...to leave this care co before I finish training because of uncaring attitude towards staff

[Ubertasha2]

Hello!

I have recently started training with another couple of women at a care agency to supplement my income and add to my now portfolio career. The people at the company seem pleasant but the management (on reflection) surprise surprise, don't seem to care much about the staff.

I knew when joining that a CRB check is paid for by us new starters (then reimbursed IF we pass the probation), and that the training is not only unpaid but WE must reimburse the COMPANY if we fail to get through the first 3 months etc. I also knew that the £10 hourly rate advertised is ONLY PAYABLE IF WE HAVE 100% attendance and 'performance'- whatever that means! etc etc- again, fine (I understand that agencies are often mucked about by time wasters and need to protect their interests up to a point), but we were all astounded to find out that we can be docked £2 an hour pay (from £10 down to £8 per hour) IF WE CALL IN SICK ON THE DAY!! The trainer told us that carers often get sick on the day (surprise surprise they are human!!!), and are too scared to call in sick as they will lose money they have earned for previous hours. Therefore the carers are allegedly going to work sick- wtaf when they are visiting frail, elderly, vulnerable folk?

We are concerned that- because they expect money back from the 'rubbish training' they offer if you fail to complete probation/3 months- that we will be charged if we pull out now. None of us have signed a proper contract, so can they charge us this money? We all want to get away from this agency, and an ex client's relative told me to "run for the hills".

The training mainly consists of writing things down- one of us has no care experience and says she is "none the wiser" about care work erm, great! All 3 of us have now done 3 days out of a 5 day training course and all want to stop and not proceed any further because we don't agree with the attitude towards the staff, and feel that if this issue is here now, how bad could it be or get? Any thoughts, please?

[justlikekatycarr]

£10 an hour is a lot for care companies to be honest.

For most it works out as less than minimum wage. Your travel costs don't cover the price of fuel, you have calls that are 15, 30 and 45 mins and don't get paid in between , expected to pick up and drop off non driving colleagues, some make you log in and log out in calls so your pay goes down.

It's nuts.

[Boiing]

It sounds very strange. Run away.

[justlikekatycarr]

Care agencies shit all over their staff!

[ToadsforJustice]

Run far away.

[EustaceClarenceScrubb]

Unpaid training? I would say run for the hills too!