Sam – Care worker

Sam, 41, is a care worker, in Exeter, supporting people and helping them to live their lives as independently and safely as possible. Find out about Sam’s journey and how he found his calling.

I wanted a job that was more people lead.

After 15 years of teaching abroad and a career in IT, I suffered a breakdown during the first lockdown which led me to seriously reassess my career. I knew that human interaction was important. I wanted a job that was more people lead and that my teaching background had given me people skills that were very transferrable.

It was very simple to apply.

I saw a Proud to Care ad on Facebook at exactly the right time and applied straight away. It was very simple to apply. My Proud to Care advisor saw my potential and that my skills were suited to care work – she really looked after me and helped me through the whole process matching me with a job as an adult social care worker with domiciliary care provider.

It’s challenging, but I enjoy every minute of my job.

Right from the start, I was given lots of training and spent time shadowing work colleagues in preparation for working alone supporting adults in their own homes. While the training was thorough, my first individual shift was nerve-racking, but it went well.

No two days are ever the same and each experience is different. It’s challenging, you need to be very mindful and empathetic and be able to build a good rapport with people. I enjoy every minute of my job, the time flies by faster than in any other role I’ve ever had.

The pandemic enabled me to make a change.

I feel that the pandemic enabled me to get off the merry go round of life and make a change from my unhappily comfortable old life. I see myself staying in the health and care sector, working through the Care Certificate and then hopefully on to NVQ qualifications for a career in nursing or biomedical sciences.

Are you looking for a career change or been made redundant? We can offer free one-to-one support to help you to #FindYourCalling.