mellowred

Hi Pica. Nope, no qualifications at all. The difficulty is that the agencies that I have looked at need to interview you in person. Which, due to the nature of the work, makes perfect sense but does not help my situation.

None of the agencies require up front fees, nor do they appear to charge for training. Which makes them look legit .

I haven't started to look at rent/utilities or any costs yet. That will be the next step depending on the area where there appear to be job prospects (if any).

If by some miracle there are reasonably paying live-in jobs, would it be possible to find boarding house type accommodation between jobs? A couple of quick sessions of Google found B&Bs only, and at £60 per night .....

Pica

If you work through an agency they will be taking a percentage from your "wages".
Training could just mean in-house induction really, nothing to do with recognised qualifications.
Tread warily.
B&B @ £60.00 per night- no way.
I don't know where you're thinking of moving to in UK but a live in post might work well for you until you work out the lay of the land.

feelbritish

You could also try looking at "The Lady" magazine for posts as perhaps live in secretary, administrator, companion where especially in remote areas you may find something live in. Most people will not understand the situation in S A for people now and I cannot see it getting any better. There are a few people on the forum who have actually moved back with hardly any money and have sfarted again. It is hard but you are ahead of the game already being British. You mention we a few times, do you have a partner or family which is why you have not moved back on your own already?

Editha

I've had a look at the Christie's care site. Interesting.

I know from looking after my own mother, that a live-in carer costs £700 a week (in the South-East).

Christie's suggest on the site that after training by themselves you will earn £485 p.w. on a 'self-employed' basis.

What isn't clear is how Christies make their money. Is it by charging you for the training? Or, is it by taking a cut of what you earn? Presumably, since they quote £600 to £900 p.w for care costs on the customer side of the website.

I think you are right that the extra money is for the longer hours -- essentially you are on duty 24 hours a day.

Shirtback

I was just coming back to mention The Lady . And people who moved back with limited funds/no family back-up; have a look for posts by "Whofan" - she had loads of excellent information.

scot47

£485 a week ? Unlikely. Minimum wage and a zero-hours contract would be more realistic. Training is necessary and also police checks on all your domiciles. Can you provide documentation from South Africa (electronic) to show that you have no convictions ?

http://www.indeed.co.uk/viewjob?cmp=...pub=pub-indeed

Editha

I think the Christie's website is for real. Since the quote of £485 is for a live-in carer doing a 7 day a week, 24 hours a day job --- the actual hourly rate is £2.89, and it is a self-employed rate which means the worker has to find their national insurance stamp, has no pension, sick pay etc.

mellowred

Thanks for all the replies and information, I am feeling a bit more enthusiastic now.

FeelBritish and Shirtback ... "The Lady" is very interesting indeed. Hordes of very good positions advertised. Having been out of the job seeker market for several years, applying for some of those jobs would be too daunting right now. A lot of them brought images of Downton Abbey to mind . But will certainly spend time looking through all positions and seeing if there is something I have the confidence to apply for.

Thanks Shirtback will take a read through Whofan's posts.

Pica ... according to Christie's Care you go through a training process before being sent out to a client. Then there is on the job training and support. Yep, the live-in work is to gain some knowledge of the areas and get a feel for UK life before looking for accommodation. The £60 B&B was the cheap end of the scale ... bit out of reach for minimum wage me thinks .

Editha ... I was wondering what Christie's charge their clients, so thanks a million for that info. They claim that you earn between £420 and £580pw, and they charge clients between £600 and £900pw so the difference is their cut. Does this sound viable for an administrative/training agency? The 24hr on duty is not a problem for me. The experience of managing a business while looking after my terminally ill Mum gives me the confidence that I have the coping skills.

Scot47 ... No criminal activity on my records. Apart from a few speeding fines I am crime free. But being totally honest, I do have 5 year old bank debt. If a credit check is done, that could count against me(?).

FeelBritish ... the "we" is my partner. He is 64, an English speaking Afrikaner. We have discussed the idea, and although it will take some adjustments, we are both in agreement that we just need to do what needs to be done. If I decide to make the move permanent we will work on that when we get to it. Due to circumstances (caused by finance - or lack thereof ), he lives at the workshop, and I rent a flat so we are not living together right now anyway. My main worry is the two cats. Spoilt rotten and very demanding - will I find a reliable sitter?

Thanks again everyone, your information and opinions are obviously vital and I am reading everything and absorbing it all ... good and bad.

mellowred

Thanks Editha you are a minefield of financial info.

Am I right that tax is 20%(?). To be safe, I would factor that in on total income and ignore the £10,500 platform for now.

Could you tell me what the NI rate is?

PS: As this would be a working trip, the 24/7 is fine by me.

Editha

National Insurance contributions rates for the self employed are on this government website page:
https://www.gov.uk/self-employed-nat...nsurance-rates

Tax will be 20% on income over £10,600.

But you will be able to deduct some expenses for tax purposes. Ask the agency which expenses would be deductible. They should know.

I think you need to ask Christie's some searching questions, such as whether they charge you for training, and what happens on weeks you are not working, what support you get if you find you have a problem etc.

I know of several people with dementia being looked after this way. IMO they would be better off in a home, and it is not an option I am likely to choose for my own mother.

I'm not sure why it is chosen as an option, but one reason may be to avoid selling the family home to pay for care-home fees.

Editha

Something which is not clear to me from the Christie website, is who pays for the food the carer eats while living in.

My mother believes that her friends, who have live-in care, have to pay for the food for their carer on top of their fee.

Editha

That doesn't mean what you think it means, but thanks for the intended compliment!

Pica

Added to that the worker will also have to sort out their own yearly accounts for HMRC

mellowred

Hennie and I were just discussing the food issue Editha. To be safe, I would factor that in as an expense. Also with tax - not being sure if tax is payable on full income and reclaimed at year end I'd rather deduct 20% off the full. NI looks a bit more complicated - not sure if it is £2.80 per week or 9% so allowing the 9% for now. There will be expenses that I don't think of or underestimate so any extras will go to covering them.

Yep Pica ... that could be a whole new learning process .

Ok, .... what did I say ? Seems I will have to learn British English very quickly. It would be pretty sad being de-citizened for being insulting .

Editha

If you are paying tax on a self-employed basis, you don't pay any until you've made your tax return. If on an employed basis, the PAYE system ensures the tax allowance is applied before tax is deducted.