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Freqquently Asked Questions

Our Live-In Care Service

I live overseas, can I apply for a live in care role?

So long as you are eligible to work in the UK you can apply to work with us even if you live abroad.You must have either a British passport, settled or pre-settled status as part of the EU settlement scheme, or hold a current visa that allows you to work in the UK with no restrictions. If you apply to work with us and you do not have one of these documents, we regret that we will be unable to process your application. Please note that we cannot assist with any sponsorship or visa requests – including those that hold a skilled worker visa or if you are applying for a health and social care visa.

For more information on what documentation is required for working in the UK please visit the UK government website.

If you’re looking to work as a live in carer, we cannot accept student visas. Student visas limit you to working a maximum of 40 hours per week in the UK, which unfortunately would not allow you to undertake a client placement with us, as you are required to work more than 40 hours a week caring for our clients.

For more information go to the UK Visas and Immigration page.

You will need at least 6 months professional care experience. You might have professional experience as a support worker, or as a care assistant in a residential or domiciliary care setting.  Or you might already be an experienced live in carer looking for a new way to maximise your earning potential.  However, if you have less than 6 months professional care experience, please do reach out to our team for a chat. Find out more about working for us and what we look for in our carers.

We are a national company and support our clients throughout England and Scotland. This could be in cities, towns or villages. At TGCG we look to match you with an ongoing client based on your skills and experience and the client’s needs, likes and dislikes, rather than purely on location. We know that companionship works both ways and that the experience is best for both of you when we get this right. Our aim is for you to work within a fifty mile radius of your UK base, but you may also be offered placements further away than this. We do ask that you are flexible with travelling, but don’t worry, you can claim your UK travel expenses back.

Due to working time regulations you must be over 18 to join us as a live in carer. We’re often asked if there’s an age limit for our live in care roles and some people are surprised when we say ‘no’. We have carers of all ages joining us, but the majority of our carers are aged 50+. That’s why we’re proud to be an age diverse employer with Rest Less. All of our team members share the same values and passion to provide the very best care.

 

Before you can attend our training we will need to contact your two most recent employers for a reference. Your recruiter will ask you to complete a form giving the contact details of four people we can contact for your references. It is important that you complete this as soon as possible so that we have plenty of time to contact your references. Any delay in us hearing back from your references will mean a delay in you being offered any placements..

Once you have successfully completed the initial interview and your compliance checks are complete, you will be offered a place on our induction training programme in Oxford. Once you have successfully completed induction training and our compliance checks we will  look to find you a suitable placement.. We place great emphasis on finding the right match for both our clients and care workers, so we cannot guarantee how quickly you will start in your placement.

However, we may be able to provide you with a short-term placement covering carer holidays or respite services for our client who use us to support families taking a break. If you are coming from overseas, please do not book your flight until you have had confirmation that you have a place secured on induction training.

We offer live in care placements that last from a couple of weeks to several months and we liaise with you to agree how long you believe you will be available for. Some of our carers remain with their clients for long periods of time, in some cases years, with breaks taken on an ad-hoc basis. This person-centred approach to both our carers and clients allows for consistency of care, whilst allowing you to achieve a balanced lifestyle, with the ability to decide when you can work in a placement for us.

It is not essential to be a driver if you’re a live in carer. However with a driving licence we have more choice over the clients we can place you with as some will specifically request a carer that can drive.

For our hourly roles, being a driver is essential as you will need to travel to different placements regularly.

It is important to consider whether working for Oxford Aunts is right for you. Our engagement contract is suitable for people who want to work from time-to-time, or who want to combine working with travelling and/or spending time with family.  In essence you tell us when you are available for work and we seek to find you a placement that works for you. If you need continuous guaranteed work, then this type of arrangement is probably not right for you. However, we will always do our utmost to place you in a suitable placement without undue delay once you have notified us you are available for work.

We also plan ahead and generally have a good idea of what placements are becoming available and are in regular communication with our carers, including those who are currently not working in a client placement so we have a good understanding of when carers are available.

For our hourly care roles, you will be offered a guaranteed hours contract. Therefore, you will have consistent pay for an agreed minimum amount of hours every week.

Yes, there are several incentives we offer carers who join us:

  • Free accommodation in a hotel whilst completing induction or in our own house or flat in Oxford when completing update training. You’ll also receive £40 towards travel to/from induction training.
  • We cover the cost of a UK police check (DBS).
  • Carers who return to us from overseas receive up to three nights’ free accommodation in Oxford before their placement starts or after their placement finishes.
  • We offer double pay rates for all regular UK bank holidays unless these dates fall on your normal day off.
  • Generous referral scheme

Yes. Your weekly pay will be paid straight into your account via a BACS transfer. However, it can be very difficult for someone newly arrived from overseas to open a bank account until they have a UK address. If possible, it is best to open an account through your own bank at home or open a HSBC Passport Account or a Lloyds Account in the UK.

We can support you with this and provide a letter of introduction to the bank of your choice as soon as you start work in a placement.

Many of our carers use online banking apps that are easily available on your mobile device, including Revolut, Transferwise and Monzo. These accounts can be opened in your home country and provide you with all the necessary banking information for you to be paid.

All offers of engagement are subject to us carrying out checks on your background and character. Before you can attend our training we will need to contact your two most recent employers for a reference. Your recruiter will ask you to complete a form giving the contact details of four people we can contact for your references. It is important that you complete this as soon as possible so that we have plenty of time to contact your references. Any delay in us hearing back from your references will mean a delay in your training and your employment with us.

Criminal records checks

We will need to carry out an enhanced police check (DBS) in the UK. This is a requirement for anybody working with vulnerable adults. You will be given access to your compliance portal  where you can add copies of your ID documents which will enable us to apply for your DBS. Whilst we apply for this as soon as possible, please be aware that the processing time for this check can be anything from one week – one month, or on rare occasions it can be longer.

Overseas police checks

If you have lived outside of the UK for twelve months or more in the last five years you will need to apply for an overseas police clearance. You can either organise this yourself and bring a copy with you to training, or ask our compliance team to support you with obtaining your overseas police check. It is normally a case of going to your local police station and requesting the check in person, often they can complete it on the same day you apply.

Please note: South African applicants must obtain a National Police Clearance Certificate based on fingerprints and name check. This is much easier to achieve whilst in South Africa, so we encourage you to get this before you leave for the UK. Local South African police clearances are not acceptable.

  • Passport / ID card
  • Two proofs of address dated within the last three months
  • Driving licence (if you have one)
  • Overseas police clearance (if required)
  • Any nationally recognised UK training certificates
  • Proof of National insurance (if you have one)

We will pay for your accommodation; a continental breakfast and you will receive £5 towards your lunch expenses. You just need to pay for your evening meal and cover any additional personal expenses. You will also need to pay for your travel to training, which will be reimbursed in accordance with our expenses policy.

Yes, every live in carer will have their own room while on assignment. Before accepting any live in carer jobs, your room will be checked by one of our care team staff to make sure it’s suitable and to ensure there is good WiFi.

Break times vary depending on the placement and the client’s daily routine. You’ll receive generous rest time in placement of 26 hours of paid breaks per week. Either the client’s family member or another carer will cover your breaks for you.

When we have been asked to provide a live in care service, our care assessor will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the person’s needs in their own home. This assessment will determine the level of care they need. Risk assessments are carried out regularly. We need to ensure that we can provide the best care possible, in the best interests of our clients. It’s important that our carers have all the information they need to provide high quality care, so if you feel a risk assessment is necessary, please speak with your care manager.

As this is a live in position you will need to commit to living with your client for a minimum of 10-12 weeks at a time, although many of our carers choose to stay in their placements for longer periods before having an extended break. We do not operate rotas. Our placements last from a minimum of two weeks up to several months as we try to keep our client and carers together for as long as is reasonably or practically possible to ensure continuity of care. Placement lengths are flexible and we can offer short-term relief or respite placements with a temporary client until we find the right on-going placement for you.

All placements are within 70 miles of Oxford, so you must be flexible to travel to your client’s home.

Yes, a care plan is written by your care assessor during the assessment of each client, detailing medication, medical conditions and all assistance required for that person’s day-to-day care.

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