Care assistant?

MontyPL

Hi, I'm trying to get some new qualifications and change my job. I want to be a care assistant. I have an opportunity to get a course and earn proper experience, but... I've been talking with these people, searching for job vacancies etc. and I'm a little bit confused.

I've been thinking about becoming a care assistant in residential care house. It's easy to find some job vacancies all around the state, so I think I would get a job sooner or later. But not big money, not really chance for promotions, I guess.

Second option is becoming health care support worker in a hospital (I think that's how they call it in hospitals). The salary is obviously better and I think the job may be more interesting. In the future I can develop, to earn more than FETAC5, perhaps it would pay off. The problem is that there are not many job vacancies available and sometimes they want 2-3 references. Finding job may be very difficult.

What would I do?

Frito

Any time spent working in care is an advantage if you want to move into the public sector, so you could get experience in the private sector and move into the public sector, dunno how frequently positions are advertised.

Also, many hospitals employ care assistants (to cover staff shortages) through agencies on a shift-by-shift basis, so you could register with an agency and get your foot in the door that way. You could do this in addition to regular work in the private sector.

---edit---

I think (although open to correction) that promotion is far more likely in the private sector although it most likely involves escalating into management. I don't think there is promotion for care assistants per se in the public sector, but you will have an incremental salary increase. That said, should the HSE look at skill mix in future it will likely involve greater specialism for care assistants.

Luke_Murphy

I'm also thinking of becoming a Care Assistant - the only experience I have of doing that type of work is with my late grandfather. How would you go about getting work experience somewhere? Do I need any qualifications first?