Celina's story

With Young Carers Action Day (YCAD) around the corner, young adult carer Celina shares her experience of securing her dream role and how other young carers can achieve their aspirations.

Celina became a young carer at an early age, supporting her mother who has cerebral palsy, fibromyalgia, agoraphobia, and depression. She lives with her five younger siblings that she supports whilst working full time.

Celina started applying for jobs once she had finished her course at the end of 2019.

Getting a job is hard, especially when you are a young carer and I am lucky I was able to get support from family and my local carer centre. My advice is DON’T GIVE UP! I wouldn’t have got where I am without getting support from others.

I initially attended a CV course with the help of my local carer centre, which made me realise I really needed to update what I had. It now looks amazing. I did some interview practice, helping me understand how I needed to answer the questions. Wiltshire Carers Centre helped with applying for jobs and I was able to have emotional and practical support.

Originally, I didn’t have the confidence to say I was a carer but after being involved in the carer centre and volunteering with Carers Trust, it made me feel more confident talking about who I am. It gave me the confidence to talk to my manager about the practical side of my caring role and how that would fit in with the job.

If you are comfortable and get on with a colleague at work, telling them about being a carer can be really helpful. Everyone was supportive and understanding, they helped me manage my caring role and work. My manager understood that I had to get home to help my mum with her medication, so my manager helped me arrange my shifts so I could work but support my mum.

I have gained a lot of skills from being a young carer. I know how to sit and plan for simple things. I know how to cook, clean, do the washing and look after my siblings. I am organised and know how to prioritise general day-to-day tasks. When I move out, I will know how to do all these things and I feel lucky for learning this.

My advice for any young adult carers looking for a job would be to not give up on your dream job. Persevere and you will get there eventually. Asking for help too! When I asked for help at my carers centre, they were able to provide grants for courses, college equipment and travel. Simple things really help and I was fully supported by my carer centre.