Career Progression in the Care Sector - Bekah’s Story

Many of the people working in care had no idea they’d be in the care sector when they were growing up and at school or university, they hadn’t planned it that way. Bekah is one of these people.

“I studied Psychology at uni, and I'd planned to go travelling soon after,” recalls Bekah. “I needed a short-term job, and I wanted to work Saturdays too.”

Apart from something short-term and offering Saturday hours, Bekah also wanted to stay local.

“I don't live in the middle of the city and didn't really want to commute,” says Bekah. “I was looking on job boards for local jobs, and was overwhelmed by the amount of Care jobs available.”

All the open positions for care workers got Bekah thinking about working in care, and she already had some experience of the healthcare sector.

“I'd never considered Care as a career path but my parents work in healthcare. so I'd gone through phases of wanting to be a doctor/nurse when I was at school. I'd completed a lot of work experience in a hospital, working with people with disabilities, and with children. So I knew I enjoyed working with people, and I knew the personal care aspect wouldn't phase me either.”

With all of this in mind, Bekah took the plunge and started her career in the care sector.

“I got my first job as a carer in 2016, and worked there full time for 9 months before I left to go travelling. I absolutely loved this job,” says Bekah.

When you get your first position in the care sector there’s always a period where you settle into the role. During this time you get close support from more experienced carers, giving you a great opportunity to learn on the job.

“I was a little nervous before starting! Fortunately, I was mostly on double--up rounds,” recalls Bekah. “So I got to know the other carers quite well and learnt about their experience within care too, which really helped me to become more confident in my own abilities. I grew super close to my regular clients and there are definitely some who I will never forget.”

Bekah had always planned to go abroad to see the world before settling down in a career and so she quit her job and headed to the airport, passport in hand, seeking adventure.

“I went travelling and then moved to Melbourne to work for a year,” says Bekah. “I lived in the centre of the city there, so I wanted an office job this time. I managed to get a job at Tradewind Australia which is a Recruitment agency in Australia for Temp Social Workers and Teachers. My role was Candidate Consultant in the Social Work Team, so I would be phone screening candidates, booking interviews, then handling all their Compliance afterwards.”

Bekah was back at work and she was enjoying it. Her experience back home as a care worker was to prove valuable in her new role.

“I loved this job too! Over my year of working there, we slowly started to get more and more 'Aged Care' packages and so we started recruiting more and more carers. I was really excited about that because I felt I could relate well with the carers as I'd done that job myself.”

Bekah and her partner had planned to emigrate to Canada but things changed when they arrived back in England after a year Down-Under, and a bit more travelling. “We left Australia and travelled some more before moving back to the UK in 2019. Our plan was to move to Canada in 2020, so again I was looking for a temporary job and I fell back into care and worked as a carer for four months.”

2020 was a year of change for the entire world, and it was no different for Bekah and her partner.

“I left that job right before the lockdowns started and, due to the Pandemic, my Canada plans went out the window.”

Bekah couldn’t go back into work in the Care Sector because of her personal circumstances at the time and Covid 19.

“I was unemployed for most of 2020. I was living with Grandma throughout the lockdowns and Pandemic, and didn't want to take any risks.”

However, another change in her circumstances led to the opportunity to go back to what was starting to look like a career in care.

“At the end of 2020 I moved back to Sussex with my boyfriend and started looking for work again. I had it in my head that I really wanted to work for a Care company, doing Carer Compliance (similar to my job in Melbourne), and I wanted to work from home. And somehow that's the exact job I ended up in at Cera!”

“Luckily Cera liked me in my interview,” continues Bekah. “They offered me the role of Recruitment Compliance Administrator. I started in December 2020, looking after the Compliance for the Southern branches at the time. This role was much more fast paced than my previous Compliance role, but I really enjoyed talking to the candidates/carers every day and chatting to them about my own experiences within Care.”

Once again, Bekah’s now considerable experience as a carer came in handy, even in her new desk-based role.

“I found it really beneficial to be able to talk to candidates and carers about specific things that they might be worrying about. I encourage them by saying that yes it's scary at first, but the bond you build with your clients just makes everything so worth it.”

Bekah’s career has continued to flourish since she joined Cera Care, and she’s been promoted.

“I was in that role for almost 18 months, before being promoted to Compliance Officer/Team Leader, which is my current role.”

Thank you Bekah for sharing your story. We have shared this article to inspire those considering a career in care. If it has worked for you, discover our latest job listings here.

If you would like to know more about the other career progression opportunities available in the care sector, please check out the other articles under our care career tips here.