Any social care workers on here?

[MegBusset]

Am thinking about this as a post-DC career.

How is it? What do you like and dislike about it? How did you get into it (especially if as a second career)? What is the money like?

What are you thinking about?

Older people?
learning disabilities?
Mental health?
Something else?

Not sure at the moment, is it important to choose a speciality early on?

But most likely older people, I suppose.

Im a private carer, but I also work for an agency. I went into care work straight from school-went to college, did health and social care.I work with many types of clients, I work alot with dementia clients, but I cover anything so learning disabilities, the elderly etc etc

I do enjoy my private care work. its on a one to one basis and the person has all their faculties, just alot of things wrong with them, we get on great and love the time we spend together.Im on 7.50ph.
The agency work is good too, but you have to be super adaptable as you work with lots of different people with different problems at lots of different locations.I get between 9ph and 20ph depending on the type of shift-this is quite exceptional though, most other agencies only pay minimum wage or just above.

hth, feel free to ask anything else.

I think you'll have to decide which jobs to go for and each client group has different skills and knowledge that are relevant.

I have worked with people with LD and the jobs with the local council are much better paid (and provide a better service) than the private agencies. Unfortunately, the home care services provided to older people have mostly gone to private agencies around here.

Are you thinking of home care type work? or care homes?

It can be enormously rewarding and even enjoyable(!) if you're working with people that you are interested in and care about. Or it can be bloody hard physical and emotional work if you are not suited to it.

(But I love it!)

You probably know already, but the common route into this work is usually through bank work - i.e. you're on a casual list who they phone when and if there's work. There are plenty of bank staff who get more than full time hours, but it is a risk to most as it's not guaranteed hours.

I was thinking of home care work.

Do you have to be experienced to get bank work? My background is in a completely different industry...

IME you don't need experience, but you need to have awareness of basic principles/skills and attitude.

So, for example, do you have personal experience of caring in your family?
An understanding of how it might feel to need care?
What qualities can you bring from past work/personal experiences? Things like team work and communication are good transferable skills from other industries.

Social care careers info