Care Agency work. Any tips or advice you can give me?

[shepherdsdelight]

I have an interview on Tuesday and I would be grateful for any advice that might enhance my employment prospects.
For example I am available for weekends as well as week days.
I have decades of experience of customer service.
I am kind but professional too.

I am not unduly phased by vomit/poo etc.
I am reliable
I am fairly fit and healthy - not overweight and reasonably energetic.

What might make me stand out as a better candidate than some one else?

I am applying because I am looking for a change of direction career-wise. I have run a pub with my dh for over 20 years and whilst my dh could retire in 3 years time, I have (at least) 11 years of work ahead of me. If I remain fit and healthy I may well want to work beyond 66 (current earliest retirement date)
I don't want to wait until dh retires and sells the pub before I start moving into another line of work because I think it will be harder for me to get work the older I get (55 is better than nearer 60).
I started doing voluntary work with the elderly a few months ago just to try it out and I am LOVING it - and would want to keep that going alongside any paid work.
Ultimately I would love to be a Social Activities Co-ordinator for a big nursing home or a chain of nursing homes, but in the interim I thought agency care work might be a stepping stone.

Any thoughts/comments/advice?

I have worked in a mental health care agency recruitment place.

If I can be honest - are you trustworthy, puntucal, able to work at a minutes notice (in some cases) and have a good grasp of the English language? Have you got a strong accent that older people may not understand? Can you drive? Are you willing to pay for your Criminal records check and training you may need to do? Are you vaccinated against Heb b?

I think that was our entry level criteria - good luck and let me know how it goes

Thanks - sbp! Resounding 'yes' to everything except the hepB vac.
Interesting that you should mention language/accent - it appalls me that so many 'carers' don't realise that they are mumbling or talking so fast even I have trouble keeping up. I know with my own mum (she's 96) that I lmust look at her when I speak, and speak relatively slowly and enunciate every word. My accent is home counties and I am not quietly spoken (so dh says anyway!)
Also, with my mum, even when I am trying to do a lot of things at once - eg make a cuppa, wash up, see what she has in the fridge/cupboards etc that I have to do it all in a relatively calm, slow way or she gets flustered. I can see that that could be difficult if I am on a very tight schedule to get around a number of clients. I understand some agencies are now promising a minimum time allocation of 1 hour per visit, rather than 15 minute slots.

I'll probably post again tomorrow after the interview! fingers crossed

They liked me!! Actually they liked me a LOT!! I'm going to be PAID to do something I live. A few days of basic training in August, CRB check, refs to check out - then I should be able to start in September. I can't wait

Congratulations on your new job. I hope you will enjoy it, and it sounds like you will be fab! I had clicked on to give you some interview tips, but really pleased you've been offered a job already.

I knew you would be OK - well done .