EMPLOYMENT
Planning for the Future
Millions of people in the UK are juggling paid employment with their caring responsibilities.
The recent ONS Census 2021 in England and Wales found that there are just under 2.5 million carers in employment (excluding full-time students) – 9% of the total number of people in employment.
Of those, 2 million are employees, and 445,000 are self-employed. Many people are combining employment with high levels of care: over 400,000 people in paid employment are also providing over 50 hours of care per week.
Caring is most likely to impact at a peak of a career, but can affect all ages (Carers UK 2023)
At some point, you may decide you want to combine work with caring, or you may want to work if your caring role changes or ends. Carers UK suggest ways to identify and develop your skills and gain confidence to find the type of employment you would find fulfilling:
I’m considering working again but where do I start?
The thought of getting back into work can feel like a big step. A good start is to think about what job you might want by identifying your skills and interests, and finding out what support might be available to help you take this step.
If you are claiming benefits, working or studying might impact these benefits so it would be a good idea to have a benefits check before you make any decisions. Use this Benefits Calculator If you care for someone in North East Lincolnshire you can also book a benefit check with the Carers’ Support Service. If you care for someone in North Lincolnshire we can signpost you to where you may be able to access support. Carers UK also have a helpline for guidance on advice@carersuk.org
Identify your skills and interests
If you’re not sure what you would like to do, it might be helpful to list the skills and interests you have, particularly noting what you’ve found satisfying or fulfilling.
Consider the skills you have gained from:
- any paid work that you have done
- any volunteering work you’ve undertaken
- your role as a carer.
Examples of some skills you might have gained from your caring responsibilities:
- Prioritising and organising.
- Time management.
- Managing a budget.
- Managing a schedule.
- Negotiating with professionals.
- Communication skills.
- Learning new skills quickly and efficiently (ie if you needed to learn how to move and handle someone, use certain equipment or administer medication).
When thinking about your interests, consider:
- what you enjoy doing
- how you would like to use your skills
- things you miss doing that you once did, eg from previous work or volunteering.
Do some research
You could have a look on some careers websites to try and identify the sort of job that matches your skills and interests.
The National Careers Service has a Skills Health Check which involves a set of quizzes and activities designed to help you explore your skills and interests. This might be useful to help you decide what job might be right for you.
Once you have identified the kind of jobs that might match your skills and interests, you could then have a look on the National Careers Service Job Profiles, which explain the skills and qualifications needed to get into certain jobs, what the work would be like, the pay you could expect and what the career prospects are.
Once you have identified possible jobs, you could then look into any training you might need to build your confidence or refresh skills you used to have.
What training courses are available?
If you’re trying to work out whether any particular training courses would be suitable for the types of jobs you want, you could get in touch with the National Careers Service. They have advisers who can provide information and guidance on developing skills and training.
Alternatively, you could search for specific courses on the National Careers Service website – many online courses are free. You could alternatively speak to any local colleges or universities to see if they run any suitable courses.
If you need some help with the cost of any courses, then you could try the following:
- There are sometimes grants you can apply for – you could run a more general grants search with a charity called Turn2us who have a database of lots of different grant giving organisations. If you need support to find funding, give the Carers’ Support Service a call and we can try and help you with your search.
- There are sometimes specific education grants and bursaries that you can apply for – the GOV.UK website also has some information on this for adult learners
- Local educational establishments sometimes offer discounts to people on certain benefits, so if you are claiming benefits or are on a low income, it is worth finding out what discounts or concessions your local educational establishments offer.
- if you are still looking after someone, you could have a Carer’s Assessment
Useful Resources
Monster.co.uk – How to find a job – Finding a new job requires some planning, persistence, and little project management.
Action for Carers Surrey – Working and Caring – Information for Young Adult Carers aged 18 to 24.
Carers UK – Managing paid work and Caring – including your rights in work and requesting flexible working.