Too old to care

[Colin_21091]

Hi all
It’s nice to be a new member of the forum and I thought I would jump right in with a few questions I hope you will help answer.

I really want to start a new career as a carer/support worker (with the elderly probably) but one thing is really bugging me – I’m a 53 year old man with no formal experience in the care sector, so:

1) Am I too old to begin a new career in caring?
2) Are there any new carers out there around my age?
3) Would anyone here have any issues working with a male new starter my age?
4) Do you think my age might prevent potential employers taking me seriously when I apply?
5) Do you think my age might prevent potential colleagues taking me seriously when I start to work with them?

Any comments, thoughts or suggestions would be most welcome. Honesty appreciated.
Thanks
Colin

[Melly1]

Hi Colin,

This forum is primarily for the carers of family members and friends, although a few have done paid care work as well. The carers on here are all ages as are paid carers.

Melly1

[Elizabeth_180412]

Go for it if that’s what you want to do. You are never to old

[bowlingbun]

Although this is a forum for unpaid carers, I would like to comment.
My son is 42, brain damaged at birth, can't read, write, or do any maths, but has a photographic memory, is fit as a flea, and can drive a 10 ton steam roller! He is polite and well mannered, and keeps his flat spotlessly clean.
His late father was an engineer, he loves practical "man stuff". Every summer weekend involved going to a steam rally, riding in his dad's tractor unit towing a low loader and a steam engine. I followed behind driving a Land Rover and caravan.

Almost all his carers are female, so he has no one to share his hobbies with.

Please consider working in the learning disability field. There is a desperate need for male support workers.

[Denis_1610]

Hello, Colin. I have had four distinct careers in my working life. For the fourth, when I was in my mid fifties, I sought a highly technical rôle in IT. People said that it was a young man's profession and I had no chance at my age, but I persevered and made it.

The important thing is not to be sensitive about your age, the impression that your post gives. Gather your thoughts about what you can offer. You have no formal experience, but have you informal experience in caring for someone? This can count a lot. Have you any medical or other qualifications that could be appropriate to caring? What makes you so interested in such a career? Be prepared for questions like these for job applications and interviews.

Don't state your age on your CV or letters of application. Potential employers are not supposed to ask this anyway.

There is a big demand for carers. But if you are rejected after an interview, as you inevitably will be, don't take it personally and do take it as an opportunity to assess the job market and improve your chances for next time. Best wishes.