To wonder why I’m working for £9.20 an hour

[Dragula333]

Care work, it’s chronically poorly paid but I know there are still care companies paying £10/11 an hour.

I have a degree and a Master’s, not that it makes me any better but I just feel I should and could be on a higher wage. It’s an important and very rewarding job, and I do like it but I’m starting to feel like a fool.

So many places pay better, Aldi, Amazon etc.
Would you accept this wage ?

Only if I was very dedicated to that work and there was the prospect of advancement and earning more in future. Otherwise, yes, I’d move to Amazon and the like, particularly with the kind of sign-on bonuses they’re throwing around at the minute.

Why not move to a better paying job then?

Carers are totally underpaid, unfortunately a lot of owners see homes as a way to print money, look at the high spec cars they drive , where they holiday. My daughter works in care and when I saw her with my mother in law , dementia and limited mobility, I was so impressed how she managed to help her without her noticing she was being helped. She gets paid more than minimum wage, not by much, and she's starting her level 3 NVQ to work as a,senior carer.

No I dont think I would, that's horrifically bad. Do you happen to know what your clients pay per hour? We pay £19/hr to the agency for my dad, I'd hope to God the carer sees a good chunk of that.

I stopped doing care work, the main reason was the money, it’s just not a living wage.

The other reason was poor management and the expectation that you would work for free after your shift ended.

It's more than i earn as a childminder!

I’m not sure exactly what the clients pay but I think it’s around £20 an hour.

To the PP who asked, yes I am going to move to a better paid role.

I just feel a bit stupid that I’ve completed a degree and Master’s to earn £9.20 an hour

What is your Masters in?

Care work is notoriously underpaid so you either have to move up the ladder or switch career.

It’s in Education
The next step up at our company is a Team Leader, but the salary advertised is 25p more an hour to essentially be a dogsbody..
Doesn’t seem worth it

With your qualifications you should be able to find equally rewarding but better paid work elsewhere. Nobody is forcing you to remain. So I think YABU to complain about the situation.

But I know many people working in care homes who stay because they enjoy the work. They get an hourly rate plus overtime an unlike eg teachers they are not expected to do long hours of unpaid overtime. If they work as bank staff across different care homes they can also make much more than £9.20 an hour.

@Dragula333

It’s in Education The next step up at our company is a Team Leader, but the salary advertised is 25p more an hour to essentially be a dogsbody.. Doesn’t seem worth it

That's so depressing isn't it, just £600 odd extra a year for doubtlessly even more responsibility and stress. It's such a woefully underpaid job for one that is so so so important

It's more than i earn as a childminder!
Do you mean you get paid less than £9.29 per hour total or less per child?

No people should not be earning such a low wage for such an important job. It shows how little we value our most vulnerable members of society how little we pay those looking after them.

As someone upthread said care home managers are raking it in while scrimping on care.

Lots of things are poorly paid. I guess the job satisfaction might not be as good at a shop or a warehouse. Could you do something with your degree?

No I wouldnt do that work for that pay with your qualifications. You would get more as a self employed cleaner.

Why are you not using your degree and masters OP? Clearly the decision is yours, what were your intentions when you started your third level education, what changed and why did you fall into care work?

It's a thankless job. Staff are over worked, underpaid and stressed. Some care homes are charging residents £800k + but staff are scrapping by on the bare minimum. They've now declared that all staff have to be fully vaccinated by 11 November or risk losing their jobs. Good luck with that!

A Degree and a Masters, it begs the question why have you become a carer instead of using your qualification's to get a better paid job??

But surely you knew the wage when you applied?
Why did you not apply for graduate jobs?

I work in care and get over £12 an hour, but then I work nights as a Senior carer.

Why not get a professional job given your qualification level?

If you like that kind of work look at jobs in the nhs. I'm a support worker for people in their own homes and with the sleeps and enhancement pay it's not a bad wage.

We need more HGV drivers up goes pay and visa for people come in. We need more care workers… deadly silence no visas and up to business to pay more which isn’t going happen because care is money making business. Every winter I think this year surely they have start paying carers at least same rate that cleaners get £10-15 hour given instead of cleaning loos they are literal cleaning poo off living breathing people but nothing as yet.

Best of luck, I hope something major happens and you will get more but just likely to leave in 6m feeling totally wrecked and unvalued.

Yes I did know the wage when I applied, I do like the work and think it suits me much more than teaching ever did. I think I’ve just had a moment where I’ve realised how poorly paid it is and feeling like I’m wasting my education. I’m going to stick it out a bit longer anyway then aim for higher wages

It's really disgusting that we pay the people who are looking after our elderly and loved ones just about NMW.

I hope that this current crisis will lead to a pay raise well above inflation.

If you were employed in a better salaried job, you would probably be able to receive things like;

Contributions from your employer into their company pension
Free life insurance & death in service payment
Paid sickness & holiday
Other benefits & perks
Flexible working
Bonus
Shares
Etc