Supporting Career Exploration in Law, Care & Community
- Career blog
- Jul 30
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 28
With so many career options available, how do you decide where to begin? Whether you're choosing what to study, planning your future career, or simply curious about different real-life jobs, our blog series categorises careers into types (or clusters) to help you easily discover various roles within a broad field.
Here, we explore Law, Care & Community, covering:
Introduction to Law, Care & Community
Five fast facts
The key industries
Salaries and skillsets
A work experience case study
Our top tips for making it
Law, Care & Community intro
The Law, Care & Community sector plays a vital role in shaping a fair, safe, and supportive society. This field includes a wide range of professions that focus on upholding justice, protecting rights, and supporting individuals through life’s challenges. Whether working in NHS, Civil Service or the Army, professionals in this sector are united by a commitment to public service and social responsibility.
Careers in this cluster often require strong interpersonal skills, empathy, and a deep sense of integrity. From legal advisors and youth workers to social care assistants and policy advisers, these roles are essential for maintaining the wellbeing and cohesion of society. This sector offers meaningful and rewarding career paths for those who want to make a real difference in people’s lives.
Five fast facts about this career type
Need for Diversity: Despite progress, diversity remains an issue in the UK. In 2025, only 32% of full-equity partners (the most senior level in law firms) were women and 35% of solicitors were from ethnic minority backgrounds, and men make up just one in five of the UK’s care workforce. Both sectors are actively trying to broaden representation.
Pathways with Purpose: These sectors often attract people who make a tangible difference. Whether advocating in courtrooms, caring for vulnerable people or building stronger communities, careers in this sector often enable you to contribute meaningfully to the lives of other people.
Career Security and Progression: Jobs in law, care, and community often come with strong job stability and career progression pathways.
Volunteer-to-Career Pathways: In the community sector, many professionals’ careers began through volunteering and community involvement.
Opportunities for Lifelong Learning: Continuous professional development (CPD) is embedded into many career paths in this cluster. Many roles offer routes to gain qualifications while working, and offer opportunities to upskill throughout your career.
Industries you can expect to find
The Law, Care & Community sector spans various industries, including:
Charity & Volunteering: Supporting communities, raising funds, and driving social change through nonprofit work and public engagement.
Education & Childcare: Teaching, mentoring, and caring for children and young people to support their learning and development.
Government & Politics: Shaping public policy, managing services, and representing citizens at local and national levels.
Law & Legal Services: Advising clients, resolving disputes, and upholding justice through legal processes and advocacy.
Military & Security: Defence strategising, responding to emergencies, and ensuring public safety.
Social Care: Assisting vulnerable individuals, supporting families, and delivering essential care services.
You can learn more by watching videos from professionals here: https://icould.com/explore/categories/subject
Care & Community: https://icould.com/explore/categories/job-types/charities-and-community-work/ https://icould.com/explore/categories/job-types/civil-service-politics-and-local-government/ https://icould.com/explore/categories/job-types/security-and-armed-forces/ https://icould.com/explore/categories/job-types/education/
How much could I get paid?
Salaries in the Law, Care & Community sector vary depending on the role, experience, and location.
Social Worker: Average salary of £32,000 to £48,000 per year.
Probation Officer: Average salary of £24,000 to £40,000 per year.
Care Home Manager: Average salary of £25,000 to £55,000 per year.
Librarian: Average salary of £25,000 to £40,000 per year.
Solicitor: Average salary of £40,000 to £80,000 per year.
Community Arts Worker: Average salary of £19,000 to £29,000 per year.
Depending on age and experience, these figures may change, but should give you some indication of average salaries over the years.
You can explore more here:
Care & Community: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/explore-careers/job-sector/care-services https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/explore-careers/job-sector/education-and-early-years https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/explore-careers/job-sector/protective-services
Would a career in Law, Care & Community be a good fit for me?
To thrive in the Law, Care & Community sector, you'll need a combination of technical, interpersonal and employability skills. Here are some key skills that can help you succeed:
Interpersonal and Ethical Skills
• Empathy and Compassion: Understanding and relating to the experiences of others is central in care and community roles. Whether supporting vulnerable individuals or working with clients in legal settings, compassion builds trust and rapport.
• Integrity and Confidentiality: In law and care roles, you're often dealing with sensitive information. Upholding ethical standards and maintaining confidentiality is essential.
Analytical Skills
• Critical Thinking: Being able to take a logical and evidence-based approach to problem-solving is key in many roles in this cluster, from analysing case law in the legal sector to developing care plans in care roles.
Communication Skills
• Clear Written and Oral Communication: Professionals in this sector often need to explain complex concepts clearly, such as when drafting legal documents, writing reports, or speaking with clients, service users or members of the community.
• Conflict Resolution: Some role in the Law, Care and Community cluster require you to skilfully de-escalate tense situations sensitively and professionally.
Resilience and Adaptability
• Coping Under Pressure: Some roles in this cluster, deal with serious aspects of your clients’ or service users’ lives. Being able to stay calm, professional, and composed is essential.
• Adaptability: Laws change, communities evolve, and people’s needs shift. Being open to continuous learning and flexible approaches helps you stay effective and relevant.
Explore careers based on subjects you enjoy: https://careerpilot.org.uk/job-sectors/subjects and https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/groups/cpw27rkvq6pt
Discover professional qualifications related to some popular careers: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/postgraduate-study/professional-qualifications
Law, Care & Community work experience case studies
Remote work experience in the NHS
National institution, the NHS, worked in close partnership with Futures For All to provide remote work experience as part of our NextGen Nurse programme. Since January 2021, more than 3,700 young people from state schools and colleges UK-wide have gained insights into nursing – as part of a drive to increase the number of nurses, which isn’t keeping pace with demand.
“Nursing was something I really had not looked into but this experience has made me learn so much and has really taught me the highs and lows of nursing. The polls, Q&A with real nurses and breakout room projects were so interesting. Nursing is something I will be considering for my future and I am really glad I joined this 3-day virtual experience.”
Student, 18
In the first year, 70 volunteer nurses oversaw 500 hours of work experience.
50% of the young people participating were from ethnic minorities.
23% of the participants were eligible for Free School Meals.
90% of the students who took part said that they are now considering a career in nursing.
In-person and remote work experience in the Civil Service
Provider of mission-critical services supporting the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and secure services to other UK Government departments and international partners, FCDO Services, worked in close partnership with Futures For All to provide two 3-day work experiences, both remotely and in-person, for 50 students from across the UK.
Young people from a diverse range of backgrounds met staff and apprentices, learnt about teams, roles and pathways across the world, worked on exciting projects and activities – such as electronic bug hunts to test their technical security skills, discovering the rich history of Hanslope Park and King’s Messenger Service – took part in interactive workshops, and took on engineering STEM challenges.
“My placement was very interesting and rewarding. I liked learning about the company and pathways into it, and being able to work with my team to create something.” “It has broadened my understanding of the diverse range of careers and options.”
Student attendees
4 out of 5 reported being very likely to pursue a career in this industry following their placement.
87% felt well-informed about the business and the industry.
70% said the placement helped them understand skills valued by employers.
Average rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars.
Our top tips on turning your passion into a career
Think broadly. Focus on career types rather than specific jobs; there might be a role within a sector that you weren’t aware of and could find appealing.
Consider which topics interest you – what do you enjoy discussing with your friends?
Make a list of subjects you like and those you excel at, even if you don’t currently enjoy them.
Try out different careers by gaining work experience in jobs you are passionate about and those you aren’t; the results may surprise you. Either way, you’ll add valuable experience to your CV.
Build a Strong Portfolio or CV – Whether you're into art, coding, writing, or any other field, having a portfolio or a strong resume to showcase your work is key. A great portfolio or resume will set you apart from others and help you land your first job or internship.
Network and Connect with People – Building relationships is huge in any field. Don’t just wait for opportunities to find you; actively seek them out! Attend school or community events, participate in work experience, and follow people in the industry you’re interested in.
Keep Learning and Stay Curious – The world is always changing, and new things are happening all the time. So, make sure you’re always learning and improving your skills. Whether it’s through online libraries, books and articles, watching tutorials or mentoring with professionals, you keep your knowledge and skills sharp. Being ahead of the curve will make you stand out.
What to do next
Check out our Work Experience Finder to see the latest opportunities.
Interested in mentoring? https://brightside.org.uk/
Need access to a library of resources about different sectors? https://www.futuresforall.org/talks-library
Find out more about apprenticeships: https://www.gov.uk/become-apprentice
University pathways: https://www.ucas.com/discover
This blog is a guide, and careers are constantly changing. Please check the National Careers Service website for the latest information and all the qualifications needed, and the GOV.UK website for more on T-levels. For careers advice in all parts of the UK, visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).
