It can be a difficult time when you realise that you need additional support for your loved ones. It may be that their health and level of care has reached a level that you are unable to sustain or are not qualified to handle. Others might need temporary private caregivers. In order to support them through a specific timeline of recovery. And some families might need specific care support for disabled or special educational needs. Whatever the case is, it is important to recognise that it is OK to ask for help.
We are lucky that in this modern time, there are lots of options, possibilities and private caregivers for hire. Here is a guide to hiring a private caregiver.
Establish Your Home Care Requirements and Needs
There are four main areas of care requirements which you should decide if you need for your loved one. These four care requirements are:
- Emotional Care
- Medical Care
- Household Care
- Personal Care
The level of care you require in each of these areas should be well considered. As it will help shape and mould what your requirements are and the recruitment process ahead. Try to look into the future of possible developments. As well as the way the level of care might increase. This will allow you to recruit specifically for someone who will be able to develop and grow within the role.
Describe the Job
Regardless if you are going to work with a professional agency or self-recruit. To help find the right person out of all the private caregivers for hire, you should have a clear job specification. This will help you identify all the aspects of the home care needs to ensure you can identify a candidate who meets them.
Furthermore, if you decide to work with a professional agency, they will relish the detail that you are providing. As this will allow them to better match the right candidate to the role. Of course, the job description can change. But bear in mind if it changes too dramatically you’ll be back to square one of the recruitment process.
Using a Professional Agency
There are two types of professional agencies that offer private caregivers for hire. Agencies like ourselves, who are headhunters. We identify the right candidate, make the right match and then you go forward as employer and employee with the chosen caregiver. Other agencies will continue to be involved, be paid directly and in turn, provide the staff.
Pros: Depending on which type of agency you work with, you should always have fully vetted and professional carers coming to work for you. It can be a big relief to know that you don’t have to spend hours or days vetting potential private caregivers for hire. And that the people coming for an interview are suitable for the role.
Cons: Typically there will be higher fees associated with using an agency. This is because you are paying for a professional service. With our agency, there is a one-time fee. But with the long-term agencies, there may be ongoing fees associated with them.
Self-Recruitment
Pros: You avoid any agency fees, and deal directly with the candidate. This can lower the cost. You can also reach through your own network of friends and colleagues. This to find personal recommendations of private caregivers for hire.
Cons: This can be an extremely lengthy and time-consuming process. It is always greatly vital you fully vet the candidates. This to ensure that they are who they say they are, and they have all the required paperwork (DBS, qualifications etc). Don’t be taken advantage of.
Interviews
Regardless if you are self-recruiting or coming to a professional agency, it is important that interviews and vetting take place. In this modern time, interviews don’t have to be in person and can be conducted over Facetime or Zoom. However, we strongly recommend meeting in person during the second stage.
In this modern time, interviews don't have to be in person and can be conducted over Facetime or Skype. Click To TweetIf a candidate is identified as a favourite, an in-person trial/meeting can be arranged to continue the interview process. An interview is a key process. You can begin to see the candidate in action and also connect with them. Live-in caregivers will be interacting daily with the individual. And possibly the extended family too. So it’s vital that the personality matches the role as much as the skills.
Trial
A trial, as mentioned above, is a good way to clearly see the skills of the candidate. This allows you to enter into a non-pressured stage before any formal offer of employment is made. Consider at least a week trial to establish if the candidate is the right person for the role. The candidate should be paid, and any appropriate paperwork dealt with before the trial begins.
Contract
A contract is a vital part of employing a private caregiver. As an employer, you have to create clear expectations and a contract will establish this. From pay through to holidays, ensure that you have a contract and it is read, signed and understood before the start date to ensure no difficult situations arise at a later point.
What are the Employer’s Responsibilities?
Every country will vary in terms of employment laws, so check with your local government guidelines. It will also vary depending on if you decide to employ the caregiver or if the caregiver is self-employed. All these things will affect your responsibilities. Regardless of the fact that the private caregiver might be living in the home. They should be still treated as a professional employee.
Access the Best Private Caregivers for Hire
Regardless of the situation, you may find yourself in, everything is possible to achieve with your private caregiver. By following the steps above, you will find a perfect candidate for your loved one. We would love to help you access the best private caregivers for hire, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch at any stage.