Caregivers

How to select a caregiver agency

When you want to be a caregiver, you will look at different places to work. After this, you will have to decide where to submit your job application.

Once you interview for the caregiver jobs, you will then have to decide the agency you want to work for.

We know it’s:

  • Hard to decide where to apply in the first place
  • Hard to pick which agency to work for after you get job offers

Because it’s hard to choose where to apply and where to work, we wrote this blog to help you!

Read below to see some of the things you should consider when applying to and picking a caregiver agency.

 

Things to consider:

1. Is the pay competitive enough for you?

One of the most important things to consider when looking for a new caregiver job is the hourly pay.

 

Ask yourself: Is this hourly rate enough to pay my bills?

 After finding agencies to apply to, you should compare the hourly pay at the agencies. By doing this, you can see if they pay the same rates or if some pay more.

 

We recommend writing out a list to compare the agencies.

On this list, you can write:

  1. The hourly wage
  2. If the job offers health insurance or dental insurance
  3. If the agencies offer paid time off

By doing this, you can see if the wage difference is worth it.

For example, one agency might pay more by the hour but not give you any vacation time. This could make you consider working for a job that pays less.

We recommend that you take your time to compare the pay and benefits before deciding where to apply or work.

 

2. What shifts can you work?

Different caregiver agencies have different shifts. For example, most agencies have a day, night, and overnight shift. And, some agencies will want you to work a certain shift.

If you know that only the first shift works for you, it’s important to find out if you could work only that.

With that said, we recommend that you find out as soon as possible what shifts a given agency wants you to work.

If you find out that the agency won't allow you to work when you want, then you should look for a different caregiving job

 

3. How close is it to home?

Another thing to think about when applying to caregiving jobs, is if the job is close enough to home.

If you like a job but it’s an hour drive away, you may want to reconsider taking the job. We recommend that you rethink this because an hour drive to and from work takes a lot of time out of your day. It can end up giving you less time with family or making you very tired.

When thinking about how close a job is to home, it’s also important to think about money. If a job is very far, you will end up spending money on gas to get there, or money on a bus or train ticket.

Our advice is to make sure that the job you take is close enough to home, and doesn't cost you too much time or money.

 

4. Can you still attend other life responsibilities when starting the new job?

When starting a new job, you should also think if you the job will allow you to take care of other responsibilities.

If your old job had less hours of work, make sure you can still juggle other responsibilities. For example, if you have a child, make sure that they’re in daycare, with a family member, or at school while you’re at work.

Though your job is to look after your client, your well-being is just as important as your clients. If you ensure that your personal life is in order, you can be your best self and the best employee you can be.

All in all, you should carefully plan out how you will take on this new responsibility.

 

5. Did you like the people who interviewed you?

The final thing to consider is if you liked the people you interviewed with. This will help you know about the culture at your new agency.

The people that interview you give you a hint about the workers at this agency. This is important because it shows what your boss or other co-workers might be like.

For example, if you didn't like your interviewer it’s a good hint that this caregiver agency isn’t for you.

On the other hand, if your interviewer was someone you liked, then you may have just found your perfect fit!

All in all, we believe that considering who you might work with is very important. This is because the people you interact with on a given day have a very large impact on your level of happiness.

 

Summary:

Choosing the right caregiver agency to work with is very important. This process begins with your job search; and, it ends with choosing your favorite agency. Considering the things we listed above is going to ensure that you have made the right choice:

  • Is the Pay Competitive Enough for You?
  • What Shifts Might You Be Working?
  • How Close is It to Home?
  • Can You Still Attend to Other Life Responsibilities When Starting the New Job?
  • Did You Like the People that Interviewed You?

Once you consider all these factors, you will be sure to choose the right caregiver agency for you.

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