A career as a professional carer offers many practical benefits but it can be difficult to get your foot in the door without any prior experience. Here we guide becoming a carer with no experience and explore some qualifications that may benefit you as you start your career.
At Prestige Nursing & Care, we ideally look for individuals with at least six months of professional care experience. We only have a limited number of care vacancies for people with no prior experience, but we’d love to talk to you if you’re interested in finding out how to get into care work for the first time.
You can get started by learning more about working with Prestige Nursing & Care or search our available job vacancies.
What Are The Roles and Responsibilities of a Carer?
As a professional carer, you will support people of all ages and walks of life to live happier, healthier and more independent lives at home. Most of our clients are older people, people living with mobility concerns or disabilities or people with complex conditions like dementia, multiple sclerosis (MS) or Parkinson’s.
At Prestige Nursing & Care, our carers visit clients at home to provide them assistance with the day-to-day tasks of living along with companionship and emotional support. These visits can range from 60 minutes a week up to several visits a day depending on the care required.
Some of the roles and responsibilities of a carer might include:
- Sensitive and discreet personal care
- Light housekeeping
- Meal planning and preparation
- Medication management and administration
- Safe mobility at home
- Nurse-led care
- Pet care
- Companionship and emotional support
Do You Need Experience to Become a Carer in the UK?
There are various routes to becoming a carer and not all of them require prior experience. Although college courses and other qualifications are one option, it is also possible to learn on the job or to take an industry-based training programme. Here we explore some of the various ways that you can learn the skills necessary to become a carer with no prior experience.
Highlight Your Role as a Family Carer
When applying for the role of a professional carer, many care providers will consider your personal experience in caring for a family member or friend. If you have such prior lived experience as a family carer, be sure to highlight it when applying for a carer role.
Get Qualified
There are no formal qualifications required to become a carer although they do demonstrate a certain level of knowledge and skill. When hiring our own professional carers, we prioritise compassion, patience and on-the-job experience rather than formal qualifications. Despite not being a formal requirement, qualifications can certainly be beneficial in helping you obtain your first job as a professional carer.
There are numerous Health and Social Care qualifications available. These qualifications are designed to equip learners with the training and skills they need to care for others in a wide range of health and social care settings. The most often requested qualifications are the Level 1, 2 and 3 National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) or a Level 2 or 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care. If you are interested in obtaining qualifications to work in the care sector, take a look at our guide on the qualifications needed to become a carer.
Find An Apprenticeship
An apprenticeship is a great way to start a new career as a carer. They can help you build the occupational skills and experience necessary to deliver outstanding care through on-the-job training. You will also earn a salary throughout your apprenticeship.
Apprenticeships have different levels depending on your skills and experience. If you’re new to the care services sector, then an intermediate level 2 apprenticeship is a good place to start. Most apprenticeships take between 12 months and two years to complete.
Volunteer For Experience
Pursuing volunteer opportunities is an excellent way to earn some real-life experience caring for others. There are many organisations and care homes across the country that are always looking for committed and compassionate volunteers to help make a difference in the lives of older or vulnerable people.
Care Home Volunteers, MHA, and Age UK all provide volunteering opportunities where you can earn valuable experience whilst providing a much-needed service to the community.
Look for On-the-job Training
Even without any prior experience in the care industry, you can still find a care provider that offers on-the-job training for an entry-level position. Many care service providers will offer new starters the opportunity to train on the job by shadowing a professional carer. This will allow you to not only learn hands-on but to also be supported by a wider care team as you learn.
Start a Rewarding Career with Prestige Nursing & Care
If you are new to care we offer training leading to Care Certificates for certain roles. Our ‘Introduction to Care’ training programme will provide you with the education and tools needed to kick-start your career. It is a comprehensive training programme that provides the knowledge, self-assurance and skills needed to succeed in a carer role.
Part of our training programme includes shadowing one of our professional and experienced careers to learn from hands-on experience. This will provide you with confidence in your ability to handle the responsibility of working life as a professional carer.
Our Current Carer Vacancies
Whatever your skills or experience, applying for a role is simple. You can learn more about our home care job requirements and our recruitment process in our carer jobs section. Contact our friendly recruitment team or explore our current carer jobs to see what’s on offer at Prestige Nursing & Care.
