Some of the Frequently Asked Questions about working for us
Hourly Carer FAQs
No, CuraCare does not need its applicants to have experience in care. We find that it is more important for our applicants to share our core values of personalised care, reliability and honesty, independence with collaboration and continuous improvement.
We will invite you in to meet with one of our recruiters. They will explore with you whether the role and the company are right for you and whether you are right for us. If you are a good fit, you’ll be asked to provide information, as part of the pre-employment checks. Then, you will be invited to attend training and we will arrange work shadowing for you.
Pre-employment checks:
All offers of employment are subject to us carrying out the necessary pre-employment checks. These include contacting two referees, carrying out an enhanced check with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and checking your qualifications. Our recruiter will ask that you bring the following information to the first day of your induction:
- Proof of identity (UK birth or marriage certificate or UK driving licence photo card, passport, motor insurance certificate)
- Utility bill or bank statement in your name / address (dated within the last 3 months)
- Proof of National Insurance Number
- Copy of work permit, visa stamp and entry stamp in your passport (overseas applicants only)
- Copy of your Disclosure and Barring Check (if already held)
- Any relevant certificates of training
- A recent passport photograph
- DBS Checks
Yes, CuraCare provides its own award-winning training. This is delivered in our Twickenham branch and lasts for three days. This is followed by a period of paid work shadowing to enable you to build the skills and experience to work on your own.
Once in the role, we ensure that we give you the support to help you succeed. We’re very aware of how important having this support network is and this is partly how we became recognised as London’s Best Home Care Employer.
Yes, CuraCare calculates your pay and any deductions such as tax, national insurance, student loans and pensions. This saves you from needing an accountant as you would in a self-employed role.
You will be an employee of CuraCare. CuraCare is a fully managed service and take full responsibility for employing, training and supporting our carers. This means that we can provide you with unrivalled, local, 24/7 support, which we view as vital to your well-being. We also pay directly into your bank account every month and manage all of your tax and national insurance contributions.
The role of carer involves supporting clients to live as independently as possible. Client needs differ from person to person. So, one client may want someone to keep them company, another may need help with personal hygiene, another may need assistance with taking medication. No two clients are the same and so the tasks differ but the appreciation and sense of purpose from the role is the same between clients.
When we offer you a role, we will agree your hours of work together with you. These differ from carer to carer, based on personal circumstances. Most carers work between 10 and 35 hours per week.
Being able to drive and owning a car is a definite advantage to carers – it means that they can work with more clients and fit more into their day. That said, due to the urbanised nature of the area where we work, many carers use public transport or bicycles, so you don’t need to drive.
CuraCare is one of the few London Living Wage employers, meaning that we pay a minimum of £10.75 per hour. This is then increased at weekends and there are premiums paid for visits shorter than one hour.
CuraCare provides carers with red CuraCare polo shirts and ask that carers wear black trousers.
One of our values is independence with collaboration. This is because there will be times when you are working independently with a client. However, we recognise that we are always working as part of a wider support network – that is, we make sure our clients receive the very best all round support by working with the wider support network of clients’ families, health care specialists and the rest of the CuraCare team.
We pay carers on a monthly basis, with payments being made on the 7th of the month. So, for instance, January’s pay will be paid into your account on 7th February.
CuraCare strives to be the best place to work. Our efforts were rewarded by being voted Best Home Care Employer in London in 2019. This is partly due to our award-winning training but also due to paying more than other care companies (we are one of only a few London Living Wage employers) and because of the high level of support we give to our carers.
Live-in Carers FAQs
To work in live-in care roles, you will need experience in care. Clients requiring live-in care generally have more advanced care needs and so carers working with them will need experience. (For hourly care roles, no previous experience is needed.)
We will invite you in to meet one of our recruiters. If you live further afield, an interview can be held online. The recruiter will explore with you whether the role and the company are right for you and whether you are right for the company.
If you are a good fit, you’ll be asked to provide information as part of the pre-employment checks. Then you will be invited to attend training and we will arrange work shadowing for you. If you are travelling from far away, we will provide accommodation for you while you complete your training.
Pre-employment checks:
All offers of employment are subject to us carrying out necessary pre-employment checks which includes contacting two referees, carrying out an enhanced check with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and checking your qualifications. Our recruiter will ask that you bring the following information to the first day of your induction:
- Proof of identity (UK birth or marriage certificate or UK driving licence photo card, passport, motor insurance certificate)
- Utility bill or bank statement in your name / address (dated within the last 3 months)
- Proof of National Insurance Number
- Copy of work permit, visa stamp and entry stamp in your passport (overseas applicants only)
- Copy of your Disclosure and Baring Check (if already held)
- Any relevant certificates of training
- A recent passport photograph
- DBS Checks
We need to carry out an enhanced check with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for anybody working with vulnerable adults in the UK. To do this you will complete an application form. Once complete we will check your application and send it off. The cost of the check is £48.00, which you will pay and then we refund it to you if you successfully complete your 3-month probationary period. Whilst we apply for your DBS check as soon as possible, please be aware that the processing time can be anything from 1 week to 1 month, or on rare occasions it can be longer.
Yes, CuraCare provides its own award-winning training. This is delivered in our Twickenham branch and lasts for three days. This is followed by a period of paid work shadowing to enable you to build the skills and experience to work on your own.
Once in the role, we ensure that we give you the support to help you succeed. We’re very aware of how important having this support network is and this is partly how we became recognised as London’s Best Home Care Employer.
Yes, CuraCare calculates your pay and any deductions such as tax, national insurance, student loans and pensions. This saves you from needing an accountant as you would in a self-employed role.
You will be an employee of CuraCare. CuraCare is a fully managed service and take full responsibility for employing, training and supporting our carers. This means that we can provide you with unrivalled, local, 24/7 support which we view as vital to your well-being. We also pay directly into your bank account every month and manage all of your tax and national insurance contributions.
Live-in care will usually include personal care, (like washing, dressing and supporting morning and night time routines), supervision of medication, helping with odd jobs around the house, cleaning, cooking and of course companionship.
At CuraCare, live-in carers have a 2-hour break per day. Various shift patterns are available (e.g. two weeks on, two weeks off) and our aim is for live-in carers to work with the same clients on an ongoing basis.
It is helpful for live-in carers to drive but not all clients need it. The ability to drive will influence which clients you can work for but not stop you working with us.
Our live-in rates are £110.00 per day.
We do not generally ask live-in carers to wear a uniform. We ask that live-in carers wear smart clothing.
In rare cases (e.g. where we have been working with a client with dementia for some time) it may be helpful to wear a branded polo shirt.
One of our values is independence with collaboration. This is because there will be times when you are working on your own with a client. However, we recognise that we are always working as part of a wider support network – that is, we are ensuring clients receive the very best all round support by working with the wider support network of clients’ families, health care specialists and the rest of the CuraCare team.
We pay carers on a monthly basis, with payments being made on the 7th of the month. So, for instance, January’s pay will be paid into your account on 7th February.
CuraCare strives to be the best place to work. Our efforts were rewarded by being voted Best Home Care Employer in London in 2019. This is partly due to our award-winning training but also due to paying more than other care companies (being one of only a few London Living Wage employers) and because of the high level of support we provide to our carers.
Want to know more?
Or, if you’d like to find out more about working in a local, family-run home care agency team with an award-winning employer that offers a competitive salary, anniversary bonuses and ongoing development, read more at ‘why work for us’
Call one of our local branches or pop in for a face to face chat about what could be right for you:
East Sheen