Throughout the pandemic and now as the furlough scheme is coming to an end, many more people are questioning the direction of their careers. The move from a corporate role into a role in the care industry is becoming increasingly common. And a good job too! The need for people to work in care is on a steep increase and doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
Could a role in care be for you?
Giles is currently looking to speak to anyone in the Thame and surrounding areas who want to join the team. Please contact him on 01296 798 910.
Giles, Alison’s and Claire’s stories
We interviewed Lewknor-born Giles Ellerton, business owner of Right at Home Aylesbury Vale and Chiltern (who also cover Thame) about people making a transition into care and Alison, a lady who transitioned into a care role at the start of the pandemic after 30 years in various corporate roles. At the end of the article, you’ll also find a video interview with a recently trained caregiver, Claire.
Giles’ story
What’s your background and how did you come to work in the care sector?
I’m one of those who made the transition from another sector. I had a successful corporate career working for BT as a Regional Director. But for the last seven years I have witnessed in my own family how care for my mother (aged 94) has been given with such affection and how it’s enabled her to continue living independently at home – something that means a lot to her. I could see there are opportunities to offer the same compassionate care in a truly person-centred way, rather than focusing on the task itself.
More people want to continue living at home when they grow older, and I wanted to make a difference to these people, often who have led fascinating and rich lives, and it is a privilege to be able to serve them well.
How accessible are roles in the care sector to new entrants without direct care experience?
There are few or no formal qualifications or prior care experience required to join the care sector, but the best employers are looking for talented people that have the best transferable skills.
Can you share a few examples of where your current carers have come different sectors and used their transferable skills?
Some of our best carers have come with no direct experience but they do come with complementary skills from other related sectors such as customer-facing roles or education.
Linda is one of our most recent joiners. Her experience has been in the airline industry in a customer-facing role, dealing with people every day. Linda’s insight and experience in delighting customers with a smile each day, and a service delivery background have been directly transferable skills when supporting vulnerable people at home and helping them to get the best out of life every day.
Another carer is Claire. She works part-time as a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator and transfers her knowledge of special needs teaching and caring for children to her work caring for adults.
Holly joined as a school leaver and has had a direct insight into care while looking after her great grandmother who lives with Dementia.
All of these new carers have very different life and career experiences yet have much in common and so much that they bring to their jobs in care.
They all share the same personal values, binding the team together to give them a single purpose of improving the quality lives of the people they look after.
Personal rewards – carers often speak about the wonderful personal reward they get from serving others with outstanding care. They get to see the difference they make in people’s lives every day. It’s this high level of satisfaction that keeps people in the care sector.
Career and skills development – many carers are very happy in their jobs caring but there is also the opportunity to develop more specialist skills in areas such as Dementia, Complex Care, or Adult Learning Disabilities. Formal qualifications allow genuine career progression towards management roles such as Deputy or Registered Managers, or becoming involved in other areas of business such as training and recruitment, HR, marketing and business development.
Given the growth in demand in the care sector, there are multiple career pathways that a role as a Carer can take you to. Rates of pay in the sector are competitive and are under pressure to increase as demand for experienced workers grows.
What would you say to people looking for a new career?
Come and work in care! The rewards are life-changing for you and the people you serve. I encourage people from a wide range of backgrounds and sectors to consider a career in care. It brings rewards untold to those who are least expecting it, as well as gives support to our wonderful local communities in Thame and beyond. I want to destroy the myth that all carers are downtrodden and poorly thought of. I want our carers to feel proud of the work they do every day of the year and the people that they support so well.
Alison’s story
What’s your background and why did you decide to move into a care role?
After nearly 30 very happy years in the corporate world, climbing the ladder from customer service up to key account management I started to feel a lack of fulfilment at work. During the pandemic I was mulling on this feeling and I saw a news segment about the care industry. Something stirred inside me and I thought – I can do that! I have so much to offer so why not offer it to people in my community? I wasn’t sure if this would be a long-term move but I wanted to follow my heart and see where it led me.
How did you feel after that initial decision was made?
I had some reservations such as would I offer personal care correctly? Could I deal with end of life clients and the emotions associated with that? Would I provide a level of service that was good enough? I had conversations with various people and attended the training programme then started to shadow my colleagues and going into clients homes – primarily elderly members of my community with dementia but also vulnerable adults and clients with physical disabilities or at the end of their life. I knew then that I had found my calling.
Tell us about your work now you’ve completed your training and have some experience
Visits range from a cup of tea and a chat, meal preparation, housework and gardening, providing an empathic shoulder, supporting the taking of medications, showering and helping people maintain hygiene, catheters and stomas, using hoists to help clients move from beds and chairs – everyone has different needs. Everyone is different and that’s part of what I love.
You quickly become a key part of your clients’ days, part of an extended family and you know you make a difference in their lives. I take pride in the service I provide – even down to details of knowing how they like their tea in the morning, how they like their bed made. Little touches help make someone feel truly cared for. Isn’t that what we’d all want?
How does your new role make you feel compared to your previous roles?
I get so much joy when clients tell me how much they enjoy my visits and the difference it makes to them and their families.
Care, comfort, well-being and happiness is something everyone deserves and delivering that is what makes me get out of bed in the morning with a spring in my step (even though I’m not naturally a morning person). I will never go back to a corporate job, the care life is now my future and I couldn’t be happier. It’s the best job in the world. I’m also now pretty good at a jigsaw puzzle and making poached eggs!
