2.1 What student carers bring to university
When carers get together, they rightly share how proud they feel about what they do. Some carers attend their local carers centre and are supported to reflect on the skills they have gained through unpaid caring. However not all carers will recognise that they have these skills or realise that they can apply them to their university experience. Your understanding of their caring role will help student carers to recognise the value of their skills.
Christina, a Student Wellbeing Advisor from Glasgow Caledonian University, shares her views on the skills carers learn through their caring role and the impact it has on their student life:
Often it is the experience people gain from their caring role that inspires them to come to university. I meet a lot of student carers who have come onto programmes like nursing and social work, and it’s often because of their own experiences navigating the health and social care system. I think having people with this kind of life experience on these programmes is really valuable; they bring knowledge and transferable skills, and a whole lot of empathy.
They tend to really value the opportunity to be at university; often carers will put the needs of the person they care for before themselves, so it becomes a huge part of a person’s identity. Being at university is viewed as something they are doing for themselves; it can feel like respite for them, and for some it helps them feel a sense of identity that isn’t all about their caring role.
Stephen, a student at Glasgow School of Art, talks about the skills he’s gained from his caring role and its personal impact:
I think it makes you grow up a lot faster. Have an understanding, maybe not of the world, but you have an understanding of life that most people don’t, because you know what it’s like to love someone enough to do things that you wouldn’t do for anyone else, take them to the toilet or whatever it may be, look after someone when they’re that ill. It does take a lot out of you, and I think it’s being quite a strong person to not only support them but support the others around them, and a lot of the time as the young person, you will take on so much responsibility both physically and emotionally of other people but not have an outlet yourself.
Activity 2.1 Skills gained from a caring role
The list below reflects the skills mentioned by Stephen and Christina. Please choose up to four from the list and think about how these skills can be useful at university.
Make some notes in the boxes provided or in your learning journal if you’re using one.
| Skills gained from a caring role | How might this skill be of benefit at University? |
| Communication skills | |
| Organised and good at time management | |
| Practical | |
| Budgeting skills | |
| Confident | |
| Mature | |
| Patient and consider things carefully | |
| Used to dealing with professionals | |
| Independent | |
| Empathic and supportive | |
| Resilient | |
| Reliable | |
| Self-efficient | |
| Leadership |
Discussion
Some students will have these skills and benefit from them at university, but this will not be the case for others. Some students may find it easier to talk to adult professionals and communicate in group settings while others may find it difficult as their caring role has been a more solitary experience.
Some students benefit from a level of a maturity and independence as they have had to take responsibility for their own and their family’s cooking and budgeting but this may also make them feel different from other students.
Caring can make students more empathic and supportive, having developed these qualities at a young age. This can be a positive in building relationships, however they may find themselves taking on a one-sided caring role within their friendships.
Introduction