Help to become a self employed carer

zerod · 2023-08-22T14:58:23+00:00

I'd love to hear your experiences of becoming a self employed carer. The pros and cons etc, I currently work 21hrs a week in a residential care home for the elderly which is more like a nursing home because they are taking in residents with high care needs. Carers are over worked and underpaid, £10.50 per hour feels like an insult. I'm wondering if becoming a self employed carer would help me feel valued? I've come across a few apps where by you 'advertise' yourself but wonder how good they actually are. What is the average wage I can expect to earn per hour?

YouMustBeHotYourPantsAreOnFire · 22/08/2023 17:29

I don’t know about self employed but have you thought about applying for a health care assistant role in the NHS? it could be at a cottage hospital if you fancy working somewhere smaller, it doesn’t have to be in a large hospital.

Band 2 as a new starter is around £11.47, you wouldn’t have to worry about insurance and the pension will be good.

MillWood85 · 22/08/2023 17:44

I also worked in care, and know exactly how you feel. I tried a nursing home (lasted 2 years) and then went into domicilliary care and that was even worse due to a person doing the rotas who didn't drive and understand the geography of the area we covered

A former colleague did go self employed, but it wasn't the holy grail she wanted. Insurance was expensive, and if a client went into hospital, she would be left without income. She also found that people were a lot more demanding because they were paying for it themselves. She ended up applying for a job ad in The Lady magazine and become a housekeeper/companion for someone and found that really rewarding financially.

PurpleBugz · 22/08/2023 19:07

Slightly different but if you want to work with disabled kids there is a desperate need for carers or what is sometimes called a PA. LAs frequently give families 'personal budgets' to find and pay their own carers but there are soooo few it's a joke. Then the few that are about only know how to care for learning disability kids and can't do the soiling clean up. Or they only know physical disability not mental. The caters I know of who do both get work through personal recommendations and are always turning people away. All is mums of Sen disabled kids know many other mums like us and will praise and value and recommend anyone able to give us a break and still give our kids the care they need. I literally told our carer today I love him because I got home to a house where all the toy trains that were out when I left were put away and where my son soiled himself he was bathed and dressed AND THE BATH WAS NIT COVERED IN SHIT like always seems to be the case with multiple other carers. I will definitely be recommending him to everyone I know and absolutely value him in a way I've never seen my mother value the carers she organised for my grandmother

Original poster

zerod · 22/08/2023 22:58

YouMustBeHotYourPantsAreOnFire · 22/08/2023 17:29

I don’t know about self employed but have you thought about applying for a health care assistant role in the NHS? it could be at a cottage hospital if you fancy working somewhere smaller, it doesn’t have to be in a large hospital.

Band 2 as a new starter is around £11.47, you wouldn’t have to worry about insurance and the pension will be good.

Unfortunately the nearest hospital is an hour away, it is quite remote here, I'd be willing to travel up to 20 min each way,

OP posts:

Original poster

zerod · 22/08/2023 22:59

PurpleBugz · 22/08/2023 19:07

Slightly different but if you want to work with disabled kids there is a desperate need for carers or what is sometimes called a PA. LAs frequently give families 'personal budgets' to find and pay their own carers but there are soooo few it's a joke. Then the few that are about only know how to care for learning disability kids and can't do the soiling clean up. Or they only know physical disability not mental. The caters I know of who do both get work through personal recommendations and are always turning people away. All is mums of Sen disabled kids know many other mums like us and will praise and value and recommend anyone able to give us a break and still give our kids the care they need. I literally told our carer today I love him because I got home to a house where all the toy trains that were out when I left were put away and where my son soiled himself he was bathed and dressed AND THE BATH WAS NIT COVERED IN SHIT like always seems to be the case with multiple other carers. I will definitely be recommending him to everyone I know and absolutely value him in a way I've never seen my mother value the carers she organised for my grandmother

I don't think I'd be the right person to look after children. No experience. I do enjoy caring for the elderly.

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AllLopsided · 23/08/2023 16:22

Just to say my MIL would love to have someone like you. We are not really sure where to start looking. The type of model offered by care companies isn't what she needs - and as she would be self funding she'd much rather find one person that she clicks with who will do the things she needs! I'm sure she can't be the only one. Good luck, I hope it works out for you.

Original poster

zerod · 29/08/2023 23:18

Unfortunately I'm not getting very far with finding jobs, I've contacted several other carers who all say there's more than enough work out there but when I ask where to look I get nothing

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AllLopsided · 02/09/2023 23:42

@zerod whereabouts are you based, if you don't mind saying? Just in case!

Original poster

zerod · 05/09/2023 22:49

I'm in Dorset, Wiltshire

OP posts:

Opp · 03/11/2023 11:40

I'm always looking for carers, there's a huge shortage and the role is currently hugely under promoted and demeaned as well as underpaid. Because it's perceived as undesirable work and not well paid we're always at risk of getting lazy arses who do it because they can't get anything and sit on their phone all day. It's a fricking nightmare.

It would be interesting to know what you think a fair hourly rate would be for a carer.

For reference I'm a band 7 nurse with 4 years of hard study and now have £60k debt / started off as a carer etc and get just over £21 an hour

Oldermum84 · 03/11/2023 11:55

Go to your local adult social care website, there should be guidance on how to become a PA and schemes you can sign up to.

Many PAs in my area charge £20ph but bear in mind you have to pay out in insurances, don't get holiday pay or sick pay etc. Also your hours may be a lot more sporadic and involve travel between clients, so you may not end up with much more than £10.50ph at the end of the day. However it may be nicer being in more control.

PAs are very much in demand where I am.