A rewarding career choice that can change lives
As a carer with Oxford Aunts you are responsible for caring for and supporting a person to continue to live a purposeful and fulfilled life in the comfort of their own home. Many of our clients are living with complex conditions, like dementia, Parkinson’s or MS, or may be recovering from a stroke or learning to live well with cancer – the difference you can make through your dedicated, compassionate care can really improve a person’s overall health, well-being and quality of life.
Our carers enjoy providing live-in care as it allows them to provide one-to-one high-quality care and really build a relationship with the person they are caring for, something that is not easily achieved in a care home setting or if you are rushing from one household to the next.
Being a live-in carer is undoubtedly one of the most rewarding and enjoyable jobs you can have. We know from feedback from our existing carers and the number of referrals they make to others to become carers with us, they love working for Oxford Aunts.
So, if you have a caring and compassionate nature and have experience of providing care in a formal setting – we would like to hear from you.
Your role as an Oxford Aunts carer
Our carers provide care, support and companionship to older people who are living with a range of conditions, including but not limited to:
- Dementia
- Parkinson’s
- Mobility and frailty issues
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- Stroke recovery
- Cancer
- Respiratory conditions
- Palliative / end-of-life
As a carer your duties will include:
- Personal care
- Companionship and emotional support
- Continence support
- Social support including help with maintaining hobbies, interests and activities both in and outside the home
- Supporting a range of complex conditions
- Medications administration and management
- Domestic tasks and gardening
- Meal planning and cooking
- Pet care
Find out more about life as a live-in carer to see if it is the right choice for you.
How does our live-in care work?
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.
Once you have successful completed our recruitment process, which includes a Situational Judgement Test (SJT), we will be able to ascertain your aptitude for delivering live-in care and ability to meet the needs of a specific client. We then take time to match your background and level of experience with a client, so you are effectively able to meet their needs.
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 a 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.
Why work for Oxford Aunts
Flexibility to meet your lifestyle choices
Our flexible engagement options allow you to choose as and when you work. Placements can last from a couple of weeks to several months and we liaise with you to understand and agree how long you can commit to one placement. Some of our carers remain with their clients for much longer periods of time, in some cases years with planned breaks and holidays. This flexibility means you can fit your work pattern around your lifestyle choices, whether you are a travelling overseas carer or a local carer who wishes to pick and choose when you work. If you are thinking of travelling around the UK and Europe, our placements provide a UK base from which to explore, generous time off during your placement and good rates of pay provide any required holiday funds.
Exceptional rates of pay
Our rates of pay are very competitive. You can expect to earn between £651 – £700 gross a week, depending on the level of care you are required to provide.
We are not an agency
You will be engaged to work with us for the duration of your placement. We handle all your tax and national insurance deductions during that period, so that’s one less thing for you to think about.
Paid holiday
Whilst you are working for us you accrue holiday as part of your allowance. We support our carers to take holiday breaks when they have been working a placement for a long time to protect health and well-being, ensuring you are well rested to work again. Alternatively, you can decide to take holiday accrued during your placement as a payment when the placement ends.
We pay a days’ holiday for every 9.5 days you work. If you work in a placement for a longer period of time this affords you flexibility to have regular paid leave, or if you are travelling you can add accrued days onto the end of your placement.
Supporting your wellbeing
We recognise that you will need time to rest and recharge, especially if you’re supporting a client over a number of weeks. That’s why we provide generous rest time in your placement. You will also have access to our Assistance Programme, which is a free confidential advice line that supports you in times of need.
Unrivalled local support
We are here to support our carers every step of the way – there is always someone on the end of the phone when you are working in a placement. You will be supported by a Care Assessor who is local to your placement and will ensure you have everything you need to deliver the high standards of care our clients should expect. The Care Assessor works closely with a dedicated Care Manager who will also provide support to you in your placement from our office in Oxford. We also offer 24/7 emergency support so you will never feel you are on your own.
Comprehensive induction training
We provide a professional induction training programme in Oxford and London which all new carers must complete prior to being placed with a client. Over five days you will learn everything from personal care, manual handling, medication administration through to how to support a person living with complex conditions, like dementia or Parkinson’s or for those needing palliative/end-of-life care. We also contribute towards the cost of your travel to/from induction training.
On-going professional development
We believe that training is an on-going process and offer our care teams with update training courses and support them to complete their NVQ Level 2 Health and Social Care Diploma.
Free accommodation for our carers
When you attend our training, we offer all new carers free accommodation located in the heart of Oxford, as well a contribution towards travel costs to/from induction training. Returning carers are also offered up to three nights accommodation if they need to attend update training.
Opportunities to build friendships
Whilst we provide live-in care within 60 miles of Oxford, most of our clients are in clusters in and around Oxford. Many of our carers have over time become friends and spend time socialising together and supporting each other in their placements – we are a community who cares.
What we look for in our carers
Eligibility to work in the UK
All our carers must be eligible to work in the UK either with a UK or EU passport, Ancestry Visa or an Indefinite Leave to Remain.
Care experience
We are very proud of the high standards of care we provide our clients and require all our carers to have hands on care experience gained in a formal setting. Whilst we appreciate that having experience of caring for a family member is valuable, we know it is very different when caring for a stranger. If you have got informal experience caring for a family member, we suggest you gain 160 hours formal experience in either a care or nursing home environment on a paid or voluntary basis so you can truly experience aspects of caring for someone you do not know. It will also give you the opportunity to brush up on the practical tasks of caring, including washing, showering, dressing, toileting, supporting incontinence and hoisting.
In addition to care experience, we require our carers to have the following skills, attributes and abilities:
- Fluent spoken and written English
- Good family cooking skills
- Ability to run a home and keep it clean
- Good physical fitness for tasks like carrying shopping, stairwork and client moving and handling
- Good personal hygiene and a tidy and appropriate dress sense
- Effective communication, observation and reporting skills
- An appreciation of people with care needs and the capacity to value them as individuals
- Confidence in washing, dressing and providing continence support
- The understanding to work with people from a range of backgrounds and to recognise their values, practices and customs
- Ability to fit in and respect a client’s lifestyle and home, as well as their right to choice, dignity, privacy and independence
- A kind, caring and sensitive approach with a demeanour suitable for our clients
- Capacity to empathise with the effects of losing ability and function whilst maximising the physical and mental potential of clients
- Organised, flexible and resilient with a sense of humour
- Ability to work on own initiative and to remain calm in difficult situations
- Willingness to undertake training
- Ability to recognise personal limitations and take action to prevent deterioration in working performance or escalation to a crisis situation
JOIN OUR EXCEPTIONAL TEAM TODAY
Do you think you have what it takes to become an Oxford Aunt carer? Visit our Jobs FAQs to find out more or apply online.