Working As A Live-in Carer

Your job as a Live-in Carer will be to help your client remain independent, safe, comfortable, and dignified in the comfort of their own home. As their Live-in Carer, you will live with your client for a set number of weeks. You will help them with daily tasks and any other requirements they might have.

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Duties

Some of the duties you Private Live-in Carer’s may be assisting with are:

• Helping the client to wash and dress

• Cooking and feeding if needed

• Medication assistance and organisation

• Light gardening (if you enjoy it)

• Cleaning and chores

• Looking after pets (If you do not like pets – no problem! We will find you work without pets)

• Helping with getting to and from appointments and social events

• Mobility

• Experienced Live-in Carers will assist with continence management

 

Most importantly as a Live-in Carer, you will be your client’s companion - keeping them company, watching TV together, reading books, enjoying hobbies. We try and match our Live-in Carers and clients’ hobbies and interests, so you have a lot in common.

Live-in Care can truly change a person's life in so many ways, and it’s an incredibly rewarding job.

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Here is some more information about Being a self-employed Live-in Carer.

Being self-employed means, you are responsible for paying your own tax and national insurance in the UK.

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Money –

The beauty of being a self-employed Live-in Carer means you can tell us how much you would like to earn. What we would then do is present your profile along with your daily rate to the client. It will then be down to your client to decide which carer they would like. On average our current clients are paying between £100-£145 per day. Of course, this is dependent on the level of care that is required for the client.

 

Expenses –

What can I claim for as a self-employed Live-in Carer?

Administration costs such as stationery or mobile phone bills, Travel costs, including fuel, parking, train, plane or bus fares

You can also claim Clothing expenses, financial costs, such as your insurance or any bank charges

If you own your own car and ONLY use it for your Live-in Carer duties’, then you can claim allowable business expenses. But remember this is for the business element only (i.e. 50% business use).

Ideas of allowable business expenses are: Vehicle insurance, repairs, servicing and breakdown cover, Fuel and parking, Vehicle licence fees (Road Fund Licence)

General Expenses that you may want to claim for: Hiring of accountants or solicitors for business reasons. Self-employed Live-in Carer Insurance policies, your DBS Checks & Health care training.

 

Travel –

Being a self-employed Live-in Carer, travel costs are not generally covered to travel to a client. Just like travel costs to and from an office job typically wouldn’t be covered either. However, if this is a requirement of yours to travel to a client, we are more than happy to present this requirement to our clients for you. It is then their decision whether they are happy to cover this for you or not. Don’t forget you can claim all business travel costs as an allowable expense.

 

PPE –

As you are a ‘self-employed’ Live-in Carer it is your responsibility to provide your own protective equipment which you are able buy from the chemist/supermarket etc, remember to keep your receipts as you will be able to claim these as an allowable expense.

 

Holidays –

If you are planning a holiday or fancy some time off, you will call the office to let us know. We ask kindly that you give us as much notice as you can so we can arrange another suited carer for your client.

 

Sickness –

If you are feeling sick and cannot work, you should give your client as much notice as you possibly can. We would then ask you to let the office know so that we can arrange for another Live-in Carer to be introduced to your client.

We would then ask that you do not leave your client until cover arrives.

 

Breaks –

We don’t think you can be a good Live-in Care unless you are feeling well. You must NOT be tired or stressed, to avoid this you need regular, sufficient breaks. We recommend to our clients that you need a 2-3 hour break per day. This is generally at a flexible time to be agreed with you and your client.