Meet our Exeter & East Devon Care Professional who's enjoying the rewards of a new career in care
They also seek to encourage those looking to explore a 5 Star career in care, by offering them a real insight into the role, and Home Instead.
Tony has been a part of the Home Instead Care Professional team for a year, so has seen all ‘seasons’ of care with our Company.
Having relocated from London to East Devon, Tony was looking for a slower pace of life and one that didn’t revolve around work. With a career background that saw Tony working across the commercial leasing sector and for large organisations in the beverage and technology sectors, Tony acknowledged some years ago that he wanted more than just a ‘job’.
This realisation led to a rather momentous career shift for Tony, who stepped out of the corporate world and concentrated on building on his passion for martial arts, and in particular Taekwondo. As a highly commended Taekwondo athlete in his own right, Tony was more than qualified to do so.
Being the driven and dedication individual that he is, Tony didn’t just succeed but excelled at this new endeavour, and by the time the world was facing the Covid-19 pandemic, Tony was running not one but three Taekwondo clubs, with over 350 members of varying ages.
Like so many during this turbulent period, Tony and his family took stock of circumstances, and it was then that they made the decision to relocate to the southwest. With the initial plan of living a quiet life, the drive and energy that had propelled Tony for so many years was still evident, and this led him to Home Instead.
Tony says, “After 3 months of ‘relaxing’ I was bored! I needed to be occupied and have a focus. But I also wanted a job that was helping people in some way and didn’t want to find work taking over life.”
“There’s a great deal of discipline in martial arts, and a major part of the role that I held at my Clubs was as a mentor and support provider in a way, and I had to tailor that to each student in order to get the best out of them. The same can be said for my role now: I am there to support our clients in the best way possible, so that they can have a positive day.”
If Tony had questions or concerns about his role, he says they were quickly eased by the initial training and the ongoing support that he’s received since.
Tony fits his part time commitment as Care Professional around life and says he has no plans to change his set up as it’s as rewarding as he’d hoped, and more. So much so, that Tony hopes to expand his skillset by taking advantage of specialist training options, to support his interest in the vital topic of dementia.
Tony, we can’t wait to see where your journey with Home Instead takes you!