For Newcomers to Minnesota: Careers in Aging Services That Value Your Background
If you are new to Minnesota — whether you arrived recently or have been building a life here for a few years — you may be looking for work that values what you bring: your work ethic, your resilience, your language skills, and your experience caring for people.
Aging services communities across Minnesota are actively looking for people like you. And this field has a history worth knowing: immigrant and refugee workers have long been among the most dedicated caregivers in Minnesota’s senior living communities. That isn’t an accident. The qualities that come from navigating a new country — patience, adaptability, genuine empathy — are exactly what this work requires.
What kinds of roles are available
Aging services communities employ a wide range of workers across six career pathways. You do not need a clinical background to get started. Many entry-level roles in direct care, dining, housekeeping, and maintenance are accessible with basic English proficiency and a willingness to learn.
Roles with pathways to advancement include nursing assistants, dietary aides, housekeeping aides, and home health aides. For those with professional experience — in healthcare, administration, finance, or other fields — there are professional roles in Minnesota’s aging services communities that may match your existing credentials.
Your languages are an asset
Minnesota’s aging services communities serve residents from many cultural backgrounds, and the ability to communicate with residents and families in their native language is genuinely valuable. If you speak Somali, Spanish, Hmong, Karen, Amharic, Arabic, or any other language, that is a real professional asset in this field — not just a personal one.
Some employers are even actively seeking multilingual staff to better serve their communities. When you connect with employers through the Employer Match tool, it’s worth mentioning the languages you speak.
Support available for newcomers entering the field
The Caring Careers Start Here resource library includes links to training programs, scholarship opportunities, and community resources available to Minnesotans entering aging services careers — including programs that work with newcomers and non-native English speakers.
The Caring Careers Start Here website also includes a translation plugin, so you can explore content in your preferred language.
How to take the first step
Visit the Find Your Career page to explore the six career pathways and see which roles might be a good fit for your background. The Employer Match tool lets you find aging services communities near you and send a direct message — no formal application required.
You don’t have to have everything figured out before you reach out. Many employers are willing to have a conversation and help you understand what a path forward could look like. Your background matters here. This field is better for it.