Supporting people to lead full, valued and independent lives

An organisation which provides services to people with intellectual disability and autism aims to recruit more staff in Cork.

Brothers of Charity Services in Ireland (BOCSI) provides supports to over 7,000 people and operates in almost 1,000 locations throughout Ireland including Cork city and county.

Staff are recruited from a wide variety of backgrounds including social care, psychology, speech and language therapy, social work, physiotherapy and nursing.

One of their dedicated staff explains what attracted him to work with the organisation. “I worked with socially underprivileged people in my previous jobs in India,” said Koteswar Kareti, Staff Nurse, Cork Services.

“This attracted me to work with people who have barriers to inclusivity and who face challenges daily. This career was a natural fit when I moved to Ireland.”

Koteswar, who has an Honours Degree in Nursing, and a Diploma in Autism Spectrum Studies, both from UCC, has been working with BOCSI since 2015.

He said what he loves most about his role is learning from the individuals he supports.

“They are such great teachers. I learned to embrace the joys of life much more from the people I support. I’ve learnt to empathise more, and my observation skills have multiplied. Interdependence is a much better quality than independent leadership.”

Koteswar’s advice for anyone considering intellectual disability as a specialism, is to “embrace it wholeheartedly. The work is challenging, but very fruitful and enjoyable. No one day will be the same and you will never stop learning and growing.”

The staff nurse added: “The biggest asset of BOCSI is its culture. I am constantly encouraged to do better.

“There is also the willingness of the organisation to be flexible, which is great for work-life balance,” he said.

Visit careers.brothersofcharity.ie for more information.