Beverly Brown (better known to many as Bev) has worked in care for over 23 years and is now a Registered Accredited Trainer, with NVQ Levels 2, 3 and 4 in Health & Social Care and NVQ Level 5 in Leadership & Management in Health & Social Care. We find out what makes her tick…
What made you join the care sector in the first place?
In fact, care wasn’t my first choice of career – I started my working life as a hotel receptionist and I was then a nanny. However, I joined the care sector after having her first child, because I needed a career that could be more flexible around the needs of my family.
Have you found that to be the case? Is it a flexible career?
Caring has been such a flexible career for me. Initially, I was able to work evenings around my husband’s work, so he would come home from work, and I would hand the children over and head on out to work for the evening. I was also able to work weekends if my husband was not working. It was so fantastic that I was able to let the company know what I was able to do, and they adapted shifts around my family. Now I am responsible for training and on-boarding new carers for Cavell Healthcare it is great that I can help the same way with flexible hours around families.
Do your children still need you to be as flexible as you were when you first started in the industry?
No! My children are all grown up and (sort of!) look after themselves but I am now a Nana and if needed I am sure Cavell Healthcare would support and adapt for me. My daughter also works for Cavell Healthcare, and they are very flexible for her as she has to put her son into the local nursery.
What’s lovely is that I am able to have a hobby while working in the healthcare industry. It is a common misconception that you can’t have a social life/hobbies and work in healthcare due to the hours. However, with care, you really can and I am proof of this. I do adult tap dancing and adult theatre craft. Whilst my work is very important, so is my personal life and Cavell Healthcare respects that, so on the evenings when I am committed to my hobbies, I am simply not put on shift.
What other benefits are there to the career?
Personal development. You can progress in the industry if you want to but there is no pressure to do so – it is up to the individual. I have and worked my way up from a carer to care manager and now the company trainer. There are so many roads you can take in this industry.
What do you love about the job?
I think being in the care profession is one of the most rewarding jobs that a person can do. I love it if I can end the day knowing I have helped even one person or put a smile on someone’s face. To be able to help fills my heart with joy. However, aside from the satisfaction of the job itself is my own career development and I am going to embark on another journey at Cavell Healthcare, as I am hopefully about to start training to become an NVQ assessor.
What would you say to someone considering a career in care?
It’s the best choice that I have made! People think that it might be the same thing everyday but it most definitely not. Just to see a client give you a little smile or knowing you could be the only person that they see in the day – how special is that. If you are thinking about it then go for it!
