Career opportunities for young people in Twickenham and Richmond

During National Careers Week (7 to 12 March) adult care companies like Right at Home Twickenham and Richmond are shouting from the rooftops about adult care as a rewarding career option for young people leaving education.

The home care provider is highlighting that working as a caregiver for a modern, innovative employer like Right at Home offers young people entering work a genuine career path, high quality training with the opportunity to gain nationally recognised qualifications plus top rates of pay.

“Young people in London and Surrey have hundreds of career options available with perhaps thousands of companies to choose from among dozens of sectors. Caregiving stands out from many other jobs because you are helping people from Day 1 and you see the impact of your contribution straightaway,” says Alastair Shanks, Managing Director of the Twickenham and Richmond branch of Right at Home.

“Helping an older person get ready for the day, assisting them with their medication or helping them keep their home tidy and comfortable may sound like small tasks but by supporting clients in this way, you are making a difference to their lives. And as your skills and experience develops, you can take on more responsibility or specialise in interesting areas such as dementia care.”

Right at Home says caregiving roles suit a range of personalities and interests and while doing well in education is a great asset, personal qualities are sought after too. Alastair explains: “Being patient and a good listener are valuable skills in caring roles and so are being fun and chatty. Being practically minded or having bags of common sense are qualities in as much demand by employers like us as educational qualifications. For young people in particular, being a caregiver offers real-life experience and plenty of opportunity to develop maturity, self-confidence and excellent people skills so we have much to offer young people.”

The view of adult social care as undervalued low paid work is out of step with the reality of working for a modern care company. Right at Home invests heavily in training, supporting employees through qualifications which can increase individuals’ ability to earn more as they progress.

To get started in a career in caregiving, websites of major employers such as Right at Home are a good place to start. As well as details of current jobs, there is information about the range of services provided and the sorts of clients caregivers could be working with.

Careers Week is an annual campaign of support to help young people prepare for life after school and college, particularly by working through schools and colleges and with local employers.