Going to work can be so much more satisfying when you leave at the end of the day, knowing that you helped to put a smile on someone’s face.
Could you put together the perfect bouquet of flowers for someone’s birthday? Give someone a confidence boost by doing their make-up for a special occasion? Or help a family choose their next pet? These are just a few of the many ways that you could find satisfaction from helping others at work.
If you like what you hear, then read on to find out more about 10 feel-good roles. They might just offer exactly what you’ve been looking for…
1. Help animals and potential owners come together as a rehoming and welfare officer
By working to rehome animals, you have the potential to make all those involved very happy.
For an individual or a family, getting a pet is a big commitment (one that they are likely to have thought about for a long time), and they’ll usually be full of excitement and anticipation by the time they meet the person that could finally make that dream a reality: you! In equal measure, an animal who hasn’t had the best start in life will be in need of a lot of love and a place they can finally feel at home.
Working as a rehoming officer or rehoming assistant, you could be responsible for helping families and animals to choose one another and settle into their new lives, which can be a heartwarming experience!
Rehoming roles are often available with charities like Battersea Cats and Dogs Home and Dogs Trust, so it’s worth checking with your local branch to find out whether they have any roles available. Often, all you need to get started is a genuine passion for animals and the work that the charities do.
Interested in applying for animal rehoming jobs?
2. Organise special occasions as an event planner
People often hire event planners to help them organise special occasions. For example, a couple wanting to make sure that their wedding goes off without a hitch, or a family looking to organise a 60th birthday event.
As an event planner, much of the satisfaction will come from seeing everyone having fun at the event you plan. Special events are often cherished, and it can be incredibly rewarding to know that you’ve helped people create such happy memories.
You don’t need any particular qualifications to get started as an event planner and it’s completely up to you whether you decide to start as a trainee with an event planning company, or go it alone and work on a self-employed basis.
If you’d rather work on a self-employed basis, your main focus should be one winning over clients and building up your event planning experience. A great way to do this is to start by helping to plan events for friends and family or for local community groups. This will allow you to build up a portfolio and showcase your work.
It can also be helpful to get in touch with local event planners to ask if you can spend some time shadowing them, or join the Association of Event Organisers where you can meet like-minded individuals through networking events.
Although it’s not essential to have any qualifications, it can still be useful to take an event management course online to boost your skill set, enhance your credibility, and find out more about setting up your own business.
Interested in learning more about event planning?
3. Create a fun retail experience working in a toy shop
If you’re looking to work in a fun environment where you can warm the hearts of children, why not see if a toy shop near you is hiring?
Build-A-Bear Workshop, The Disney Store, Hamleys, and many other toy shops employ enthusiastic staff whose job is to make sure that every child who comes through the door has a unique and unforgettable retail experience.
For example, at Build-A-Bear Workshops, children can choose a stuffed toy and bring it to life by giving it a heart, voice, and full wardrobe. This is all carried out in a fun and ceremonious way that allows children to feel like their toys are really coming to life.
Roles like this aren’t for everyone, but it can be a fun way to brush up on your acting skills while getting paid.
Want to join in the fun?
4. Open a business and delight others with your services
Do you have an idea for a product or service that you know will bring joy to others?
If you’re finding it difficult to find the right role for you, sometimes it can be helpful to consider creating your own role by working for yourself. This is an effective way to take back control of your own future because the type of work you choose to do and how you choose to work will be completely up to you.
We interviewed a 59-year-old, David, who set up his own vintage-themed catering business and now sells ice cream and popcorn to customers in and around Blackpool and the Fylde coast.
As most business owners will tell you, it’s not all easygoing. But through his business, David aims to “deliver delight and joy” to every face that he meets and admits, that although building a business can be challenging, it’s worth it for the flexibility and level of choice that comes with it.
After some inspiration?
5. Help people find the perfect outfit or gift as a personal shopper
As a personal shopper, you’ll do more than simply help people with their shopping – you’ll have the ability to positively impact someone’s life.
A shopper could be looking for a whole new wardrobe to give them a confidence boost or a special gift for a loved one to show them how much they care.
The joy that a person could get from either of these purchases may be greater than you might expect, and knowing that you’re sending someone away with a smile and a feeling of accomplishment can be really rewarding.
There are several areas you can work in as a personal shopper – such as fashion, furniture, and beauty – so it’s completely up to you in what area you choose to help and inspire people.
You don’t need any specific qualifications or experience to become a personal shopper – though you might have an advantage if you have previous experience in customer service or sales.
However, many employers are happy to train people on the job as long as they have strong people skills and the right attitude.
Could personal shopping be the role for you?
6. Get tails wagging as a dog walker
There are few times that you’ll see any dog happier than when they realise that they’re about to go out for a walk. So, as a dog walker, you could quickly become a favourite in the eyes of many four-legged friends.
Plus, nothing makes a dog owner happier than feeling reassured that their loyal companion is being taken care of when they’re away or at work.
As long as you’re reasonably fit and have a love of dogs, there’s no reason why you can’t start walking dogs straight away.
Often, the most difficult part of getting started is finding clients and establishing yourself as a credible dog walker. But once you have a handful of happy customers, it’ll only be a matter of time before they start recommending you to others.
The easiest way to start meeting dogs that need walking is through websites like Tailster or Paw Shake. Here, you can set up a free account and apply for dog walking jobs as they become available.
These sites will take a small cut of any money you earn. But you’ll reap the benefits of their insurance policy, giving you peace of mind that in the event a dog was to become ill or injured while in your care, you’ll be covered against any claims.
Ready to meet some four-legged friends?
7. Spread happiness as a florist
A bunch of beautiful flowers can put a smile on anyone’s face. Flower bouquets or arrangements are associated with a special occasions – from Valentine’s Day to weddings and parties – and supplying beautiful flowers as a florist is likely to help make these occasions even more special.
Floristry requires plenty of skill and knowledge and one of the best ways to start is to apply for a job as a trainee or an apprentice with a local flower company.
Alternatively, you could try taking an accredited distance-learning course, which could teach you all the essential skills and knowledge needed to set up your own shop or flower stall.
For more information and tips on how to get started, check out our guide on how to become a florist. You might also be interested in our article; 17 of the most popular flower-arranging styles.
Ready to watch your floristry career blossom?
8. Give makeovers as a beauty therapist, make-up artist, or hairdresser
You could use your beauty therapy or hairdressing skills to make people feel happier and more confident.
Most people who decide to work in the beauty industry do so because they’re truly passionate about making people feel good. That could mean doing someone’s make-up before an important occasion, giving someone an exciting new hairstyle, or helping someone feel more confident about their skin by giving them a facial.
If you’d like to work in hair and beauty, you’ll need to be tactful, good with people, and have the ability to easily connect and build trust with clients.
You’ll also want to build up some expertise in your area of interest. You can do this by undertaking the appropriate training and setting yourself up on a self-employed basis, or by applying for a job as a trainee at a hair or beauty salon.
If you decide to work on a self-employed basis, you’ll need to make sure you have the right permissions and insurance.
Most self-employed hairdressers have public and professional liability insurance (which will protect you against accidents and injuries that may occur whilst the person is in your care). Plus, they have specialist hairdressers’ treatment risk insurance, (which will protect you against any claims for hair products and dyes that have had an adverse effect on any customers).
You’ll also need to check in with your local council, who’ll sometimes check that business owners are carrying out the right health and safety procedures.
Before setting up your own business, you might find it helpful to join the Freelance Hairdressers Association which promotes training and personal development.
And for more information and tips on employment and self-employment routes, our guide on becoming a hairdresser will hopefully help you on your way.
Interested in developing your skills in hair and/or beauty?
9. Bring fun and laughter as a children’s entertainer
Could you be the life and soul of a kid’s birthday party? If you’re fun, confident, and enjoy making children laugh, you could feel right at home as a children’s entertainer.
Children’s entertainers work in a range of different settings – from birthday parties to holiday resorts. Their job is to make sure children stay safe, happy, and have a memorable experience.
The type of entertainment you choose will depend on where your strengths lie. For example, you could be a balloon animal expert, have a few magic tricks up your sleeve, or wow with some science or theatre skills.
Kids are great at seeing straight through people who don’t really know what they’re doing. So, it’s best to choose something that you feel confident in so you can still perform well under pressure.
Repeat business from other children’s parents who come to one of your parties can be a huge driver of success for many children’s entertainers, which is why it’s important to get your routine right from the start. To help with this, it’s worth practising and honing your routine in front of your own children, grandchildren, or those of your friends before setting up a service.
If this is something that tickles your fancy, there are typically two ways to go about it…
- Join a company that specialises in providing children’s entertainment. Some prefer to take on people with experience, whilst others might be willing to hire those with little or no experience, providing they have a friendly demeanour and a positive attitude.
- Consider working on a self-employed basis and advertising your services in your local area. If you feel confident enough to do this, the first thing you should decide is what sort of entertainment you’d like to offer – for example, magic tricks, circus skills, and so on.
Once you’ve found your niche, you’ll need to apply for a DBS certificate (which you can show to potential clients) and public liability insurance. This will cover you in the event that a child (or adult) has an accident whilst taking part in your performance.
10. Uncover the magic of well-loved locations as a tour guide
If you’re particularly passionate about certain areas or tourist attractions in the UK or abroad, and you’d like to share the magic of these with others, you could consider working as a tour guide. This type of role can offer a great alternative to the confines of a 9-5 office job and give you a chance to get out in the fresh air.
The way you approach the profession will depend entirely on what kind of tour guide you’d like to be. For example, would you like to do guided walks around areas with stunning landscapes? Or would you prefer to work in galleries and museums, or at historic sites? The choice is yours.
If you have a specific site in mind, you might find it easier to contact the site directly and ask whether there are any tour guiding opportunities available. Alternatively, many tour guides decide to work on a self-employed basis guiding people around an area on a walking tour.
The best way to get started with the self-employed route is to join The Institute of Tourist Guiding, where you’ll find more information on training and personal development.
Working as a tour guide is a fantastic way to see as much of a country as possible, and to help others delight in it too. Your next adventure could be just around the corner…
Ready to get started as a tour guide?
Or for those who’d be interested in volunteering…
Work with your pet to make others smile
If you own a cat or dog and would love to brighten up someone’s day, then you and your pet might want to consider becoming part of a pet therapy team.
Once part of the team, the pair of you could go into hospitals, hospices, nursing and care homes, special needs schools, and a variety of other venues across the UK.
The aim of pet therapy is to provide companionship and friendship to people suffering from things like mental and physical illnesses and loneliness, who enjoy simply being able to touch and stroke a friendly and affectionate animal.
Charity Pets as Therapy (PAT) regularly look for dogs and cats of all breed types to join the PAT team with their owners. PAT dogs have also been shown to help young people who struggle with reading out loud in groups due to nerves or stress. They often become more confident and relaxed and begin to look forward to their reading experience, when they’re reading to their new friend – the PAT dog.
They simply ask that you have been the owner of the dog or cat for at least six months and that they are at least nine months old, with a full vaccination history. They must also be able to pass a temperament test to make sure they’re the right fit for the role.
Could you and your pet help others?
Final thoughts...
If you’re looking for a rewarding and fulfilling career that’s going to help spread some joy, we hope you’ve found this article inspiring.
For more career change ideas, why not head over to the jobs section of our website? You can search for roles here and read a wide range of helpful career advice.