Many live-in carers travel from other countries to work in the UK and so it is understandable to be concerned about not having enough work.
Being without work means that you either need to fly yourself back to your home or find accommodation until you go to your next placement.
Am I guaranteed work?
Unfortunately, the answer to that is no, you can never be 100% guaranteed to be in work for all the time you would like. Much as we would all like to work the times that suit us, sometimes this simply does not happen.
The reasons for having gaps between your placements may be valid, such as your client passing away before the end of your scheduled stay. Very seldom (although it does happen) it is the family who ask the carer to leave because they do not get on with them.
What can you do about it?
If you are working through an agency you may find that coming from another country works to your advantage. Agencies realise that people in this situation need accommodation and will often do their best to keep you in work for as much time as you like. If you become discouraged at having to constantly pay for accommodation, you may leave the care industry. Because there is a huge shortage of carers anyway, agencies try to keep you working.
While this may work well for carers coming from abroad, it leaves residents in the UK sometimes feeling that they have been discriminated against because they are out of work and at home waiting for placements.
In a perfect world you would tell the agency when you wanted to work, and they would find suitable placements. Because this is not a perfect world you may need to be a little flexible.
Unless you have pressing personal commitments, you should tell the agency that you can work an extra week if needed instead of being firm about your dates.
The more flexible you are in your placement dates, the more likely you will have placements. There are times when a placement will run a few days longer or shorter than you would like but making yourself available and being flexible will mean the agency lets you stay instead of replacing you.
The bottom line
Communication with your agency or the family if you are working privately is the best and first course of action. Having a frank discussion with them will ensure that they know exactly when you are prepared to work and how flexible you are in your arrangements.
It is a good idea to be as flexible as you can as some placements may run a few days over the normal weekly increments. If you can be flexible and stay longer you may find that you are out of work less frequently.
If you do find yourself out of work between placements you may want to ask on carer forums for cheap accommodation. Often people advertise that they have a room to rent for carers between jobs. This may work out to be cheaper than flying yourself back home. It will also make you easily available if an emergency booking comes and you are close by to fill it.
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