From college to Shared Lives: Kim's career pathway

When I left school, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do career wise, I knew I wanted to work with people, so I did a Level 2 in Health and Social Care.

I found it difficult sitting behind a desk all day, so decided not to go back to college and I looked for an apprenticeship. I originally applied for an apprentice admin assistant at Persona in 2017 but I didn’t get the job and after the interview I was told about an apprentice day care assistant/coach escort job which the interviewers thought I would be more suited to. I went for that interview, and I got my first job!. I was then supported to do another level 2 qualification and worked in a couple of different day centres across Persona. After I passed my apprenticeship and qualification, I was given a permanent contract as a support worker in 2019.

After a few years of working in that role I was supported to do my Level 3 in Adult Care Lead which I was so happy I could do whilst working without having to go back to college. I then applied to work for Bury Shared Lives as a shared lives worker in 2023 which is my current role now, alongside going to university in the evenings.

I wanted to start to progress in my career but stay in the care sector as it is a very rewarding job, it was a big adjustment as I don’t provide hands on care/support for people, but working on people’s care plans and attending reviews is a way I can still ensure people get the best care that is tailored to their needs. 

There are many misconceptions about working in care, but I think the biggest one is that it’s any easy job that anyone can do. You need to have lots of patience, empathy and dedication in your role to ensure you are supporting people to live their life the way they want to.

To read more about Kim's career, click here.