Find a job in social care

'We focus on the sectors that have vacancies bringing your the lowdown on who is currently recruiting, where and what it’s really like working in the industry.

As we continue our campaign to Get Britain Working we have found a bumper 59,959 jobs in social care.

With 1.56 million people already taking care of our growing elderly population thousands more are needed to cope with every increasing demand.

“The sector will need at least half a million workers over the next decade so this is a great time to be thinking about becoming a care worker and developing a long term career that offers a high level of job satisfaction,” says Sharon Allen from Skills for Care.

“People who work in adult social care tell us that they love the personal rewards they get from delivering high quality care to people in their communities.”

No matter what your experience there is something for you.

“Our sector offer a wide range of exciting job opportunities for people of all ages including frontline care work, being a support worker, working in care home kitchens, becoming a Personal Assistant to an Individual Employer or admin posts.”

Where are the jobs?

At Jobcentre Plus there are 49,984 jobs ranging from care assistants and home carers to houseparents and residential wardens.

Opportunities we found include a care assistant home carer in Basingstoke (£7.50 an hour), an adult carer in Manchester  (from £6.80), a live-in carer in York (£7.00) and a carer in Gloucester (£7.00).

At fish4jobs we spotted 1,510 jobs ranging from care workers to support workers. From a support worker in Southampton (from £6.79) to a live-in care assistant in Much Hadham, Hertfordshire (£13) and a care worker in Cardiff (up to £8.55).

We found another 3,659 jobs at Reed including 669 support workers, 739 care assistants and 313 home carers.

Jobs include a floating support worker in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire (£8) and support workers in Newbold Verdon, Leicestershire (£7.50 to £9.50).

Totaljobs has 2,236 carer vacancies while Community Care has 2,570 jobs including 1,225 working with children and 891 with adults.

Another great place to look is at Care Job Finder who will put you in touch with suitable employers in your area.

What type of work is it?

Every kind of job imaginable is available in the vast world of social care ranging from carers and assistants to cooks, maintenance staff and drivers. 

The work is about helping people in many different ways whether it’s in their own home or a specialised home or centre.

Your first job in social care could be immediately after leaving school, when your children are older or have grown up, or following a career break.

The work offers a great level of flexibility that means it can fit in around your other commitments. There are many part-time jobs, as well as full-time work, and many positions are outside the typical 9-5 with plenty of night and weekend jobs.

To find out more contact Skills for Care at www.skillsforcare.org.uk

Worker's view

From the moment she started her apprenticeship in Health and Social Care Stephanie Taylor knew she had made the right choice for her future career.

“I loved the whole subject I was studying and when I got my first placement in a residential care home I knew I had found something worthwhile to do and something I could throw myself in to,” says Stephanie, 25.

With enthusiasm and hard work Stephanie won over the managers at Certitude which ran the home she was visiting and when the time came she was taken on as a permanent support worker.

“It makes all the difference knowing that every day at the end of my shift I can go home having made a real difference to someone’s life,” says Stephanie who works at a registered care home in Brixton, south London, for those with mental health issues. “I love bringing a smile to faces and helping in any way I can to make life easier for someone.”

She loves the challenges that working within mental health care brings with it.

“I have a family member who had mental health problems and that was all it took to help me understand there is nothing to fear and that you just have to learn how each person is different with different needs”

Her daily shifts consist of helping residents with their daily routines ranging from domestic care to shopping to taking them to appointments.

“No two days are ever the same and there is something so fulfilling about the job.”

Having already got her NVQ Level 2 under her belt Stephanie is now working on her Level 3 and is deciding whether she will work towards becoming a social worker or look to management levels within the care home sector.

“In the meantime I just get on and work as hard as I can to get the best out of each day,” she says.

That was something she found impossible when she first left school and thought she would study Business and Marketing.

“I couldn’t stand office work,” she laughs. “”Thankfully I got involved in some childcare work which gave me other working ideas. From there I thought about health and social care which brought me to where I am today.”

One of the things which surprised Stephanie the most was that she was not too old in her 20s to start an apprenticeship.

“I always assumed they were only for people straight out of school but I’m so pleased I was wrong – it’s been perfect for me.”

Contacts

Visit: certitude.org.uk'

Via The Mirror