How To Become A Live-in Carer

By Author: Charlotte Amor
Total Articles: 2
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If you have found this page, the likelihood is that you are interested in finding a job as a live-in carer. You firstly need to ask yourself why it is that you are interested in this type of job; maybe you have worked in care before but would like to try something a bit different, maybe you are a caring person who would like to help somebody and ‘give back’ to the community, or maybe you are interested in earning some money. There are all reasons why people chose to become live-in carers, and this article will help you decide if this type of work is suitable for you, and the correct steps to apply for live-in care jobs UK.

What is a live-in carer?
The job description of a live-in care jobs UK is vast and varies from client to client. The main things you have to keep in mind, is being professional all the time, being patient and a good listener. Then if you are willing to learn - and have a positive attitude - and an interest to improve someone’s life, it will all come together like a jigsaw puzzle. Most of the training and things you will need to learn are based on common sense!
As a live-in carer, you ...
... will be expected to work 7 days a week with minimal time off during this time, for a set placement time (this depends on the agency that you are with and can range from 2 weeks to 8 weeks), you will then have a few weeks off as holiday before you then go back into placement. You are also required to live and work away from home, so if being away from your family and friends for this period would be a struggle for you, then this job may not be suitable and maybe you should consider another job in care such as home care where you visit clients homes during the day but return home at night.

Job responsibilities -
• Helping clients in and out of bed using hoists or other equipment
• Medication assistance and monitoring
• Companionship
• Assistance with correspondence and letter writing
• General house cleaning
• Keeping agency informed of any changes
• Writing reports as necessary
• Helping with Laundry, bed sheets etc.
• Shopping and cooking
• Helping with personal care
• Keeping all the above confidential etc.

What do agencies look for in a live-in carer? –
As a recruiter for live-in care across the UK the main thing I look for is somebody that is enthusiastic about the role, dedicated and most importantly has the right personal qualities for being a carer. Nothing is more disappointing than speaking to somebody who should theoretically be a great candidate and has year’s worth of experience along with qualifications, who then turns around and tells you they would like to become a live-in carer because they ‘just want a job and can’t find anything else’ or ‘the money is good’; this shows me that this person would not be 100% committed and does not have the clients best interests in mind.
Agencies look for people who –
• have a great understanding of the job role
• are dedicated to being a great carer and will always put the client first in all circumstances
• are naturally caring, understanding and patient people with great communication skills
• are flexible in regards to areas worked and placement lengths
• has a good level of English in order to communicate efficiently with not only the client, but also others such as doctors and the agency itself
• have a full manual driving licence
• have previous experience in care such as in residential care, home care or live-in care.

What is required to become a live-in carer?
To apply for a live-in care jobs UK you must –
• Have a valid UK work permit / UK or EU Passport
• Have a good spoken and understanding of the English language
The below are not a must, but will help you –
Having some experience and NVQ 2 & 3 are considered an asset.
If you can cook some healthy meals and know a few English recipes
Drivers are given a preference & there is more demand for female applicants.

Interview hints and tips-
• Be prepared to show the interviewer how passionate you are about caring, and about how much you would like to join their agency.
• Have a look on their website and read about the company beforehand, you will get an understanding of what they are all about and what they are looking for in a carer. They will always look for somebody who fully UNDERSTANDS the role!
• We all work for money (at the end of the day), but that is NOT the kind of answer they are after if asked WHY you have applied! This shows that you are only interested in the money side of things, and not because you would enjoy the job and are a caring person.
• Be enthusiastic; it's a necessity in caring and will also show the interviewer how keen you are on getting this job!
• Be prepared to illustrate your care experience – they will want to discuss this with you and hear about what experience you have had within the care sector, examples of which are live-in care, residential care and home care. A good tip would be to write down all of your previous care positions along with bullet points of what was involved in that role and what you experienced.
• If you have no care experience, tell the agency why you think you’d make a great Carer, and if you have had any experience which was not professional (such as caring for an elderly relative or friend) do let them know about this and what you enjoyed about this.
• Make sure you have up to date employment history on hand as they will ask about this.
• The agency will always want to see that you have done your research and fully understand the role so do your research on live-in care beforehand. What does it require, what will you be expected to do etc.
• Try to prove your maturity and that you can be trusted with the life of a vulnerable adult. This is a very tough job and it is not for everybody. You will have the life of somebody else in your hands so it is vital that you show them WHY you should be trusted with this.
• The agency will want to know that you’ll take the job seriously and are committed to caring. It would be wasting not only their time, but also your own if you are going to take this job but not put in 110% effort.