John seeks access to meaningful work after high-flying career

: Created: 17 February 2021

John left school early without any formal qualifications after a turbulent period in his youth that left him in the care of social services and living in a foster home. This later proved a positive experience and he became inspired by his social workers and carers to such an extent that he vowed to follow their footsteps and join the profession himself one day.

After a brief stint in a children’s home as a support worker, John found his wings by applying for work as cabin crew for BA and was successful. This job meant working irregular hours, long shifts and flying to all corners of the globe. He did this for nearly seven years before deciding to leave and find a job with more regular hours.

“It was at this juncture that I found myself having to make a choice that would give me a better work-life balance.” he said. “Being in the air and out of the country for days at a time, missing so many social events and spending quality time with my partner wasn’t so good anymore and I needed to find something nearer to home and more in line with a nine to five working pattern.

“The problem was though; I really did like my job with BA and I got to see the world. I immediately began temping and going from job to job in front-of-house and receptionist roles but I found them boring and mundane. So much so that some days I simply couldn’t lift myself out of bed to go to work. This simply wasn’t working for me either and I needed to raise myself out of this situation too.

“Then the coronavirus struck and like many people, I found myself at a loose end - my last job finishing at the end of last summer. I decided to look around for training opportunities and after just one Google search I came across London South East Colleges’ Access to Higher Education programmes. On my initial inquiry, I was told I would need to come up to standard with my English and Maths and this could be done by enrolling on a Pre-Access course in Health and Social Care.

“This is where I am at the moment and I’m loving it. I am spending a lot of time on my core functional skills as well as acquiring foundation knowledge in communications, the role of the health and social care professional and awareness of a wide range of issues crucial to the job. After this, I will progress onto the full-time Social Work Level 3 Access to HE Diploma before applying to study social work at university.

“These courses really are superb - even during lockdown - they teach you everything you need to know, fill you with confidence and enable you to see various different career paths within the sector. I feel like I know so much more right now than what I did before I started. My maths tutor, Josie is fantastic and has made a subject I once feared into one that I look forward to studying and learning more each week.

“I now feel totally back on track and on my way to a great destination. The world is once again my oyster.”

If you think you have what it takes to become a social work professional and would like to build a successful career in this sector, we’d like to hear from you. We have a great range of further and higher education courses to get you started. Come along to one of our virtual open events. Click here to learn more.

Related link: Higher Education