What Is It Really Like to Work in Care in Epping Forest?
Curious about working in care in Epping Forest? Discover real career journeys, from Care Professional roles to training, recruitment, compliance and management.
Working in care in Epping Forest can involve far more than many people expect. It can mean building strong relationships with clients, learning practical skills, supporting families and, for some people, developing into roles in training, management, recruitment, compliance and client experience.
We spoke to four members of the Home Instead Epping Forest team about how they started, how their roles have changed and what working in care is really like.
Building relationships and taking on more responsibility
Amanda Conway, Client Experience Manager, started as a Care Professional before progressing into a senior role.
Her working day can now include dealing with client concerns, medication audits, referrals, care plan updates and liaising with GPs, occupational therapists and district nurses. She also supports Care Professionals working in the community.
For Amanda, the relationships are still one of the biggest rewards.
“I value the relationships I’ve built with my clients and the support I receive from my colleagues.”
Her advice to anyone considering care is simple: “Do it. You will not be disappointed. Working for Home Instead was the best decision I made.”
From Care Professional to training and recruitment
Debbie Dore, Head of Care Professional Experience, has been with Home Instead for nearly 13 years.
She began as a Care Professional, later moved into scheduling and then took on responsibilities across training, recruitment, retention, supervisions and appraisals. Her role today can include interviewing candidates, supporting new team members through training, carrying out field observations and delivering practical sessions.
For Debbie, the most rewarding part is seeing people gain confidence.
“There are so many parts of being a Care Professional that people don’t realise until they join. You build skills and relationships that you might never develop in another role.”
A career that developed around family life
Vicky Claxton, Registered Manager, joined in December 2013 as a Care Professional, initially working evenings and weekends around her family.
From there, she moved into recruitment, client management and operations before becoming Registered Manager. Her days are now varied and can involve responding to emergencies, supporting clients and Care Professionals, speaking with healthcare professionals and overseeing the office and scheduling teams.
“Every day is different and I am constantly learning and improving within my role,” she says. “We have a great group of Care Professionals and we all pull together.”
Starting without previous care experience
Julia Peters, Compliance and Payroll Manager, joined Home Instead during the pandemic without previous professional care experience. She began as a Care Professional, visiting clients across Abridge, Theydon Bois, Epping, Buckhurst Hill and Loughton, and later worked regularly with clients in Ongar. Julia then moved into finance before progressing into compliance and payroll.
She says specialist training, shadowing colleagues and time in the field helped her build confidence when she first started.
Julia is also realistic about the role. Care can involve personal care, moving and handling, and supporting people living with dementia or other conditions. It can be challenging, but is ultimately very rewarding to make such a difference to people’s lives.
“Our work is about enabling people to remain in their own homes, where they would prefer to be. It means working with families towards the same goal: keeping their relatives safe and happy.”
What can a career in care lead to?
There is no single career route in care. Across these four Epping Forest careers, people have moved from direct client care into training, recruitment, operations, compliance, payroll and management. Others may choose to remain focused on client-facing work because that is the part of the role they enjoy most.
What these experiences show is that care can offer far more variety, responsibility and progression than people sometimes realise when they first consider it.
If you are interested in working in care in Epping Forest and would like to understand more about the role, training or current opportunities, contact the Home Instead Epping Forest team for an informal conversation.
FAQs
Do I need previous care experience to work with Home Instead Epping Forest?
Not always. Some team members joined without previous professional care experience and developed their confidence through training, shadowing and support from colleagues.
Can a Care Professional role lead to other opportunities?
Yes. Team members in Epping Forest have progressed into roles including training, recruitment, client experience, compliance, payroll, operations and management.
What is working in care in Epping Forest really like?
The work is varied and people-focused. It can involve supporting clients at home, building relationships, working with families and healthcare professionals, and developing practical and professional skills.