A career in care can be incredibly rewarding, but with so many different roles and settings to choose from, it can be difficult to settle on the right path. Your personality, qualifications, career goals, and lifestyle should all come into play when choosing a workplace or role. With certain jobs being better suited to certain people, it’s important to look into the pros and cons of your options.
This being said, in this article we’ll be looking at some reasons why you should start a career in home care. Personal fulfilment, flexibility, and hands-on care experience are just a few reasons why people embark on a career in home care.
Let’s look at the benefits in greater detail…
You get to help others
The primary reason that most people get involved in care work is that they want a job that allows them to help others. With a job in home care, you’ll be able to make a direct impact on the wellbeing of someone when they need help the most. Care workers are needed when someone is struggling to complete all their daily tasks themselves, so your presence really will make an immeasurable difference to the lives of others.
In contrast to working in a residential setting, you’ll be able to help people in their own home where they feel most comfortable. Plus, instead of working with lots of individuals, you’ll be focusing on helping one person at a time. Some care workers enjoy this aspect of home care as they’re able to provide someone with their full attention and help them continue with their normal life for as long as possible.
Personality is more important than qualifications
While experience and qualifications are certainly important, an organised, attentive, and friendly personality is the key factor for doing well within a home care role.
While you will still have to apply and interview for a job, you’ll be able to self-assess whether you possess important personal qualities for working in care. Research the types of tasks involved in the job — do you think you’ll be able to handle the responsibility?
A few duties of a home care worker include:
- Emotional support
- Assisting with dressing, showering, and medication administration
- Assisting with grooming and toileting
- Using mobility equipment
- Dementia and end of life care
- Domestic duties, like tidying and shopping
- Communicating with other healthcare professionals
If these are tasks that you have experience with or believe you’d be comfortable carrying out (often alone or with one other individual), then home care will likely be a manageable and rewarding career for you. Some people might find the task of providing crucial and intimate care daunting. However, if you thrive in a hands-on and practical environment, then this might be the perfect job specification for you. You will also have the option to earn while you learn, as you study towards a relevant QQ qualification.
Enjoy great flexibility
Individuals who require home care often need round the clock assistance. If you’re working for a company supporting lots of individuals, this means that you’ll have lots of options when it comes to your workload, shift patterns, and capacity for taking on last minute work.
If you’re looking for part-time work, then you can ask to be assigned fewer shifts. If you’d prefer either day or night shifts, then this can be arranged. And if you’d be happy to work some last minute shifts to boost your earnings, then you can share this with your manager.
Care work doesn’t have the same restrictions as a 9-5 office job, making it a great option for those with particular family commitments or those with another job they need to work around.
It’s great professional and life experience
The skills that you develop in a home care role will be useful throughout your life — in both a personal and professional capacity. With experience providing personal care, you’ll be equipped to help family members, friends, and neighbours if they ever need similar support. Plus, with your care background, you’ll be a fantastic person to ask for advice. Your insight will always be appreciated!
Care work can also open the door to new experiences, such as voluntary work that requires a care background and other medical careers that demand a few years of care work from applicants. Whether you’re looking to make care work your forever career or want a practical and meaningful stepping-stone job to allow you to further another healthcare career path, home care is a great option to consider.
Caremark home care careers
If you’re based in Ireland and want to start a career in home care, contact us today. We’ll help you with comprehensive training, uniforms, support, and even offer a subsidised qualification programme. Learn more about our work or take a look at our FAQs
