There are many benefits to choosing a career as a home carer in Ireland. But how exactly do you go about getting into this line of work?
In this article, we look at the necessary qualifications and skillsets to help you get started in your career in home care.
How to get a job as a Home Carer in Ireland
The qualifications requirements for a Home Carer in Ireland
To be considered for a role as a home carer, you will first require the relevant QQI Level 5 qualification in Care Skills and Care of the Older Person or an equivalent healthcare qualification. Your training will need to have been carried out by an accredited provider.
Over some time, you will be required to achieve the major Level 5 Award, and Blanchardstown and Inner City Home Care will support you with this. Home carers will need to have up-to-date Manual Handling and Patient Manual Handling along with First Aid and CPR training and certification. This will be provided for you before you commence working if you do not already have these certifications.
You will also be supported in completing Safeguarding, Children’s First and Infection Prevention and Control training, as required by the HSE and to ensure that you can work safely to protect both yourself and your service users.
Garda Vetting & International Police Clearance
Anyone pursuing a job that involves working with children or vulnerable persons must have a background check. This process is to ensure that there is no presence of a criminal record or that the individual in question poses no threat to those they will be working with.
The vetting process is managed by the company and will begin at the interview stage. If you have lived outside Ireland for more than six months you will also be required to present some form of international police clearance certification from the relevant country.
Possess a specific set of skills and qualities
We all have different strengths and weaknesses, but certain soft skills and qualities are vital when embarking on a career in the care sector. Qualifications are a must, but having a genuinely caring nature and a love for the industry is the best quality for working in home care.
What are these skills and qualities?
A job as a home carer means you could be dealing with a wide range of vulnerable people, of varied age brackets who have specific needs. It is, therefore, crucial to be incredibly caring, patient, empathetic, kind, sensitive and respectful from the outset.
Given the nature of the work, it is also important to be highly professional at all times. Having a good sense of humour and a positive outlook will also be an asset to you, as will the ability to multitask.
Aim to gain as much experience as possible
During your professional training and in the lead-up to achieving your qualification, it is advisable to build up experience where you can through volunteering with relevant entities. Charitable organisations around Dublin are frequently seeking volunteers, and working with such groups will help you to hone valuable skills and gain vital experience.
Getting involved in this work at an early stage will also provide insight into the sector and what it would be like to work as a home carer, allowing you to establish whether or not it will be a good professional fit for you.
Do your research on potential employers
Doing your homework on home care organisations in your area will enable you to scout out potential job opportunities, as well as find an employer with a standout reputation and ethos. Blanchardstown and Inner City Home Care is that employer.
Start your career as a Home Carer in Ireland with Blanchardstown and Inner City Home Care
With over two decades of experience supporting the needs of our clients in Dublin 1, Dublin 7 and Dublin 15, we have a sterling reputation and an ethos engrained in integrity, respect, innovation, initiative and empowerment.
We understand that providing home care involves more than the completion of tasks and as such, our team remains focused on always making an extra effort to ensure our service users feel safe, independent and comfortable in their own homes.
Working with Blanchardstown and Inner City Home Care means joining an open, innovative organisation that supports our clients with respect and compassion. If this sounds like a good fit for you, then get in touch with us today to begin your journey as a home carer.
