Common Myths
The care sector is often hugely misunderstood.
Daily we encounter many misapprehensions by people not involved in care, or those contemplating a career in care.
The following are just a few of the main myths and what they mean in real life.
Being a carer is a dead-end job
We could not disagree more.
This whole website is dedicated to showing the career paths available in care and supporting those people interested in getting started to make the most of the opportunities available.
The pay is not good in care
As with all industries or fields of employment there is a wide range of salaries available in care.
It is fair to say that with any new profession, if you are starting with little or no knowledge or skills, it is likely you will be on the lowest pay scale.
However, there is plenty room to grow and just like anything else, as your experience and skills develop, so will your earning potential.
There is only one type of job in care
This could not be less true.
There is a wide range of different disciplines involved in care from direct care to management and project management.
The Jobs & roles page on this website gives an indication of the range of opportunities available in care.
You can choose your own path to suit your personal preferences.
Care work is for people who can't get a better job.
To begin with, what could be a better job than helping vulnerable people live a fuller and more comfortable life?
Certainly, in some more basic roles, the qualifications needed are suitably basic.
However, where working closely with people is concerned, academic qualifications are not always the most important considertion.
Being a good carer is mixture of having the right care values, a love of working with people, together with basic english and maths skills.
This is a challenging mix. Care work is for people who have the right combination of attitude, interpersonal skills and academic attainment - nothing less.
Being a carer is just wiping bums all day
We'd be lying if we said that close personal care did not involve the cleaning up of accidents.
However, personal care covers a great deal more.
As much as anything, being a carer is supporting individuals to lead as full a life as possible and as such it is hugely rewarding.
Care career apprenticeships are just for school leavers
Thinking that care apprenticeships are just for school leavers is a very common mistake.
Care career apprenticeships are just as open to older people who want to change direction as they are to young people.
In fact, the more life experience you have, the easier it often is to get started in care.
A care career is not for graduates
A university degree is just one step on the development of many care careers.
Social workers and nurses both work in the care profession, as does a care home manager or a council manager co-ordinating care provision.
While the people undertaking these graduate level roles may have at least one university qualification, it is equally true that many started as care workers and obtained their qualification(s) as part of their career progression.
Equally, for graduates seeking to change direction at a later stage in life there are many opportunities.
