Working as a Care Professional isn’t Emily’s first job, but it is the most flexible. She was looking for a role that enabled her also to study and enjoy time off with her friends and partner.
“I’ve got so much free time to do uni work and also have free time,” explained Emily, “it really works for me.”
Although she was initially nervous about providing personal care, she has found this is one of the most rewarding aspects of her job.
“I was the most nervous about that side of things when I first started, but you’re given the training to do it. And when you start, you’re shadowing someone else and you have a go when someone else is with you. Most of your clients, they know what they’re doing anyway. If you get stuck, if you’ve forgotten what you’re doing next, if you’re uncomfortable about something, the client will help you out. They’re going to be like, ‘oh, it’s this stage next’ or, ‘we’ve just missed a stage’.”
“And,” continued Emily, “you’ve got your care plan, you’ve got on call, you’ve got your managers. It’s so rewarding, because it just sort of mirrors back to you that you’re actually helping another human being with a sensitive thing and they trust you with that. And it’s really lovely that they do trust you.”
It is getting to know her clients that Emily really enjoys. And she has time to chat with them which is great company for her clients too.
“I just love talking to the clients. I’m a bit of a busy-body. So being able to go into these people’s houses and they’ll just tell me their life story. I’ll sit down after we’ve done like personal care, done all the jobs, ticked everything off the care plan. We sit down for a coffee and we have a right little chinwag and a gossip, and it’s my favourite part of it. And it’s just really enjoyable.”
Emily finds that her shifts whizz by as she’s busy on calls and travelling between them in her car.
“You can just put your tunes on. You’ve got 20 minutes to drive… and you feel refreshed by the end of it.”
Emily is just about to start her second year studying psychology at university. In her first year she attended in-person lectures on Mondays, her day off each week.
“On Tuesdays and Thursdays I do work, but I have the hours off for my lectures, so 2pm to 5pm, anywhere I am, I go to a coffee shop, or in my car, turn on my lecture and I can just do it there. And then I’ve worked before, and afterwards I can go back to work. It just works perfectly for me.”
Interested in joining our team? If you are a compassionate and caring individual who wants to make a difference in people’s lives, we would love to hear from you.
