Retire Your Agency Career.
Become a Private Carer.

No. There is no legal requirement to hold a qualification before working as a private carer in England. The Care Certificate and a Level 2 or 3 Diploma in Adult Care are worth having and many employers expect them, but neither is compulsory. Training for private carers covers what is worth doing early.

No. A standard or enhanced DBS check can only be submitted by an employer, a voluntary organisation or a body registered with the DBS as an umbrella body. You can apply for a basic check yourself online, which costs £20.00 and shows only unspent convictions. Enhanced DBS and the Update Service explains how the fuller check and the Update Service work together.

By 5 October in the year after you first earn self-employed income, even if you have not worked out what tax you owe yet. Missing the deadline can bring a penalty before HMRC has assessed anything you owe. Tax and money as a self-employed carer walks through registering and filing.

The two roles overlap but are not identical. A healthcare assistant usually works under clinical supervision in a hospital or GP setting, while a carer supports someone with daily living tasks in their own home. What is the Difference between a Carer and a HCA? sets out where the two roles separate.

It depends on the hours you take on and the kind of care you provide. Carers on PrimeCarers set their own hourly rate, typically £18 to £25 an hour with our fee included, and live-in placements from £1,050 a week. What carers earn on PrimeCarers breaks the figures down by type of care and sets out what our fee takes.

There is no legal requirement for a private carer to hold insurance, but public liability cover is sensible in case a client or their property is harmed while you are working. On PrimeCarers, public liability cover is arranged for visits booked through the platform, separately from the checks. It does not cover medical procedures other than giving oral medicines, or any task you have not been trained to do, so read the policy terms. Self Employed Carer Documents lists what else is worth having ready.

The PrimeCarers contract asks for 48 hours' notice for hourly care, or 7 days once you have worked 7 days of live-in care, except in cases of illness or a genuine emergency. Ending an arrangement without that notice can leave the family to cover the cost of finding replacement care at short notice. The full contract sets out what is expected on both sides.

Start with the three ways into paid care work, then work through the checks and training sections of the guide before you register a profile. Most of what you need to arrange, the checks, the interview and the introductions to families, is free.