How to Become a Self Employed Carer - Business Set Up Guide

It takes a special person to possess the passion to become a carer. Although a gratifying field to work in, it can also be incredibly tiring and emotional. A care home environment may not be for you. If you want more control over your hours and pay becoming a self employed carer may be an option.

The world always needs care workers. There are many elderly or disabled people unable to fully look after themselves in the UK.

Offering private care services in the care profession can be an extremely rewarding business. It is fairly straightforward to begin a small care business of your own.

Self Employer Carer Training & Qualifications

Although you do not need any specific qualifications to become a carer, it is recommended to undergo some training first.

A client may feel uneasy about taking on someone who has no previous training in this area. You need to build up that trust when you meet a potential client. They will be depending on you and letting you in their home – that isn’t an easy thing to do.

Therefore, being proactive and demonstrating how experienced you are in this area will cement the relationship.

Care Certificate

Obtaining your care certificate is a great way of showing competence. You need to appear confident and professional and a great way of doing this is by doing some training.

The Care Certificate qualification ensures you understand the fundamental elements of working in care.

This certificate was brought in to try and make the industry more consistent and with higher standards. It helps practitioners understand their responsibilities, expectations, duty of care, safe practices, and many other standards.

Altogether, there are 15 care standards to achieve.

You can do this course online, in your own time, and at your own pace. Once you have finished the course you can download and print off the certificate. You can then add this to your CV folder ready to show potential clients.

Enhanced DBS

Working as a carer requires you to get a suitable DBS check. As a self employed carer, you can only apply for the basic DBS check.

Should you require an enhanced check, this can be a little more tricky. Individuals are unable to apply for these themselves. However, if you’re working for an agency or under the umbrella of another organisation they may obtain this on your behalf.

Skills & Experience

You need to be able to demonstrate a specific skill set to be involved in the carer industry.

Some of the core skills you require are:-

Being able to support people emotionally and physically.
Showing compassion.
Keeping yourself and your client organised.
Staying on top of the client’s routine.
Assisting personal care.
First aid.
Health and safety knowledge.
Good communication skills.
Patience.

Someone with no prior experience as a carer will benefit greatly from working with a company directly before setting up as a self employer carer.

This doesn’t have to be long term but it is a useful stepping stone in setting up on your own. Any experience you can add to your CV will give you more chances of getting work. A bonus is that you will likely be given access to training opportunities which will enhance your skills.

Another benefit to gaining some experience first is finding out if it is the job for you. There is no dressing up how hard a job caring can be. It would be a real shame to set up and then realise it isn’t for you. By gaining a little experience, you get more insight into the world of caring.

Getting Started as a Self Employed Carer – Step By Step

We share below the steps you need to take to become a self employed carer:

1. Set up Your Self Employed Business

You will want to set up your business efficiently and professionally.

The best way to ensure you cover all the necessities is by writing a business plan. It doesn’t need to be fancy either. A simple plan with your business aims and planned rates will suffice.

You also need to register with HMRC as a self employed worker. This is so you can fill in an annual tax return. As part of this, you can also decide if you want to be a sole trader or a ltd company.

Setting up a business account is also advisable. It isn’t a legal requirement but having a separate account has its benefits. It means you can see exactly what is coming in and going out which makes completing tax returns much easier.

2. Legal Requirements

It is essential to ensure all the legal requirements are in place as a carer. When you are self employed, you must ensure you are completely compliant. This is an important responsibility.

Contracts

Contracts are your bible in the world of self employment. They protect you, make everything crystal clear and are there for you to fall back on if required. Failing to have contracts in place leaves you incredibly vulnerable.

These should be agreed upon and signed by your client and yourself before you start working with them.

Risk Assessments

Risk assessments are important too. Preempting risks means you can take safety precuations. This is particularly important when you are self employed as you are responsible for all aspects of the job.

Duty of Care

Your duty of care policy should be transparent and available for clients to see upon request. This should be an outline of your steps for making sure your clients are safe at all times. It is also about respecting them as individuals and allowing them to make their own choices.

You must also have a proper complaints procedure and your client should be aware of the contact information for filing a complaint if they are unhappy with your service.

See Also: Requirements to start a business for a general overview of meeting your legal and financial obligations as a self employed individual.

3. Decide Your Hourly Rate

When deciding your hourly rate, you need to do some thorough research first.

It is important to look to see what the average is for your area. Different locations in the UK vary dramatically in terms of the hourly rate for carers.

You want to aim to stay within the range of the local care sector, but take care not to undervalue your services. You will need to take into account travel expenses, whether it is a live in position and your experience.

Types of Self Employed Carer Work

Of course, you need to know which market you intend to enter into with your care business.

You need to be clear on this decision from the offset so you can target the right audience. Promoting your business will only be successful if it reaches the appropriate market.

Here is a list of most of the different types of self employed carer:-

Live In Carers.

This involves you sharing the clients’ homes with them. You are responsible for them on a one to one basis and offer round the clock care.

Your responsibilities include:

Assisting with personal care.
Being emotional and physical support.
Helping the client move around.
Offering companionship.
Overseeing the client’s care plan.
Assisting with housework, including preparing meals.
Carrying out errands.

Overnight Carer

Being an overnight carer involves being there to look after a client’s welfare overnight. This means being on hand to assist with any support they need and maintaining their wellbeing until the morning.