Writing a carer profile that families choose: photo, summary, rate and availability

Most of your profile is in your own words, and that is the part you control. The checks are done once you register and are kept current, so there is nothing to write about them. Reviews build up as you work. This guide sits in the finding work part of Carer resources, alongside finding private clients and the questions in the carer interview.

Everything you write has to be accurate. The carer terms say profile content must not be inaccurate, false or misleading, and that we may edit it for accuracy, grammar and presentation. What you tell us can also be referred to in your interview.

When you upload a photo the app looks for a face, and our team reviews it before it goes live. If you replace an approved photo, the new one is reviewed in the same way before it goes live. You can add an intro video of up to 30 seconds as well. It is optional.

The summary appears as your description. There is no word limit, but a few short paragraphs are easier to read on a phone than a long block. There is a button that drafts one for you from the details already on your profile. If you use it, read it through and change anything that does not sound like you or is not true, because a family will expect you to talk the way your profile reads. A new summary is reviewed by our team, and the old one stays live until the new one is approved.

Saying what you do not do is as useful as saying what you do. A family who needs someone to drive, or to stay overnight, can see straight away whether you are the right person to message. If you are unsure where your own limits are, what companionship work involves sets out the difference between companionship and personal care.

Choose only the conditions, skills and equipment you have worked with. The lists are shown to families as tags under your knowledge, and the skills heading reads as things you have been trained in. A family meeting you will ask about them, and it is better for both of you if the answer matches.

We do not verify experience, qualifications or training. The questions about qualifications you answer when you register are not shown on your public profile, so if a certificate matters to you, mention it in your summary and keep it to hand. The Care Certificate, for example, is a set of 16 standards published by Skills for Care; it is not a qualification in itself, and you can say so if asked. Keeping your certifications up to date covers renewals.

Past employers or families you invite can leave a reference on your profile, alongside reviews from families who book you through PrimeCarers. We do not verify references, and families arranging care privately are told to ask for two people who have used a carer before, as you can see in what families are told about choosing a carer. Have two names ready, with their permission.

Our commission comes out of the rate you set. It is not added to the family's bill, and the VAT on it is paid out of our commission rather than taken from your share. A family sees your rate on your profile before they message you, so there is no second price to explain later.

The published range is what carers on PrimeCarers advertise, and the rate screen shows what carers near you charge. A rate well above it needs a reason a family can see in your profile, such as specialist experience you can talk about. A rate well below it leaves money behind that has to cover your holidays, sick days and the gaps between clients. How much to charge as a self-employed carer works out the lowest rate that matches an employed wage, and what carers earn on PrimeCarers shows full weeks.

You can change your advertised rate for new work whenever you like. A rate agreed with a client stays as it is for that contract, and changing it means agreeing a new contract with them. Travel time and mileage are not part of your rate, and are charged only if you agree them with the client in advance, in writing. Travel time and mileage covers how.

1. 1

   Set your usual week

   When you register

   Tap the mornings, afternoons, evenings and nights you can usually work, and choose hourly visits, overnights, live-in or all three. For live-in, pick the blocks that suit you, such as two weeks on and one off.
2. 2

   Confirm it when asked

   About every four weeks

   The app asks whether your availability is still right. If nothing has changed, say yes. If it has, change it there and then.
3. 3

   Take a break rather than going quiet

   When you need time off

   Choosing to take a break hides you from new clients until the date you pick, so you are not contacted about work you cannot do.
4. 4

   Tell existing clients separately

   Before you stop

   A break on your profile does not change a contract. Give an existing client 48 hours' notice for hourly care, or 7 days for live-in once you have worked 168 hours.

The carer terms ask you to tell us straight away if your circumstances change and you can no longer take work, and they allow a profile to be ended where jobs are frequently turned down. Keeping your availability honest protects you from both. Being reliable, and why it wins work covers the rest of it.

When your profile is ready, you can register as a carer on PrimeCarers and fill it in section by section. If you would like to see what families are asking for first, see the carer jobs open near you.