When I was at college, I wanted to be a teacher, so I went to University to study English and History, expecting to take my PGCE and teach secondary school or 6th form. I got some work experience in a school before taking my qualification and realised it wasn’t for me, I wanted more variety than teaching could provide. I began to look for a new career.I started by tutoring kids with dyslexia and additional needs and found I had a passion for adult support services. This led me to a job working as a support worker for adults with mental health issues. After just 8 months I had been promoted to a team leader, and 8 months later I was working as the assistant manager for a support company for adults with learning disabilities.
I had found my passion and knew I wanted to do more, as a charity we were providing support, but only for the surface issues, I wanted to get to the heart of someone’s situation and provide the care and support they needed to thrive from a young age. That’s when I decided to go back to Uni and study to become a Social Worker.
My course started in March 2020, so I was at University for a week before Covid struck and we were all sent home, all of my teaching has been online since then. So, it was a joy to join the team at Nomad for my first placement, and actually have people to talk to! When I started I was still convinced I wanted to work in a care setting with adults with learning disabilities, but now I’m not so sure. I had some preconceived ideas about homelessness before I can to Nomad but working here has changed all that. I have a much better understanding of the systems in place that can lead to a person becoming homeless. And how the right intervention can make long-term changes.
I could not have asked for a better first placement than Nomad, it’s been amazing. They operate a trauma informed practice and the entire team and so much compassion and understanding for their service users. It’s been great to see how effectively a team can work with excellent supervision.
I’ll miss them all when I head back to Uni, but when I am qualified, I’ll know more about the causes of homelessness and I’ll be a better Social Worker because of my time here.
