Employment and Volunteering support for Young Adult Carers

Do you want to get into work or employment?

It may feel impossible to get into work and carry out a caring role but there is a lot of help to support you.

Benefits of working

There are many benefits to working such as:

  • Giving structure to your days
  • Financially better off
  • Giving a sense of purpose
  • Develop new skills
  • Meet new people
  • More independence
  • Many employers offer help and support to those in a caring role
  • You will have developed many transferable skills that employers will value

Curriculum Vitae (CVs)

CVs are an important tool when applying for jobs. You will find some tips on building a CV below.

  • Keep things positive
  • Keep your CV concise, 2 sides of A4
  • Put most recent work/training/qualifications first

There are many places online that can help when writing a CV. Here are a few:

Personal/Transferable Skills

If you’ve never been in paid employment or want to get back into work, you may find it hard to think about what skills you have. Think about what skills you have gained from being a carer, these could include:

  • Managing finances for yourself or another person
  • Carers often mature faster due to their caring role
  • The ability to work under pressure
  • Organisational skills from organising appointments, medication, and overall being responsible for the care of another person.
  • Communication skills – booking/attending appointments and meetings. Communicating with one or more professionals at one time. Being an advocate for another person
  • Leadership – giving direction or instructions to another person
  • Compassionate to others, such as those who are vulnerable

The Learning & Work Institute

Volunteering

Volunteering is a great way to build confidence, meet people, and gain valuable skills to help in your search for work.

Some useful websites to look at are:

Also, look up companies you are interested in, as many do have volunteering opportunities.

Useful Resources

Many companies advertise jobs; search the internet to see what is available. Here are a few:

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