Anyone know of courses in becoming a CARER???

aloevera

Hi,

i dont know if this is the right place to post this thread, basically i am interested in doing a course in caring/ carer etc...

ive been thinking of it for quite a while now, and would love to do it!

im in the louth area; does anyone know of any places that run ones in louth or meath? id even consider going to dublin?

When i say carer i mean like caring for the elderly/disabled etc..


Thanks in advance
x

Ann22

I did a course in caring for the sick and elderly a couple of years ago in O'Fiach. It ran for about 12 wks, one night a wk. There was a level 2 a few months later, I never got around to doing it.

aloevera

thanks Ann22.


Was it course worth it?
Was it interesting?
How much did it cost?
What qualification do you get out of it?


Sorry for ALL the questions...

Ann22

Yeah it was interesting enough. It actually ran for 10 wks, I just checked the certificate. It was an Adult Education level 1. It's probably best to do the two levels. I also did a manual handling one which worked out at about €80. We booked someone ourselves from the Louth hospital to come down on a Sat to do it. Seems you need that to get into a care home. I can't remember how much the course cost. It was roughly €150 i think...though people who were on social welfare got it cheaper or free as far as I know. by the way there wasn't an exam at the end. You just had to attend most classes to get the cert.

aloevera

aww wow thanks ann!!

so the course and the manual handling which gives you a fetac level1 cert enables you to be a 'qualified' carer as such?

i emailed o fiaich college this morning, and waiting for a response now.

Im on social welfare at mo, but will be working during the summer - so prob wouldnt be able to get funding.

camz09

if youd consider going to dublin, i suggest going to whitehall college, they do social care courses there (fetac level 5) i did mine last september and we just finished about a week ago. i had a classmate from trim and we both did the community care course which was about working with different client groups. we did work placementss in nursing homees, creche and i also did one in a centre for people with intellectual disabilities. its a really good course and a nice college.

i think you can apply for vtos if you're on social welfare. best of luck!

aloevera

Hi camz,

wow -

how long did course last?
were they evening classes?
and it gave you fectac level 5 yeh?
are you qualified to work in nursing home/as carer now?
were there any specific requirements?



sorry for ALL the q's...

aloevera

Hi Camz09,
just wet onto the website there.. it says that the entry requirements for the 'caring for older people' under the social care category are :

Entry Requirements
Ordinary Leaving Certificate/Leaving Certificate Applied. All applicants must have two references relevant to social care and are subject to individual and group interview. Applications are welcome from mature students with relevant experience.





i have the leaving etc.. but no references relevant to social care!



AGH! Do you know if there is a back door in ?

camz09

hi aloevera, your reference/s doesn't have to be strictly relevant to social care, i gave my guidance counsellor's (from my secondary school) and one from my mom's friends for whom i babysit as references. so long as they mention good character, and other interpersonal skills then you're fine. the interview isn't that all hard, they have quite a relax ambience in the college and the teachers are very accommodating.

as with the other questions:
How long: it's a one-year course, i started last september 2008 and we finished our exams and all assignments about 2/3 weeks ago. (end of april)

Evening classes: as far as i'm aware, there aren't any evening classes, but it would be good to ask them if ever you go up there

Fetac level 5: yup, that's the award they give you. plus manual handling and first aid certificates. you're going to do 8 modules (subjects) including the work experience. my course was community care but i think there's not a lot of big difference with other social care courses (like caring for older people) in terms of modules, maybe one or two subjects may vary. manual handling and first aid, you're going to do that during the year.

Qualified: yes, i think you'll be qualified. fetac level 5 is considered, i think it's a minimum requirement, and the work experience you're gonna do is very valuable for job prospects. a lot of my classmates are going to work right away after our graduation, although i'm going to college myself cos i deferred a degree before i went to whitehall. anyway, that's all i can think of right now.

it's a nice place, and hope you try it out. best of luck!

(sorry for the long post)

aloevera

pm sent :-)