If you come to the UK from another country to work as live-in carer, you may well ask where you would stay between placements. It’s a valid question, so let’s find some options.
If you are working through an agency, then they may have accommodation that they will let you use. Be aware that this is not normally free, in fact it can be quite expensive if you must stay there for more than a few days. Having said that, it is a place to stay, you will be with other carers, either on update training or between placements like you so it is a good chance to catch up on things.
Staying in the agency accommodation normally means that your breakfast is included. This may be simple things such as toast, cereal, tea and coffee. Anything more that you need, you will have to buy yourself.
One disadvantage of staying in the carer house is that this is often far from where you have come or far from where you hope to go so you need to factor in trains and taxis to get to the next placement.
So what alternatives are there?
Booking sites
There are several ways to find a relatively cheap bed and breakfast to stay for a few days. If you know the area you want to stay, then you could look at sites like www.bookings.com or www.trivago.com where you can choose the area as well as the price range.
Air B&B
Another way to find a place to stay is to look at Air B&B. If you just want to get an idea of accommodation available you can scour the site, but if you want to book a room, you will need to register with them.
You will be able to create a short profile of yourself which will show the host a little about who you are and what you do. When you have signed up you will be able to see more about the area, the host and the price.
Typically, a room through Air B&B will work out cheaper than going through a site like bookings.com or trivago. You will also have use of the kitchen so instead of eating out you can cook for yourself and save money. Breakfast is often included as well as coffee and tea.
Carer forums
A third option is to post on a carer forum. Most live-in carers have joined a chat site and occasionally you will see posts from people offering rooms to carers who need a few days break. Sometimes these are in out of the way places where you may not want to be, but there are also people who offer accommodation to carers in the cities of London and other larger places. It pays to place your own post up and then check the replies. These rooms are often inexpensive, come with breakfast and have the use of the kitchen if you want to cook for yourself.
To sum up
If you have the email addresses and contact details of sites you want to look at in your paperwork, you will at least be a little bit prepared should you need to find accommodation.
One advantage that a ‘real’ hotel offers you is the security factor. If you rent accommodation through Air B&B or even through another carer, it always makes sense to think about your own safety. Keep your bedroom door locked when you are there and when you go out so that nothing can be stolen.
While staying in your agency accommodation is often the easy solution, it may not be the cheapest for you, particularly if you need to stay somewhere for several days, so looking elsewhere is a good idea. Keep all your options open and it will be less stressful. You will then be able to relax a little between placements and return refreshed.
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