If you care for a career change, then there will be 10,000 jobs to aid OAPs at Home Instead Senior Care over the next two years

WHEN Judith Whitehead’s dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer, it inspired her to change careers.

Judith, 58, was so appalled by the standard of care for dad Albert, a former Army para, that she decided to become a carer for the elderly.

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After years of working with children, the nursery nurse joined Home Instead Senior Care.

The UK-wide home-care provider helps older people continue to live in the comfort and familiarity of their own homes as long as possible.

And the company has more than 10,000 care jobs to fill over the next two years.

Married mum-of-two Judith, from Saddleworth, Greater Manchester, says: “When Dad was poorly, we wanted to bring him home so we could care for him as a family.

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“The hospital told us, ‘You should stick him in a care home, as you will not be able to cope’.

“We brought him home but the care support we received was heart-breaking. That triggered something in me.

“I knew there was a better way, that I could care for someone else’s loved one much better than my dad had been cared for.”

Albert died in 2000, aged 76, but Judith’s career move also inspired her niece Louise Kershaw, who quit her admin job with bread firm Warburtons to join Home Instead Senior Care. Louise, 42, says: “It’s the best thing since sliced bread!”

For details on Home Instead Senior Care and to apply for jobs, see

Mums' comeback

GETTING back into the workplace after having children can be a challenge for many women.

Tech Pixies helps women return and won 2017’s Female Start-Up Of The Year award. Its founder Joy Foster has the following advice.

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1. Set up a LinkedIn profile and use it to network.
2. If you have had a career break of more than two years, take a course in something that really interests you.
3. Make sure your public social media profiles are not too controversial.
4. Twitter is a great place for research and talking to people in your industry.
5. Treat yourself to a makeover – a new outfit, an updated haircut – then get a new picture taken to use on your profiles.

Signs it's time to go

THERE are some telltale signs that it is time to swap careers.

Here Angela Middleton of apprentice training firm MiddletonMurray and host of career advice podcast iwant2ba, reveals four of them.

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1. You hit the snooze button every day: Suss out what will motivate you to get out of bed. Life’s too short!
2. Your head’s in the clouds: You need to find something that excites you and holds your attention.
3. You’re baffled by the big picture: Focus on small goals you need to achieve to get your dream career.
4. You are itching to get away from your desk. These days you can find meaningful jobs that allow you to work from anywhere in the world, from snug in your bed to Everest Base Camp. You really don’t need to be stuck at a desk from nine to five.

See .

Bossed in show

ESCAPING a bad boss is the single most common reason for wanting to find a new job.

But there are ways to make things better without fleeing.

New book The Boss Factor, by psychologist and executive coach Richard Boston, has these tips for taking a fresh perspective on our relationships with managers.

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• Have a vision. Work out what you’re looking for in the longer term and what you’ll need to bring to the party if a boss is going to support you.
• Put yourself in your boss’s shoes. The more you understand your boss, the easier you’ll find it to get them to give you what you need to be happy and successful in your job.
• Take a long hard look in the mirror. Ask yourself: “What am I contributing, good and bad, to this relationship?”
• Seek clarity. What does your boss really want from you? What do you need from them to help you do your job to the best of your ability?
• Be courageous. The key to challenging well is to do so from a position of trust. So before you step up and show courage, ask yourself: “Is there any reason they might think they can’t trust me in any of those areas?”
• The Boss Factor: 10 Lessons In Managing Up For Mutual Gain by Richard Boston, LeaderSpace, £14.99.

Tackle Autism Job Gap

AUTISTIC people are being “let down” by employers, research has found.

Despite plans to find more jobs for those affected by the condition, just 16 per cent are in full-time paid roles.

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This figure has not improved in more than a decade, according to the National Autistic Society (NAS).

The charity claims around 700,000 people on the spectrum in the UK are being overlooked by employers.

It is now calling for the Government to step in and provide support for people with autism to find work.

Employers such as Microsoft and GCHQ have long recognised the strengths of people with autism, such as tenacity and the ability to think differently, which is great for problem solving.

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NAS is campaigning for the current number of autistic people in work to be doubled, with the help of ministers.

Mark Lever, the charity’s chief executive, said: “Autistic people have a huge contribution to make to our economy and society.”

Learn more at .