Career change to Health & Social Care - advice please :)

complimentschemistry

Hi all,

I've been having some difficulties at work and I think I've found the main cause of the problem... I want a change of career. I'd like to start working in health & social care, but I have no idea where to start!

I've applied for a couple of roles that say they are willing to train people who don't have any experience, but not had any luck as yet. I have cared for a disabled family member before (which I have mentioned) but not as work, and it's something I'd really want to do.

Please can anyone in this sector or anyone at all please help me out

Thanks in advance!

MrsManda

What kind of role are you thinking about? Health & Social Care is quite a wide field.
Are you thinking of something like healthcare assistant in a hospital/nursing home, a social worker, counsellor, nurse?
What qualifications do you already have?

http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/

http://www.gscc.org.uk/page/4/Education+and+training.html

If you're thinking of healthcare assistant/nurse type roles it is worth seeing if you can get on the healthcare assistant bank staff at your local hospital. That way you can make sure it's really what you want to do and gain experience.

complimentschemistry

Hi MrsManda, thanks for your help so far... I don't have any qualifications that are relevant to this other than GCSEs, and I'm looking to be a care/support worker in either a care home or a hospital.

DizzleUK

You say change of career, so I assume you are currently employed at the moment?

Try to see if you can find some voluntary work at your local hospital/care home, say 4 hours on a weekend. This will give you a chance to see what the job actually entails, make contacts within your chosen field and put you in a situation where you may hear about suitable vacancies as they arise.

If you've applied for a couple of posts unsuccessfully already, double check your CV is the best it can possibly be, and spend a good deal of time preparing a covering letter explaining why you would like to change careers and why you think you would be good in this new role (think: transferrable skills etc).

Good luck. I changed careers from retail to NHS pathology last year (at 33) and it was the single best decision I have ever made.

You can do it.

ultrarunner

I worked in the social care sector for 4 years. As a 'third sector' organisation, the funding generally came from local authorities who had commissioned our services - over the past few years this was frozen due to the economy. My former employer has had to make a lot of cutbacks, including freezing pay, and not awarding pay increments.

Also, as contracts get renewed every few years there are often TUPE transfers to other care providers if your employer doesn't retain the contract. The impact of personalisation, which is still to be fully realised, means that you may end up having several different contracts to look after different service users.

That said, it is a rewarding, if underpaid, career choice.

One thing to consider would be to see if they need to recruit any bank staff, that way you can keep your current job for the moment, but also get a CRB, get an idea of the environment, and also earn some extra cash!

shamrock77

If you can afford it go back to college or maybe partime or evening classes. HNC Social Care, Access to nursing & im positive my cousin done NQ Higher Health Care, There are quite a range of courses. I done support work for 6 years & done my HNC during this. But look up local college see what they have to offer. Goodluck.