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Is it difficult to get work as an Sna as a man

futurefarmer

Hi All,

Time to change career and was looking at doing an Sna course and some related ones. My query is would it be difficult to get a full time post as a man or may it actually be an advantage when dealing with some kids with additional needs.

Also might anyone know if the online courses are looked upon as equal as the in person ones when it comes to interview.

Thanks for any help

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Dublin Lad2021

futurefarmer wrote: »

Hi All,

Time to change career and was looking at doing an Sna course and some related ones. My query is would it be difficult to get a full time post as a man or may it actually be an advantage when dealing with some kids with additional needs.

Also might anyone know if the online courses are looked upon as equal as the in person ones when it comes to interview.

Thanks for any help

I used to recruit SNAs, honestly no one cares about your gender... I definitely hired men for the role. People have their own reasons for being interested in that line of work.

As long as they're from an accredited source you should be okay, avoid something like Shaw academy for example. You could always reach out to potential employers like Rehab Group for example and ask them what they require/look at their job posts online. Some employers will even pay for you to do the course/give you the training themselves

Hope it works out for you OP

Flinty997

Big competition for those jobs regardless of gender.

[Deleted User]

Make sure you investigate what the job is before you do any course, there can be personal care involved such as toileting and feeding. There are men who are SNA's.

[Deleted User]

My school is actually looking for a male SNA to replace a retirement. Our severe and profound room involves a lot of physical work like helping children in and out of wheelchairs, onto pony, onto standers etc.

I have seen a lot of men work in special schools in particular, where there might be more physical lifting etc.

It is a great job but you really need to be in it for the right reasons.

fits

My son's main helper is male (at a preschool). He's a lucky guy to get to work with my lovely boy

But yes it is a bit of a vocation really.

Girl Geraldine

DancingDaisy1 wrote: »

My school is actually looking for a male SNA to replace a retirement. Our severe and profound room involves a lot of physical work like helping children in and out of wheelchairs, onto pony, onto standers etc.

I have seen a lot of men work in special schools in particular, where there might be more physical lifting etc.

It is a great job but you really need to be in it for the right reasons.

Have they advertised it as them looking for a male SNA? If so they are going to get into trouble.
You can't specify on a job spec that you want a man/woman for a particular job.

[Deleted User]

Girl Geraldine wrote: »

Have they advertised it as them looking for a male SNA? If so they are going to get into trouble.
You can't specify on a job spec that you want a man/woman for a particular job.

There are some exceptions to that.

Dublin Lad2021

mariaalice wrote: »

There are some exceptions to that.

The "Lady MacBeth" rule

...Ghost...

Girl Geraldine wrote: »

Have they advertised it as them looking for a male SNA? If so they are going to get into trouble.
You can't specify on a job spec that you want a man/woman for a particular job.

They're doing it all the time for other jobs. Dublin bus running campaigns inviting women only to apply. Discrimination works both ways, but it never matters when it's against a man.

The school may well have special reason for wanting a male. Physical strength being an obvious one which comes to mind.

Fils

Why not become gender neutral. In the interview declare yourself as such.

GalwayGrrrrrl

If you are interested in a caring role have you considered intellectual disability nursing? it pays more than an SNA although the training is longer. Another option with a shorter course is healthcare assistant - you work as a nurses assistant in a variety of healthcare settings.

[Deleted User]

GalwayGrrrrrl wrote: »

If you are interested in a caring role have you considered intellectual disability nursing? it pays more than an SNA although the training is longer. Another option with a shorter course is healthcare assistant - you work as a nurses assistant in a variety of healthcare settings.

The pay for HCA's is ridiculous.

Mrs OBumble

[Deleted User] wrote: »

The pay for HCA's is ridiculous.

Point 1 on the scale is 29062 per year.

With experience it goes up in through 9 steps to 37,600.

Not bad for someone who only holds a Level 5 qualification, and has no professional registration.

JustAThought

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Point 1 on the scale is 29062 per year.

With experience it goes up in through 9 steps to 37,600.

Not bad for someone who only holds a Level 5 qualification, and has no professional registration.

Its still barely a step above minimum wage - and for that risk, stress and an awful job. You’d earn more serving coffees from a hatch - and have a stress free fun worklife. Many SNA roles are being given to out of work / subbing qualified teachers - regardless of their aptitude for it or if they did the module in their degree. It’s really a bit of a farce. The kids who need it most are getting the least qualified ‘help’ . Many of the kids in schools have profound emotional, developmental and intellectual disabilities and as they get older become more and more difficult to ‘manage’ - especially in a classroom setting. OP - why not train to be a teacher if you are going to do something ? Chances are you’ll be inna class with profoundly challenged children anyway & at least you’ll have a decent career & be positively discriminated for to get into the area. Male rolemodels/teachers are prioritised - both to go into teaching & for jobs. Too many kids with no fathers & no male figure in their lives and not enough gender balance in schools.

[Deleted User]

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Point 1 on the scale is 29062 per year.

With experience, it goes up in through 9 steps to 37,600.

Not bad for someone who only holds a Level 5 qualification, and has no professional registration.

If the candidate 'only' has a L5 qualification they can apply, they will be up against those with a degree in early childcare and education and or experience with children such as coaching a team or voluntary work, it's not as simple as doing the course and getting a job

JustAThought

mariaalice wrote: »

If the candidate 'only' holes an L5 qualification they can apply, they will be up against those with a degree in early childcare and education and or experience with children such as coaching a team or voluntary work, it's not as simple as doing the course and getting a job

L5 is just a step above Junior Cert - its virtually meaningless.

[Deleted User]

Thankfully they are changing the SNA training so that all SNAs will have to have a mandatory 9 month training course done. UCD are running this course at the moment.

It is coming 20 years too late but at least they are doing something about it.

There was a massive report done in 2018 which said that the basic SNA courses being run at the moment was not sufficient to train SNAs to the highest standard.

Like I said many times before, it is in everyone's interest to have to best of the best working with our children and in our schools.

JustAThought

DancingDaisy1 wrote: »

Thankfully they are changing the SNA training so that all SNAs will have to have a mandatory 9 month training course done. UCD are running this course at the moment.

It is coming 20 years too late but at least they are doing something about it.

There was a massive report done in 2018 which said that the basic SNA courses being run at the moment was not sufficient to train SNAs to the highest standard.

Like I said many times before, it is in everyone's interest to have to best of the best working with our children and in our schools.

Its in everybodys best interest but its certainly not working and a lot of schools are using unqualified in the SN arena junior teachers or sub teachers to fill these roles. Who have no special training or qualifications other than a ‘normal’ teaching qualification which in many cases covers no SN training or practical skills at all.
They use it to give sub teachers another contract and they can use these more usefull fully qualified teachers then to sub when a teacher is out - or if they go on maternity swap
them seamlessly into a classroom & get another sub in for the kids. Happens all
the time. Teachers are given priority regardless of the childs intellectual disability or developmental need. Arguably a lot, not all but a lit, of these kids should not be in a classroom but in a designated special school with suitably qualified specialists to cater for their full time care needs - not an hour or two here and there and fingers crossed for the rest of the time.

Male SNA’s are often needed for male patients or troubled hard to manage males. Not a job I’d want to take on for the risks and potential heavy lifting injuries one could incur. I have a friend (male) was was always asked to do all the elderly patient lifting - no harness and often no help. His backed is destroyed now - no sport and no more career for him. Company couldn’t care less - ‘next’...

Mrs OBumble

mariaalice wrote: »

If the candidate 'only' holes an L5 qualification they can apply, they will be up against those with a degree in early childcare and education and or experience with children such as coaching a team or voluntary work, it's not as simple as doing the course and getting a job

That's true for SNAs. Thankfully many SNAs hold qualifications way in excess of the theoretical requirement. Though if we really cared about kids, all the people working in their education would be degree qualified, and hold a professional registration.

HCA was suggested as an alternative career option to SNA, and I was responding to someone saying that HCA pay is woeful. Anyone who thinks that 29k is barely a step up from minimum wage is ... mistaken. Minimum wage is 20k. 29k is almost 50% higher than that. And HCAs get higher rates for night and weekend work, too. AFAIK most HCAs only hold a Level 5 qualification.

[Deleted User]

JustAThought wrote: »

L5 is just a step above Junior Cert - its virtually meaningless.

Your language is extremely disrespectful a L5 is not meaningless.