All social care jobs have several important things in common; they all involve helping people live their lives. Some people often require a little extra practical help. Social care workers provide this practical support to help people maintain their independence and lead fuller lives. It may be small things that you enable people to do, but makes a very big difference to how good they feel – and how you feel too.

The work also offers a level of flexibility that means it can fit in around your other commitments. There are many part-time jobs, as well as full-time work, and many positions are outside the typical 9-5.

Your attitude and life experiences are often more important than formal qualifications in social care work. You will be given the support you need when you start and further on-the-job training as you become more experienced.

If you do decide social care is for you, you need to think about who you want to work with and where you want to work. Broadly speaking, you can choose to work with:

• older people
• disabled people
• people who use mental health services
• people with a learning disability
• children and families
• young people

The page about job variety describes these different types of job in more detail.