What a decade in retail taught Steph about working in care

When one of Steph's stores closed and her team were made redundant, she didn't expect it to become the moment that changed her life. But sometimes things work out that way.

Steph had spent a decade in the hair and beauty retail industry, progressing up through the business, leading teams, and becoming someone people relied on. By most measures, she was doing well, but a quiet restlessness had been building for a while.

"I started to feel like something was missing," she says. "At the end of every day I was measuring success in sales figures, and it started to feel hollow." The nudge she needed came from an unlikely place. A former colleague, who had been made redundant, had gone on to become a mental health support worker and over a cup of tea and catchup, she described what her days looked like now, the relationships she was building and the difference she could see herself making.

"I just couldn't stop thinking about it," Steph recalls. "I remember sitting there thinking: I want that." Not long after, she spotted a care role advertised locally with Home Instead Watford and applied. That was three years ago.

What struck her most in those early weeks wasn't how different the work felt, but how familiar. The patience she'd developed on a busy shop floor, the ability to read people quickly and the instinct to make someone feel genuinely looked after, all carried over.

"In retail, you spend so much time learning how to read people," she says. "I use all of that every single day, just now it's for something that really matters." The moments she describes from her time in care are a world away from hitting a monthly sales target. One that stays with her is visiting a live-in client, Mrs K, on her 101st birthday, arriving with a handmade card and a carefully chosen flower basket.

"She was so thankful for such a small gesture. To this day she still talks about it." Mrs K has kept the basket going ever since, tending to it with the same care she's always given her garden.

For Steph, it's those small moments that make the difference and three years on, she's still finding them. Home Instead Watford is currently recruiting Care Professionals across the Watford area and is encouraging people from all backgrounds, particularly those with customer-facing or people-focused experience to consider the role. No prior care experience is required, with full training and ongoing development provided from day one.

Roles offer pay starting from £14.50-£16.50 per hour, guaranteed hours of 16, 20 or 30 hours per week, and flexible scheduling designed to work around family commitments.

To find out more or to speak with the recruitment team, call 01923 250513 or visit homeinstead.co.uk/watford.

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