Think about your first steps:

Recognise the many skills you have. Think about what you have learned from:

• any paid work that you have done; 
• tasks and responsibilities involved in your role as a carer and running a home; and 
• any other activities that you do, for example, voluntary work, committees, etc.

Identify your interests: 

• Think about what you want to do with your skills.
• Think about your short and long-term goals.
• Make a plan
• Don't demand too much from yourself – take small achievable steps.

Gain the confidence to use your skills in new ways:

• You may want to find a course which will offer you training in personal development – for example, confidence building, assertiveness training or managing stress.
• Education and training provider City and Guilds is developing a learning programme specifically for carers and former carers.

Think about what employers want:

• Make the time you have spent caring and your caring role a positive feature of your CV and job application.
• Identify the transferable skills you have gained through caring that fit with employers' needs.