Top 6 reasons why you might love being a support worker at Brandon 💛🌟
Brandon Trust is an independent charity that provides support for those living with a learning disability and autism, empowering them to truly live freely. As such, they employ a diverse team of support workers to provide help in the realms of personal care, mobility support, day trips, activities, and more. Focused on values first, Brandon is the perfect workplace for a socially conscious person who is motivated by making a positive difference to someone’s life. Sound like you? We encourage you to read on!
Working at Brandon, you can expect to enjoy a varied workplace with opportunities to support people in their own home, care home or out in the community enjoying activities; it really is a job where no two days are the same. The charity stands out from the crowd in its diverse nature – not only in the people you will support and the team you will work with, but in the work you will do.
Uniquely, Brandon allows for a great deal of flexibility with the range of roles they offer – for instance you could become a Bank Worker, where you can choose to take on either ad-hoc or longer-term shifts that work around your life, or you could become a Support Worker if you prefer more fixed, salaried work. Plus, with a range of part-time or full-time contracts, the ball is in your court. Not only is it a very rewarding career, but one you can really fit around your life and ambitions.
So, accompanied by real stories from those working at Brandon Trust, here are the reasons why being a support worker at Brandon could be the perfect job for you.
1. The job is varied – it can even be active! 🏃♀️💅
“I love being outdoors and doing anything active, so why not share that with other people who need it?” says Robyn, who works at a supported living residence in Cornwall.
“I’ve already managed to take some of the people I support paddleboarding and zip-wiring. The aim is to get people out and about and help them live their lives to the fullest.”
But no worries if you’re not the paddleboarding type – the activities you’ll get involved with will depend on who you support, giving you the chance to do what you really enjoy, as well as try new thingsAnd that’s kind of neat!
“Everyone I support is unique, which makes every day different. One gentleman likes to go for walks and out in the car, for example, while another lady enjoys having her nails done,” says Stephen.
2. The people and support are golden 🌟
People can often make or break a workplace, so we should mention how supported those at Brandon Trust report feeling.
“Ultimately, everyone who does this job is a caring person, so not only do they care about the people they’re supporting, they also care about their colleagues. You get a great support network.”
But even as far as the care sector goes, Brandon Trust still seems to stand out!
“It’s like a family home and doesn’t feel institutional like some of the other places I’ve been to. I’m so grateful to all the staff for such a lovely placement and would like to say a big thank you to them,” says Tess, who did a 10-week placement at Wraxall Road Nursing Home as part of her degree in Learning Disability Nursing.
Jordan comments: “I felt really comfortable and at ease when I came in for my interview … I felt like part of the team before I’d even started.”
3. You can join at any time in your life 🕖
You’ll find a real variety of people at Brandon! From young people trying something new to nursing students, to those who had a few careers before arriving at Brandon.
Rhys decided to work part-time while studying his A-Levels.
“Brandon has a wide range of settings that you can choose to work in … Being new to care work, this was great for me as it allowed me to figure out […] a setting and type of support I really enjoyed.”
Rhys joined the bank team which involves flexible, casual work: “This gave me complete control over when and how much I worked, and enabled me to balance the job and my A-Levels while still having a social life.”
Meanwhile, Stephen joined Brandon Trust at age 50. Having worked previously in hospitality, retail, catering and in a primary school, he had transferable skills despite no direct experience: “It was actually a friend of mine who suggested I apply for the role with Brandon. She … knew that I would be able to use my skills from previous jobs to have a positive impact as a support worker.”
4. The goal is to genuinely help people 💛
All companies have different goals. But if genuinely helping people sounds like a goal that lines up with you and your values, there may be a job at Brandon Trust for you. No need to worry about experience – Brandon is a truly values-first organisation.
Brandon’s purpose was written out by the people they support – so their help is given the way it’s wanted and will make the most impact.
“[S]eeing the people I support smile and knowing that I’ve helped them is the best bit of the job for me. You really are making a massive difference,” says Robyn.
Being able to watch those you support make progress is one of the most rewarding parts of the job. Donna says: “You could be supporting someone to go surfing for the first time or to move to a more independent way of living. It always boils back down to them.”
5. There’s a range of roles you can train up for 💪
Donna joined Brandon in 2016, working as a support worker for the first time. Since then, she’s worked her way up to locality manager.
“I really enjoyed being a support worker but I wanted to be able to have more of an active input, so I completed all my mandatory training and progressed to team leader quite quickly. I then did my Level 3 Diploma and was later put forward for the Level 5.”
“Brandon really do care about your progression … [Y]ou build up something called a development portfolio. You get … to say how you want to develop in your role and your manager will support you with that.”
“Brandon also offer bespoke training and learning opportunities, like the Leadership Development programme. They created it in response to feedback from staff who had progressed from support worker to team leader and wanted a bit more guidance through the transition.”
“I thought it was great that they’d listened and developed something that would really help people as they took the next step in their career.” (And we agree!)
6. You develop as a person 🌷
For Rhys, his experience with Brandon Trust helped him get into medical school: “I’ve gained loads of skills from support work, including communication, administering medication, and working with different behaviours and abilities.”
“It also gives you a whole new perspective on the way other people live,” Rhys continues. “I now want to push for a greater understanding of learning disabilities and break down the stigma around them.”
Whether it’s skills, confidence, a new career, greater empathy or just a deeper understanding of people with learning disabilities, there is so much to gain from working with Brandon.
“[M]y self-esteem and confidence as a nurse have grown,” comments Tess. “[A]nd that wouldn’t have been possible without the support of everyone there.”
“I also saw the passion that goes into their roles. When I qualify I want to be just like the nurses at Wraxall Road because they are truly inspirational.”
If you’re interested in becoming part of the family at Brandon, making lifelong memories and changing lives, check out their employer page here on Placed to discover what roles they have available! Everyone at Brandon sends a massive thank you. 
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