Working as a Carer is a very rewarding experience that allows you to build a connection and make a difference to someone’s life. If you have great communication skills and a genuine interest in helping others, a career as a carer could be perfect for you. Working as a carer has a number of benefits including flexible working hours that can fit around studying and other duties.
If you are a carer considering becoming self-employed as a live-in carer, or you are interested in starting your career as a self-employed carer, we have collated some information to support you.
How to Become a Self-Employed Carer
Volunteering
If you are interested in becoming a carer, consider spending some time volunteering, this could be through a care agency or at a local care service. Volunteering allows you to gain some experience working as a carer allowing you to consider whether it’s the right fit. You will need to complete any checks and assessments prior to doing so.
If you know someone who does care work, have a chat with them and see if they have any advice for an aspiring carer as a private carer or at a care home. Any time spent caring for a friend or family member is a helpful experience which can help you develop some of the skills you will need for the job.
Training
There are plenty of resources and training courses available online to help you become a carer. E-learning is a useful way of training as it allows you to study on your schedule. If you are completely new to caring and need an induction course, Consult Care offers a five-day induction course on various areas of care including Dementia, End of life, and Health & Social Care.
Spend time researching the areas you could pursue to see which would be the best fit. Consult Care also offers a job search tool for when you qualify. Ask Sheila is a useful resource that allows you to ask and browse through questions about Social Care, so if you need advice from a professional, the Ask Sheila site is excellent.
Explore what qualifications you would need to work as a carer.
Becoming a Self Employed Carer
If you are already a qualified carer but work for an agency, you may be ready to start working for yourself. Like any big change, becoming a Self Employed Carer can seem daunting, however, this kind of work tends to be more flexible and you have more control over the way you work. It’s valuable to have plenty of experience as a carer before becoming self-employed which can help you make vital decisions.
Even if you are working for yourself, there is still a lot of support available for self-employed carers. Simply Business offers a fantastic step-by-step guide which details information including tax and business insurance. Research is crucial when making a big change so the more you can learn, the better.
Working as a Care Assistant
Ukcil is the UK’s largest Personal Care Assistant database, offering a range of great resources. It’s free to sign up, and you can specify the times and locations you’d like to work in.
Working as a carer in any capacity is an amazing role which gives great job satisfaction. You will truly be making a difference to someone’s life, and the potential client you are caring for will make such a difference to you. If you would like to browse carer jobs, Care Home is the leading UK Care Home jobs board with many of roles to browse. If you are looking for live-in care jobs, Live In Care Friends has many jobs available in this area.
At Blue Badge, we are leading suppliers of mobility scooter insurance including self-employed carers insurance for those who are looking to set their own hours. We understand that this role can be demanding and mistakes can be made, therefore it’s vital to cover yourself with insurance.
We offer 2 levels of Public Liability Insurance – £1 million OR £5 million. If you were to injure someone or damage someone’s property whilst carrying out your care activities or if you were to make an error or omission whilst providing the care you would be covered under this policy. The policy also includes cover for providing medication, legal expenses in the event of a liability claim and up to 90 days of cover for Care provision whilst on holiday.
Contact our team today to discuss the next steps for your self employed carers insurance policy.
More Work & Support
- https://www.ytboss.co.uk/: You’re the Boss: Business planning, Customers, Finance, Getting started and Insurance
- https://papool.co.uk/: PA Pool: Helps to find work
- https://supercarers.com/: Super Carers: Helps to find clients, work & Training
- https://www.online-care-courses.co.uk/: Care Assistant Training: CPD Accredited E-Learning. Variety of courses to pick from
- https://www.carersuk.org/: Carers UK: UK’s only National membership Charity for Carers.
- https://www.jobs4carers.co.uk/: Jobs4Carers: Free to use for Carers, also offers information resources for Carers.
