Starting a career as a support worker is an exciting prospect which comes with many opportunities. However, taking the first step can be daunting. The industry is often unfairly portrayed in the press and negative stories can dominate the headlines, so it’s no wonder that people may be unsure.
In our experience, the industry is full of genuinely caring people who want to make a positive difference to others. It is an extremely rewarding career, and we’ve put together 7 reasons to work in support work.
Being a support worker means you will make a positive difference to someone’s life. You will change the lives of the people you provide support for and their family, friends, or carers.
As well as making a difference in someone else’s life, you will feel a huge difference in yours. Being a support worker is incredibly rewarding, and the relationships formed with people you work with will instil a sense of personal achievement.
Working for Dimensions, as a support worker is far more than just a job. It gives you a sense of purpose, and value.
The main role of a support worker requires you to work in the home of the person you are supporting. But, this depends very much on the person you are supporting. Not only will you be supporting their daily needs, but you also have the opportunity to help them achieve their goals and ambitions.
Starting a career as a support worker is a wise move as the demand has rapidly increased over the years and this won’t be stopping anytime soon. Working for an organisation like Dimensions, offers job security as you will have regular shifts and be able to achieve a work-life balance.
There is so much to learn as a support worker! At Dimensions, you’ll receive mandatory training as well as the opportunity to develop your career and progress and learn new skills. With experience, you could take on more responsibility and progress in your career as a support worker. With the right attitude and motivation, you can choose your next step!
We asked over 500 of our support workers and managers about their jobs. Here is what they told us. Some of these findings might surprise you…
With statistics like these, it’s no wonder that a large majority of respondents said they feel care work has an undeserved bad reputation.
Dimensions, along with many other support providers, now recruit people for their values, rather than experience. With the right set of personal values, everything else can be learnt from training.
“Supporting people is a huge privilege and, as a former support worker at Dimensions, I know it can also be the springboard to a long and varied career.” — Sinéad McHugh-Hicks, Dimensions Managing Director
Alex worked part-time as a support worker while at university. He now considers the man he supported a close friend.
“Support work is one of the most rewarding careers out there…I watched the person I supported grow into a confident, funny and playful man…the transformation I saw in a matter of a few years reduced his father to tears.”
Mark moved from a management position to support work, and values the difference he makes over anything else.
“This time last year, I was an area manager for a cleaning company: good salary, nice company car, iPad, phone. This time last year, I felt very little of what I did made a difference. I’m now a support worker for Dimensions and I feel everything I do, CAN make a difference.”
In recent research, support workers were amongst the happiest people in their jobs. We are trying to spread the word
about what a rewarding career social care can be.
Take a look at what they might not tell you about being a support worker
