Many of us are drawn to the not-for-profit sector because we are looking for a more rewarding job, but moving from a corporate role to a position in the not-for-profit sector can be a big change.

For career changers this means working with a very different business model and the possible new reality of a higher staff turnover, less resources and lower wages. These kind of changes can be somewhat of a culture shock as working for a not-for-profit can involve as much hard work and as many challenges as a corporate role.

Why make the change?

There are rewards for your hard work - showing dedication in your role will help you climb the not so corporate ladder and changing sectors does not always mean changing role types.

Not-for-profit organisations need staff in administration, accounting, marketing, transport and facilities just like any other business. Find out more about role types in disability and community care in The sector's roles.

A definite perk of the not-for-profit sector is working with people who want to achieve common social goals, not financial. This can mean surrounding yourself with people who are passionate about why they do what they do, and if you’re enjoying your role type, but not the business culture in which you work, this can be a welcome change.

While decreased wages are a reality of sector hopping, salary sacrifice is a definite perk. To read more about salary sacrificing visit AccessPay.

Not-for-profit organisations will also typically be more flexible in their approach to your day-to-day routine, though this often comes with more responsibility too.

Volunteering may be a good first step

If you’re thinking about making a bigger change and stepping into a completely different role type, volunteering can give you an insider's view and will often get your foot in the door. Remember though that your experience contributing unpaid work will be different to contributing your time as a paid employee.

When making applications for paid roles, employers like to see some experience within not-for-profit organisations. Be sure to mention any volunteering or pro bono experience you have had. For example, you may have managed the accounts of a not-for-profit business in a previous corporate finance role.

Through your volunteering or pro bono work your potential employer will value your sense of work culture that is their reality.

Find out if you are right for the disability and community care sector

If you’re looking for a new and rewarding challenge but aren’t entirely sure if the disability and community care sector is for you and your career choice, why not take our Career Quiz - it’s a fun and easy way to see if you’re the right person for the sector.

Chris' story - a career changer

Chris is the Operations Manager at Illawarra Vocational Services and is a good example of a career changer who has moved from the corporate sector to the disability and community care sector.

"For 7 years I travelled from Wollongong to Sydney for my job. On a good day it took me 1 hour and 20 minutes to get through the 91 sets of traffic lights, but these days it takes me 2 minutes and two sets of lights to get to work!

"I was working in a marketing role for a large company in Sydney and was being paid well - but I paid for it. My job took up a lot of my time and I sacrificed a lot. I had a young family and was looking to change careers paths. Fortunately, just at the right time, I saw an ad in the local paper for my current job."

Read Chris' full story on the caecareers website.

You may have noticed a new friendly voice when you call the Career Centre’s advice line? It's Carlos!

With a sector background of 11 years across nursing (AIN), community services (Certificate IV) and hospitality, Carlos is part of the growing and experienced team at carecareers.

He brings hands-on insight and experience in the disability and community care sector and understands how to help and advise you with your next move as a job seeker or employer.

As Carlos puts it, "I want to use my life and work experience, education and training to assist people."

Looking for a role in our sector? Or want to advertise a job in your organisation? Call Carlos or any of the carecareers team on 1300 637 637 or email info@carecareers.com.au if you have questions that need answering. Carlos is never short of a word or….ten!

 

 

 

 

As I have been away on holidays, I asked one of our newest team members at Sport & Recreation Services, Tennille Owen, to share her experiences in working with us and for a disability service provider.

Tennille is employed as our Administrative Assistant and is supported by The Disability Trust’s employment service Workskills.

Tennille has submitted her story about finding work in the disability sector to carecareers' True Stories section. You can submit your story too, to help job seekers decide if a care career is for them!

What do you want to hear about in my next blog? You can ask me questions at Career Advice and Opinions.

We’re all working together to support our clients to achieve their aims and complete the activities on their roster so it’s really important to support each other.

At Skills Options, we have a staff meeting every morning. We talk about what every staff member is doing and any changes to rosters for the day. This meeting is very important as changes to routine often happen. It’s a casual meeting and it’s often the case that discussions arise from issues or problems that happened the previous day. Some days are more difficult than others, so having this meeting enables staff to talk about our experiences and gather information that can be helpful in the future. One new suggestion can benefit the client and also the staff who work with that particular person.

An example occurred last week when a staff member had changed a client’s plate to a flatter one as she had noted the client had previously refused on a number of occasions to eat lunch from a large bowl.
 
At the end of the meeting, we usually have a few minutes (before the clients arrive) to catch up on conversation about family, friends or what’s the best movie to see this weekend.

Pass the word around - there is a role for anyone who wants one in the disability and community care sector.

Just last week carecareers was sent a role from one of our organisations looking for a website manager:

“This role exists to implement creative solutions to address the strategic web and digital communication plans of the organisation, benefiting a range of internal and external stakeholders and audiences.”

A website manager in the disability sector?  How remote is this position from the frontline support ‘florence nightingales’ that the sector is predominately associated with.

Many organisations have grown from their early days, where a couple of volunteers banded together with the common purpose of supporting a particular group in need. They are often now larger organisations that require a board of directors, a chief executive officer, a chief financial officer (CFO), a group of specialised management professionals, a human resources team, an administration team and an information technology team.

And don’t forget the sales, marketing, fundraising, public relations and digital communications professionals that work to promote an organisation and to appeal for donations and funding. All of these roles require skills and qualifications that bear no resemblance to a Certificate III in Disability and they are necessary to provide the back up and support to the coal face of frontline support workers and frontline professionals.

Delve even further into the teams mentioned above and they reveal some interesting roles:

The IT job family is vast.  It stretches from basic user support on our computer software to advanced specialist knowledge around networks and specific products. Help desk support, network manager and infrastructure manager are just a few of the many job titles.

The CFO oversees the financial controller, the accountant and bookkeeper who all have a huge responsibility in managing funds within an organisation, made even more important with the focus on accurate financial management within the disability and community care sector.

The administration team may need an office manager, a personal assistants and or an administration officer to oversee the day to day and varied duties, which can include database use, service coordination, appointment scheduling, phone calls, reception duties and managing office supplies.

The human resources team is headed up by the human resources director who will likely be part of the senior leadership team and will contribute to the setting and implementation of organisational strategy. The director will also oversee those responsible for managing and implementing the policies, processes and strategy in relation to human resources and staffing.

These office based roles are just  a few of the roles that are available in the sector. If we look at other areas such as in-home support we find a number of roles that will surprise many outside the sector.

The catering assistant that helps with the preparation of food for a client will probably be cooking up a storm based on the guidance of a dietician. The gardener/grounds maintenance person will also look after or help a client to look after their garden, and the licenced tradesperson looks after everything from changing  light bulbs to installing ramps, handrails, bathroom and kitchen modifications, and any other needs identified by the occupational therapists; all of which help the client to continue to stay at home.

While at home the client may have visits from a physiotherapist or a podiatrist or they may use the services of a community driver to get them out and about to their various appointments, or to visit their employment development officer or open employment consultant who will help support them in entering the workforce.

The variety of roles available in the sector is huge and I haven’t even mentioned the psychologists, social workers, counsellors, speech pathologists and finally the assistants in nursing and the registered nurses.

I am sure that I have missed some roles but when you are next having a conversation with a mate, who says that they would love to enter the sector but don’t think frontline support is for them, point them in the direction of the larger not-for-profits who will surely have something that suits them.

Who knows - while working in another role, they may get exposed to the benefits and rewards experienced by frontline support staff and they may then decide it is for them after all.