning and physical disabilities. It's the confidence in myself that I lack but I need to fix that.

family experience will count of course, looking after children is helpful but looking after adults invaluable. I think you would be very suprised how much in demand you are!
I employ carers myself I think often it's a much better deal looking after someone in own home than agency work where your spending a lot of time running around getting everywhere. Nursing homes have their own pros and cons too. But it can be isolating on your own if the person you are caring for isn't up to conversation.
So give agency's a go will help you do basic training. Or voluntary role or go for carer job often advertised gumtree or local sites! You sound lovely I would be getting you in for an interview if you applied!

If money isn't a problem for you then how about volunteering to chat with the residents and keep them company? Care homes can be very lonely places, staff too overworked to do anything but see to the basic physical needs of residents, you don't really get time to chat. It's sad. I heard many say they felt like they were being punished as their day to day life was so miserable.

Anyway, that's just a thought. Wishing you the best of luck op!

Have you considered becoming a childminder? That might suit your family's needs at the moment.

You don't need to do an apprenticeship.
You can apply to do some door to door care work (some companies give you level 2 or 3 qualifications) once you have a bit of experience apply to a care home.

You don't need to apply for an apprenticeship, just apply for a job. No experience but sensible and reliable is more than enough to start and the rest you would learn on the job.

Titsalina if you google 'experience-based CVs', you will see there is a way to put together a CV which doesn't rely on you having the traditional list of employers. Instead, it focuses on your responsibilities, your duties, and your skills. So for you, that might mean Responsibilities= experienced sole carer, experienced in end of life care. Duties = administering medication, changing dressings, personal care etc. Skills = Excellent communication skills, able to maintain positive and professional approach at all times.

I'll have a look at that and see if I can get something put together, then when DD is able to go to the childminder I shall apply for some jobs.

Thank you so much for the help I thought I was going to get flamed!

Titsalina no problem. If you would like someone to review it for you (I do this kind of thing for a living) just private message me and I'll give you an email address you can send it to. No charge obviously!

I did something possibly silly and saw an advert for a commercial cleaning role that was perfect hours around the children and DP's work and I applied. They've offered me an informal interview tomorrow!

It's only 3hrs In the evening locally to me and she asked if u had fine cleaning before and I said I had as an older teenager cleaned a pub every morning and that I clean for my elderly grandmother weekly (which I do) and that having 4 children I have to keep my own home clean and tidy which I manage well, then she offered an interview with her colleague on an informal basis at a local coffee shop and said the job is immediate start.

I don't know how to interview and what it means to have an informal one.
I need to take a cv with me! I thought I could put my experiences caring and fundraising I've done for medical equipment for ds1 but I also don't want to shout from the roof tops that my son has a medical condition because surely that's going to make me very unattractive to an employer?

Argh! I was silly to jump in but I thought some work experience would be good for future work choices when I have more time to commit.

An informal interview basically means a chat to make sure you aren't completely daft and they think you'll fit in/be able to follow instructions etc.
You could put together a one page CV in about an hour. I'll read it for you if you want.
I think it's fine to talk about your son - the fact you manage so well with him is a positive. And never feel like you have to apologise for being a mum.

I know this advice is a bit late for the interview, but would a job centre be able to help you put a CV together? Or is there a local careers advice service? I don't know - just wondering if other posters know? You actually have a ton of stuff to put on a CV, it's just that it's all been voluntary work, rather than in paid employment, but for care work and cleaning jobs, this won't matter. As Jonty says, you need to do a skills based CV, which instead of listing all the jobs you've done, it lists all the skills you have eg. Your headings would be: caring for the elderly, cleaning, caring for child with disability, fundraising etc. then under each heading describe how you acquired those skills. Skills based CVs are quite normal, and a potential employer won't be phased by it.

One thing I'd ask, since you say you don't need to be bringing in a wage as quickly as possible: Is care work what you really want to do, or is it just what you've chosen based on your previous experience? It might be worth taking a bit of time to look around and see if there's any other field you might like to study or work in.

Good luck with the interview and with your future plans.

I have to employ carers for my daughter and tbh, I'd be very the moon if someone like you applied! Have more confidence in yourself. Caring for family members and end of life care is such an important job and you've done that twice without complaint. Can you not see how valuable that is? Because you should :)

An informal interview is just a chat. If it's a local business they usually have a firm they fill out whilst talking to you. Let us know how you get on