Does anyone work as a home carer for the elderly

[Ripeberry]

Hi, I'm a SAHM, have been for almost 5yrs and i'm desperate to find some work that will enable me to get out of the house and start earning some money for myself.
Have no nearby relatives to help with childcare and my DH does not get home until 7pm at night, so lots of p/t jobs are out of reach.
I certainly do not want to work at TESCO or any other retailer.
Over the last 3yrs i have been doing voluntuary work for Age Concern as a volunteer gardener for elderly and help out with the local "dial a ride" scheme.
I've seen lots of my clients being visited by home carers over the years and i would think that early morning and maybe evening work would be great for me as it would fit in with my husbands hours of work.
Another bonus would be no childcare costs!
Do you think it would be possible for a home care provider to let me shadow someone for a couple of days to see what the job entails.
I already have a enhanced CRB check certificate.
Thanks for listening..
ab

I'm bumping this as there are people who might be able to help you - maybe this is their time of day...

Hi Ripeberry, i should think the agencies in most places would snap you up!! I work in this sort of industry and we always have inductions that are about a week in length. If it is just nights you want then you may be asked to work days for a while so the clients get to know you better and arent so scared to see a new face at night. Thats what happens in our home, but if you have children below 6 they should be able to work around your needs.
Remember you can claim certain child care costs if they are at a registered childminder or nursery, tho i cant remember how much i know its quite a lot you can claim for. Tax credits dept will know.
A lot of companies now offer free NVQ training as all carers should be at least NVQ 2 qualified by end of 2008. Dont let that scare you, I bet through your voluntary work you already know an awful lot, its mainly a case of putting that on paper.
Hope it goes well

Hi i have 3 kids i need to work around. I've applied to be a homehelp for age concern hometime. It pays aoround £7.50 an hour and involves light housework, shopping and collecting prescriptions. No peronal care. Can work hours to suit.

Ooh, I'm just thinking about this too for next yr when youngest starts pre-school. Thanks for sharing your info Cherryblossom, £7.50 sounds great! I've got no experience though, other than having 2 small kids and don't suppose that counts?