by Admin | 06.02.2019
The Smart Works service in London is open to any women who has a confirmed job interview for a paid position or a year-long apprenticeship.
Appointments to Smart Works in London are made by referral only. We work with many referral agencies, including Jobcentre Plus, work programme providers and charities working to support women back into employment. They refer women to us who need help with interview clothes and confidence-building in the run up to their interview.
Suited & Booted is a charity that helps vulnerable, unemployed and low-income men into employment by providing interview clothing and interview advice.
Our clients may be struggling and in need of support, both financial and practical. They may not have the means to wear suitable clothes to ‘look the part’ and therefore unable to give themselves the best possible chance at a job interview.
We give our clients suitable clothing – perhaps a formal suit or a smart casual style – and then guide them through the process of a job interview. This gives them better prospects of success and contributes to their general self-confidence and self-esteem.
We aim to make a difference so that our clients can move forward with the ability to succeed and find their own way in society.
We are a new charity and rely upon the help of volunteers, financial contributions and clothing donations to continue the work that we do.
Please note you will have to be referred to these organisations from Working for Carers – ask your Employment Advisor for more information.
by Admin | 04.02.2019
Starting the process of searching for a job is very exciting but can also be daunting to begin with. But if you plan your job search and break each task down, it can make the process not only manageable but enjoyable as well.
Before Job searching:
- Ensure your CV is up to date.
- Have a standard cover letter prepared.
- Have a sample application form to use for reference.
After your job search materials are fully prepared, the next step should be your job-search action plan.
Where to look for jobs:
Looking while you are out and about. Lots of smaller employers will put vacancies in their windows especially
Find out more and how we can help you by attending the Working for Carers Job Club in your borough or give us a call on 020 8868 5224 and ask for a member of the Working for Carers team. We’ll be happy to guide you through the planning process.
by Admin | 04.02.2019
Caring for an unwell family member or friend can be overwhelming if it’s ongoing. Looking after the daily needs of another person, when they are physically or mentally unwell often takes a toll on the mental health of the carer. In most situations, a carer’s focus is on the person they are caring for, with little or no regard for their own physical and mental needs.
As a full-time carer you are probably faced with unrelenting demands on your time and energy resulting in feelings of anxiety, depression, guilt, leading to high levels of stress. Whilst small levels of stress are manageable, when it reaches levels that prevents you from maintaining a job, managing relationships with friends and families, gives you suicidal thoughts and generally prevents you from thriving as a happy adult, it’s time to get help.
Mindfulness is a method of destressing that has risen to prominence in the last ten years due it’s success in helping people cope with stress.
At Working for Carers, we have introduced mindfulness workshops at our centres across London, to help carers deal with the stress associated with their role as a carer to get them feeling confident and ready to enter or re-enter the job market.
So, what is mindfulness and how can it help you as a carer?
“Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.” www.mindful.org
1. Mindfulness helps us centre ourselves and pay attention
The mindful practice of paying attention to the present moment helps us control repetitive, and non-productive thoughts that lead to stress. It allows us, in effect, to self-regulate.
2. You become aware of your thoughts allowing you to step back from them and not take them so literally. That way, your stress response is not initiated in the first place.
3. You don’t immediately react to a situation. Instead, you have a moment to pause and then use your “wise mind” to come up with the best solution.
4. Mindfulness switches on your “being” mode of mind, which is associated with relaxation. Your “doing” mode of mind is associated with action and the stress response.
5. You are more aware and sensitive to the needs of your body. You may notice pains earlier and can then take appropriate action.
6. You are more aware of the emotions of others. As your emotional intelligence rises, you are less likely to get into conflict.
7. Your level of care and compassion for yourself and others rises. This compassionate mind soothes you and inhibits your stress response.
8. Mindfulness practice reduces activity in the part of your brain called the amygdala. The amygdala is central to switching on your stress response, so effectively, your background level of stress is reduced.
9. You are better able to focus. So you complete your work more efficiently, you have a greater sense of well-being, and this reduces the stress response. You are more likely to get into “the zone” or “flow,” as it’s termed in psychology by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.
10. You can switch your attitude to the stress. Rather than just seeing the negative consequences of feeling stressed, mindfulness offers you the space to think differently about the stress itself. Observing how the increased pressure helps energise you has a positive effect on your body and mind. (www.mindful.org)
Our mindfulness workshops will run in the following boroughs – Ealing, Enfield and Harrow (please choose your nearest borough) and will include mindful meditation, education and discussion.
We hope that our sessions will help you deal with the daily stress of caring for someone by paying non-judgemental attention to the here and now and stepping out of the constant cycle of unhelpful thoughts and emotions.
If you are ready to re-enter the working world or about to start a job, embracing mindfulness and its stress management techniques may be just what you need to build your confidence and self-esteem and get you work-ready.
Please do give us a call on 020 8868 5224 to find out more or visit our workshops page to find the next available mindfulness session. We look forward to hearing from you.
by Admin | 18.01.2019
If you’ve been away from the workforce to attend to your loved one as their full-time carer, the thought of re-entering the workforce can be daunting. We have met several carers who, after several years of being away from work, lack the confidence and sometimes the skills to pick up where they left off in their careers.
As a carer, you may be in a position to resume your career after several months or even years; perhaps the person you are caring for has passed away or moved into a care home, or even recovered, giving you the opportunity to get back into work.
Where do I begin? is the question we get asked most when we work with carers re-entering the workforce?
Step 1 is to assess your job wants and needs. Ask yourself if you were happy with your previous career and is it something you want to continue. This is a good time to reflect on whether you were happy in your previous career or you’d like a change in direction. Often, after a break or an emotional journey, your life goals and perspectives might undergo a change, resulting in a need to alter your career goals as well.
If you find that you are happy with your previous career and wish to resume it, you might need to re-acquaint yourself with the industry. Chances are that things have changed since you were away. We would suggest you reconnect with your network; get in touch with previous colleagues and previous employers. Attend industry conferences and events to understand how things are and how they’ve changed.
Talk to people… this sounds simple, but word-of-mouth is one of the most effective ways to secure a job. Let people know that you are in a position to resume your career, especially people in the same industry as you. But talk to everyone, because there is always someone who may know someone who may be looking for your skills.
Whether you choose to remain in the same career as before or you choose to move to something entirely different, you will need to refresh your skills or retrain. The speed with which technology is moving means that even if you have been away from the workforce for a few months, you will need a refresher course. If you have been away for several years, you will need some sort of upskilling to avoid feeling out of touch.
In addition to taking classes or training courses, you might even consider volunteering in the field you are interested in to understand what’s involved, where you need to re-skill and whether it’s the kind of career you want to be in.
Once you have decided your career path and learned the necessary skills needed to secure a role, you need to do what we call the “job search essentials.” This includes:
- Updating your CV – we can help you with that through our CV-writing workshops
- Brush up on your interview skills – Please sign up for our interview tips workshop
- Contact recruitment agencies that specialise in your field
- Look for career returner programmes in your field. These programmes are usually related to large organisations as part of their HR policies and are designed to support people re-entering the workforce.
At Working for Carers, we understand the apprehensions and reservations you may have about re-entering the workforce after a break. Many of the carers we have helped secure a job have lacked the confidence and know-how to move forward. That’s exactly what we are here for; to provide a helping hand and support system to empower you to take the next step.
Please give us a call on 0208 868 5224 so that we can help you get back to work.
by Admin | 18.01.2019
As a full-time carer, looking to earn some extra money or secure a part-time job that allows you the flexibility to fulfil your caring responsibilities, can be a challenge.
However, with the rapid growth of the Internet and its global connectivity, remote working and starting an online business are options that will give you almost everything you need to:
- Earn extra money
- Work part-time and flexible hours
- Continue with your caring duties
What kinds of jobs can you do online?
As long as you have good internet connectivity, there are several online opportunities that can work around your caring duties.
- Be an eBay or other online marketplace seller
eBay is an online marketplace, where anyone can sell their items, and buyers can browse through them, and buy them if they choose to. That’s it. It’s like selling off your old possessions at a car boot sale, only online.
There are many people who, whilst they want to sell items on eBay, don’t have the time or know-how to do so. They need someone who would spend the time online and do what’s necessary to sell their goods for a fee. That could be you.
You would need to organise storage, packing and postage and insurance for the goods, but these are logistics that you could work around your time schedule.
- Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistants are contract or freelance workers who do their jobs from home and focus on administrative tasks that are similar to those of an executive assistant or secretary. Depending on your skills and experience, you could take on responsibilities such as:
- Bookkeeping
- Online Research
- Data Entry
- Data Presentations
- Managing Email and correspondence
- Social Media Management
- Travel management
- Management of tasks and scheduling
- Following up on new business
In the UK, typically, VA’s earn between £20-25 per hour. You could set your hours e.g. 9:00- 12:00 every day or work in the evenings after everyone has gone to bed, being in control of how you want to or can structure your day.
- Freelance
Depending on your skill set, you could freelance via sites such as www.upwork.comor www.fiverr.com. These sites allow you to add your skill set and experience and give you the opportunity to find jobs you may be interested in or allow potential customers to find you. You have the advantage of setting your own hourly pay, which is usually dependent on skill level and experience.
Typical skills that are in demand via these websites are:
- Graphic designer
- Web developers
- Mobile developers
- Copywriters
- Translation
- Digital /Online marketing
- Accounting
- Administrative
- Customer Services
- Consultant
Often, people find themselves taking on the role of full-time carers later in their lives, after being in the work-force for several years. If this is you, you should know that your experience is invaluable and may benefit companies who could use your expertise as a consultant. With systems like Skype and Zoom, you could share your industry or technical knowledge with companies across the world. And you could set your own hourly and daily rates, working around your caring schedule.
- Tutors
Today, many adults and children use Skype and Zoom to get help, learn new skills or pursue hobbies in several different areas. There has been an exponential growth in online tutoring across the world and if you have teaching experience or in-depth knowledge of a particular subject, you could be a tutor. For example,
- Academic tutors – Maths. English, Science for Exams 11+, GCSE, A-Levels
- Language – for adults and children looking to learn or improve their French, Spanish, German, Hindi, Gujarati
- Music – Piano or Guitar lessons via Skype
- Hobbies – Art, Photography
There are several options for either starting a business online or doing some part-time work from home remotely. At Working for Carers, we’ll be glad to help you through the process, should this be the best career option for you at this stage.
Whilst, these are some extremely practical options, there are a couple of areas, we believe, need to be considered.
- Working from home, online, doesn’t give you the opportunity to go out, meet people and be part of a team. It can be very isolating and if your caring role is intense, you may want to find a job or career that gets you out of the house.
- You would effectively, be setting up your own business. This comes with the need to create a company, register with Companies House and managing your accounts and taxes. Ideally, you would need an accountant to help you out. If you are an accountant, that’s great. If not, perhaps you have a friend or family member who can assist and guide you.
If starting a business online or getting a job that allows for remote working interests you, please give us a call on 0208 868 5224. At Working for Carers, we work closely with both carers and employers to find the best solutions to help carers get back into work. Our team of expert advisors will assess your needs and support you in the areas you need help. Please do not hesitate to get in touch.
