Is Caring a Vocation or a Profession? And Why Are Carers Using Food Banks?

Isn’t it contradictory—and, dare I say, ironic—that we discuss caregiving as both a vocation and a profession, while also highlighting the growing need for food banks to support carers? It feels like we’re saying, “Your work is essential and skilled, but don’t expect to be paid enough to live on.”

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So, What’s the Difference Between a Vocation and a Profession?

A vocation is often described as a calling—a deep-seated motivation to serve or make a difference. Think of roles like caregiving, teaching, or nursing. These are morally and emotionally fulfilling but rarely tied to material rewards.

A profession, on the other hand, is usually defined by things like specialised training, formal qualifications, clear standards, and societal recognition. It often comes with higher pay and status—think doctors, lawyers, or engineers.

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Vocational professions like caregiving sit at the intersection of the two. They require specific skills and knowledge but are often viewed through a lens of compassion or duty rather than skilled labour. This perception, especially when combined with the outdated idea that care is “women’s work,” leads to chronic undervaluation and underpayment.

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Unlike other professions, caregiving lacks strong, unified advocacy groups to push for fair pay and working conditions. Without this, it remains stuck between being a vocation and a profession—called essential but treated as expendable.

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Carers and Food Banks: A Grim Reality

It feels deeply contradictory to call caregiving a profession while carers increasingly rely on food banks to survive. This stark reality exposes systemic failures: wages that don’t cover the cost of living and a lack of basic benefits like sick pay, pensions, or adequate holiday allowances.

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What Will It Take to Change This?

If caregiving is to be seen as the essential skilled work it is, several changes are needed:

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1. Campaigning for Recognition

Public campaigns must spotlight the complexity and indispensability of care work. Comparing it with other essential services could help shift the narrative and highlight the pay and respect gaps.

2. Policy Reform

Introduce mandatory living wages for all care roles. Although the NLW ensures a minimum baseline for pay, it is not equivalent to what might be considered a "living wage" in terms of providing for all basic needs without additional support.

3. Professionalisation

Develop standardised training and qualifications, similar to those in nursing or teaching.

Establish regulatory bodies to oversee care standards and advocate for pay equity and career progression.

4. Cultural Shifts

Society needs to recognise caregiving as skilled work, not an act of goodwill.

Politicians, media, and employers must challenge the stereotype of care roles as “unskilled” or purely vocational.

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The Path Forward

For caregiving to truly be respected as a profession while retaining its vocational heart, we need structural changes, advocacy, and cultural transformation. Until then, the sector will continue to exploit the goodwill and dedication of carers.

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The glaring disparity between the rhetoric (“a profession”) and the reality (reliance on food banks) must serve as a wake-up call. Change is not only urgent—it’s overdue.