No regrets for midlife career change carer

After more than two-and-a-half decades in the retail industry, a Norwich grandmother decided to take up a role as a carer – and, a year after joining home-care provider Extra Hands, she has no regrets. ​

“I literally love the job,” said Julie Curtis. “It’s nice to get up and want to go to work, and to enjoy the job, as I hadn’t had that for quite a while.

“I used to work at Aldi and had worked in retail for over 25 years. At the end of it, I hated it. 

“I used to have a good relationship with some of the customers who came in regularly, but there’s been such a change in retail over the last few years, and I just disliked it in the end.

“Friends would say, why don’t you try care work? You’d be good at that, but I was never sure I could do it.

“Now I’m so glad I changed, I really am.”

The 52-year-old works from the Broadland office of the family-run company, which also has a base at Heacham, and provides bespoke care packages across Norfolk.

“All days are different, you’ve got a lot of variety, and it’s just nice, as people really do appreciate you,” she continued.

“I just enjoy going to see people and making a difference to their day. People say to me, ‘You’re always smiling.’ They’re always appreciative and they always thank you.

“You can tell that you make a difference. That’s what it’s all about – knowing that you’ve made a difference, and that you’ve left them happy.”

Miss Curtis works a flexible three or four-day week at Extra Hands, and would recommend care work to others considering a midlife career change – regardless of age.

“I think sometimes people can be scared to make changes when they’re older, as they can feel their age is a negative,” she added. “But I’m so glad I did, and I think some of the service users prefer a more mature person. People shouldn’t think that when they get older they can’t make that change, as it can be an advantage.

“The training at Extra Hands was really good, and very informative, and it was very good for me to learn about stuff I hadn’t had to know before. The staff there are all very supportive, and I know that I can phone them up and speak to them whenever I need to.

“I really enjoy the job and could see myself doing this until I retire. I definitely have no regrets.”