Live-in Care Worker FAQs

A full-time, live-in care job means living with a client in their home and enriching someone’s life by providing dedicated one-to-one care. The care will vary from client to client, their circumstances and health conditions. Your placement will depend upon your level of experience and how closely you match individual client needs.

Even if you’ve never worked as a home carer before, you can still apply as we provide a full in-house training package, as well as regular refresher training sessions and 24-hour support.

Most of our clients are elderly and many are confused or in poor health, so you must have patience and good humour at all times. You will be a genuinely compassionate person; always dependable and with plenty of common sense.

Potentially. Clients often have their own car and like to have their live-in carer drive on their behalf. It is essential that if you accept a booking where you are expected to drive, you ensure that your driving licence is valid, up to date and that the client arranges the appropriate insurance cover for you.

As a live-in carer, you’ll work an average of eight to ten-hour days (not necessarily consecutive ) a day but you’ll need to be on hand to help the client if needed.

You’ll also always have a two-hour break (off the premises) everyday. On average, most live-in carers will work between six and a half and seven days a week.

As a live-in carer, you will be employed and paid directly by us. Our pay rates and terms and conditions are highly competitive, as we benchmark our pay against our competitors to ensure we are always paying in the top 25% and are among the highest-paid live in jobs in the UK. Your salary will be discussed at your interview and set out in writing in any job offer we make.

Generally speaking, a live in-home care salary will vary, depending on experience and the level of support a client requires.

Live-in carers are paid by direct debit. As employees of Berkeley Home Health and we deduct your taxes and national insurance contributions at source under Pay As You Earn (PAYE).

If you want to work the weekends as a carer, you may be more suited to our Visiting Care service. These may be shorter assignments and providing care for multiple clients.

Find out more about Visiting Care.

Please ensure you provide the following items for your live-in care interview:

• Proof of identification & eligibility to work in the UK
• Passport/s, EU identity card, or photographic driving licence
• Proof of eligibility to work in the UK (e.g. visa for non-EU passport holders)
• Proof of address in the UK (e.g. bank, credit card statement or utility bill less than 3 months old)
• UK Birth certificate (if applicable)
• National insurance number (e.g. card or job centre letter or payslip stating the number)
• Valid driving licence. For UK licences this is both your paper counterpart and the photocard. Alternatively, your foreign licence allowing you to drive in the UK (with your original International licence)
• Details of your Skills & Experience
• Your full CV covering an up to date full working history
• Documentation proof to support your application, for example, qualification certificates

After you have successfully completed a formal interview and before you begin work as live-in home carer, we’ll need to follow up with your references. It may speed their return if you forewarn your referees we will be contacting them.

We also process Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB/ DBS) Disclosures for each live-in carer for the elderly, but once we have completed our checks you will be ready to start work as soon as the client agrees on a start date.

We take great care in matching our carers to our clients and the start date can depend on finding the right placement for you, but normally this is within a week or two.