Jobs for older workers

If you are thinking about live-in care and wonder whether there’s an upper age limit for you to join our team, our message is simple: don’t let age be a barrier! We often get asked about jobs for older workers and you may be surprised to learn that more than half our professional care team is over the age of 50. To us age isn’t important as long as you’re fit, healthy and ready to provide outstanding care. Some of those who have joined us already have care experience, many have needed to care for a loved one or friend, enjoyed it and wanted to try something different from the career they may have had for many years. A career in Professional Live-in Care could be considered the best job for older workers.

We love diversity. Our vision is to be the leading provider of the highest quality care in the home. We enable older people to enjoy staying safely and happily in their own homes and own community for as long as possible, whilst enhancing their wellbeing and lifestyle. If you share this vision, read on and learn more about live-in care. It’s never too late to change your career and we think live-in care is a great choice for those who want to combine the opportunity to make a real difference to an older person whilst also enjoying quality time with friends and family.

We’re looking for the exact same basic skills and experience from all carers, regardless of age: 6 months’ professional care experience such as live-in carer, domiciliary carer, care assistant, support worker or personal healthcare assistant or similar OR you may have recent experience of providing personal care for an adult friend or family member including washing, bathing and toileting.

To be considered for our live-in care roles, you must also have:

• A high standard of written and spoken english
• The right to work in the UK
• Clear police, occupational health and reference checks
• Good professional and personal references
• Good family cooking skills
• Ability to run a home and keep it clean

During the recruitment process we are also looking for:

• Ability to run a home and keep it clean
• Good physical fitness for tasks like carrying shopping, stairwork and client moving and handling
• Sound mental health, while working alone and unsupervised in isolated assignments
• 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
• Evidence that you are comfortable using technology such as using a laptop as all our care plans are online and the first step of the application process is to fill in an online application form

But most importantly – everyone who works at The Good Care Group has compassion, commitment and energy. We enjoy what we do and feel privileged and rewarded every day. Your offer of employment will include a contract that states you are a direct and full time employee of The Good Care Group. This entitles you to all the benefits that come with being in full time employment with us.

If you’re not sure you have the right experience, we have a very friendly recruitment team who’d love to talk to you on 0203 728 7570.

We are not interested in your age, although you do need to be over 18 to join us as a professional live-in carer! What is important is that you are fit and healthy enough to care safely for an older person in their own home and perform tasks such as moving and handling safely.

People working in live-in care come from many different backgrounds. Some people may have decided that retirement wasn’t for them after all. Some people might want a change of direction, some people may want a change from a normal 9am – 5pm job. There are as many reasons as there are carers in TGCG and with a range of rotas to choose from you can probably find one that will suit your lifestyle.

We are not an agency and we do not hire self-employed or part-time staff. When placed with a client, you will receive regular income and paid holiday. We endeavour to place you with one client so that you can build a strong and mutually beneficial bond with them. Should anything happen to the client or they no longer need your services, we will work on getting you into another placement as soon as possible.

You can choose a rota pattern that suits you. You work a rota and then return home to enjoy your weeks off. For many older workers, it has been proven to be an ideal working arrangement as they are able to choose a rota to fit their lifestyle, and many older carers tell us they enjoy being able to spend real quality time with their clients, rather than having to travel from client to client or feel rushed in a nursing home.

You may enjoy longer rotas with a client which also means you have longer periods of time off at home pursuing your interests or spending time with family and friends. Or you may feel that a shorter rota ads variety and interest in your life and suits you better.

2 weeks on 2 weeks off
4 weeks on 2 weeks off
2 weeks on 4 weeks off
6 weeks on 2 weeks off
2 weeks on 6 weeks off
3 weeks on 3 weeks off
4 weeks on 4 weeks off

Matched to you

You’ll be placed with a client based not only on your skills as a carer, but on your compatibility as people. We look for shared interests and hobbies, experiences and backgrounds – the things that will help you bond more quickly and enjoy your work to the full – with all the benefits that brings to your own wellbeing.

• A competitive salary offered with merit-based pay progression. Earn up to £1,001 per week.
• Your salary will be reviewed after 6 months and annually thereafter.
• Transparent pay bands, rewarding individual experience, skills, training and qualifications
• Paid annual leave based on working patterns
• Carer referral scheme – up to £500 per referral
• Client referral scheme – up to £500 per referral
• All UK travel expenses paid whilst in placement
• Family discount on TGCG services (5%) plus 50% reduction on initial fee
• Enhanced rates paid for Christmas day, Boxing day, New Year’s day, Good Friday and Easter Monday
• Enhanced payment in specific couple-care placements

• Flexible working patterns
• Access to an innovative wellbeing programme to support you in supporting our clients; introduction of wellness plans to support positive mental health at work
• 24/7 access to a confidential employee advice line
• Regular contact with the Care management team; support from Carer Services team 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• Support through client or (personal) bereavement from our in house Consultant Admiral Nurse
• Online Carer community portal
• Annual refresher programmes with the opportunity to engage with your colleagues
• Regular programme of informative and development webinars
• Peer to peer support for all Carers joining us as part of our buddy scheme

Regardless of whether you consider yourself an older carer or a career changer, the support and guidance you’ll receive from day one with The Good Care Group exceeds almost anything else you would find in the live-in care sector. We want you to be the best live-in carer you can possibly be and we know how to help you achieve that.

Your introduction to The Good Care Group is on our in-depth five-day induction programme, where we will empower you with the right tools, skills and mindset to deliver the best care possible. Training takes place in London and Spain with your accommodation costs paid for. We also contribute to your travel costs.

After your induction training and after being cleared to work, you will be matched with a client and begin your 16-week probationary period. During this time you will be working towards your Care Certificate using our online course and you will have the full support from our Learning and Development team, as well as your dedicated care manager.

When in placement you will have access to support 24/7 – from a regional support team, your care manager and via our online carer community called 'Good Care Together'.

Good Care Together is a unique secure forum for The Good Care Group’s professional live-in carers where people can share advice, experiences and learnings with carer colleagues around the country. Good Care Together also offers help with admin, uploading expenses, scheduling time off and applying for overtime and has become an integral part of our carers’ daily life. You can find more information here. We also have a confidential employee assistance service, with counsellors providing 24/7 telephone support for any professional or personal issues you want to discuss. Our Consultant Admiral Nurse will also be there for you, offering support through any bereavement you may experience.

Training, supervision, coaching and mentoring are available to all our carers and you’ll be given the chance to reach your potential with opportunities for professional development and career progression. Like many of our team, you may want to specialise in caring for people with complex conditions – like dementia or Parkinson’s – or grow into a managerial role. Wherever your ambition lies, for support throughout your career, there really is nowhere better.

If you want to find out more about working for The Good Care Group, a great place to start is to attend one of our regular online events. Please see our events section to find out when our next live event runs. This will allow you to ask questions and find out more in the comfort of your own home. You are also welcome to contact our helpful recruitment team on 0203 728 7570.

If you’re ready to apply, your first step is to fill in our online application form. If you’re successful, you will receive an email inviting you to fill in our ‘One Experience’ questionnaire which is a series of questions online. Some of the questions explore how you would react to different care scenarios and it involves video and audio, so make sure you are in a place where you can hear everything clearly. The One Experience will take 30 - 45 minutes to complete.

After the One Experience you will be invited for a telephone interview followed by a face-to-face interview, but don’t worry you won’t be expected to travel to our London office for an interview. We’ll use WhatsApp, Skype or Facetime so that you can virtually meet our team before making a decision or you can meet our local teams in person.

If you are successful, you will be invited to attend the induction training in London or Spain, with free accommodation and either full payment or a contribution to your travel costs. As all of our roles are for “live-in” care positions, your accommodation and food will be provided whilst working on placement in the UK.

If you have any questions, our friendly recruitment team will be pleased to talk to you on 0203 728 7570.