Tips for Carers and Support Workers
How to Write a Great Profile Statement
Writing a great personal statement is important in providing prospective Care Seekers with a snapshot of your skills, experience and personal qualities. A personal statement that highlights your most relevant and positive attributes will help Care Seekers find the perfect match for them and the right client for you! Following are some key points to remember when writing your personal statement:
Try to keep it brief and to the point. You do not want to write your entire resume in your personal statement. Keep it relevant to Aged & Disability Care and Children with Special Needs.
- Include Who you have cared for, i.e seniors, adults with disabilities, children with disabilities etc.
- Include What type of work you are looking for, i.e aged care, disability care, full-time, part-time, casual etc.
- Include When you have worked in the Aged or Disability Care Sector and any relevant training or practical placement you have completed.
- Include Why you enjoy working as a Carer.
- Mention your availability and flexibility with regard to working hours and responsibilities.
- If you have any special skills or qualities make sure to include these as they may set you apart from the pack.
- Do a spell check and read through your personal statement again to make sure that it conveys the right message about you.
Easy Ways to Make Your Profile Stand Out
Your profile picture is very important, in fact a client’s decision to engage with you is often based on the photo supplied. First Impressions are everything, make sure you look friendly. It is your first opportunity to make the care seeker comfortable about contacting you.
- Make sure you have a clear headshot as your profile Picture.
- Upload your personal ID (driver’s licence or passport), Police Check and/or Working With Children’s Check and any other relevant certification documents for verification.
- Include as much information about your qualifications and/or experience in simple English.
- Make sure your payout details are set up otherwise your profile will not be enabled for Clients to view.
- Set up your service items, making sure that the rate per service item is competitive but fair to cover your needs and payment gateway processing fees.
(VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: Find a Carer will never disclose personal or contact details of Carers or Care Seekers. This information is disclosed at the discretion of the Carers and Care Seekers themselves.)
Service Rates
Find a Carer offers an opportunity for Carers to increase their earning potential above the constraints of employment awards and Enterprise Bargaining Agreements (EBAs). At the same time, having very low overheads means that the end price for Clients is also lower than what they may pay for traditional service provision.
It is really important that you set an hourly rate that is going to make you profitable and at the same time a fair and reasonable hourly rate for the client you will be supporting. When setting your price don’t forget:
- to factor in your qualifications and experiences;
- to take into consideration that you will be paying your own tax and superannuation;
- that if you are registered for GST you must allow for additional 10% GST oncost as your displayed price will be GST inclusive;
- to allow for a small transaction fee of 2.5%. This will apply to clients who are paying by credit card. This method will ensure that funds are received in your account quickly and will not be requiring additional processing.
With Find a Carer you have the ability to add, delete and edit service items as you see fit. As a general guide we would suggest a minimum hourly rate of $30 per hour Monday to Friday and $45 for Saturday and Sundays.
You can also generate a discount coupon for your client if you agree on a rate different to what you have displayed on your profile. Please contact us via email at customercare@findacarer.com.au for more information.
For more information in regard to your pay rate and entitlements for continuous work with the same client please visit FairWork Australia.
How Often Do I Need to Log In?
We recommend you log in daily as you don’t want to miss an opportunity to engage with a client who may be seeking your services. From our experience, when a client is seeking services they don’t want to be waiting more than 48 hours to receive a response so we would encourage you to aim to answer any messages the same day. Please note that any booking requests that are not responded to within 48 hours may expire.
Following these points will greatly improve your chances of finding the right client !
