A great opportunity has arisen to join a growing team of creative, dedicated people looking to make a difference. If that sounds like something you’re interested in, read on!

What you’ll be doing:

• Take the lead on all aspects of a person’s life, such as:
  • Administer all personal care (this may include helping with intimate care and getting them dressed etc.)
  • Manage and administer all medical care
  • Lead and manage all administrative duties
  • Undertake all cooking and supervise mealtimes, including feeding if required
  • Lead, manage, and deliver a comprehensive laundry and cleaning program
  • Be the main point of contact for all social interactions and engagements
  • Provide physical and emotional support
  • If required, manage multiple agencies across a network of various governmental departmental

Skills required:

• A proactive, resilient attitude
• The ability to learn on the job- this position does not include training of any kind
• Multitasking
• Advanced project management and budget management skills
• The ability to thrive in a fast paced environment
• A great sense of humour
• The ability to function on little or no sleep very regularly
• Patience
• The ability to tolerate social isolation and loneliness

What you’ll get:

• This is a 24/7 position with no holidays, weekends or time off of any kind – all year round.
• This is a voluntary position with no pay. There may be a possibility of compensation of up to £81.90 per week. (Please note- if eligible for this- there is the possibility of prosecution from the Department of Work and Pensions in the future.)
• You may occasionally be hailed as a hero.
• You may occasionally be called a benefits scrounger.
• The Loss of every aspect of your own life.

We’re keen to hear from you! Send in your application today.

Right- that’s enough silliness – you get the point. Imagine posting this on LinkedIn, who in their right minds would apply for a job like this!? Nobody. I certainly didn’t, and yet this is the position millions of people are in.

Now imagine having to do all of the above and having a full time job as well. According to Carers UK, there are around 2.5 million unpaid carers in employment. I’m one of those people, I have two more-than-full-time jobs, both intense, and I only get paid to do one. In fact, I *pay* to do the other one. I pay taxes that supposedly fund social care and other public services to enable our society to function but, because of breathtaking incompetence and political ideology, I have to do the work and provide the care the government should – but doesn’t.

Is there any recognition of this? That having two very demanding jobs would warrant some sort of extra help or support? Is there hell. I’m currently entitled to 5 extra days off, unpaid. A start, but really a drop in the ocean. We need PAID leave from our first jobs so we can do our second UNPAID jobs. Carers who are able to work should have support to be able to stay employed and not spiral into poverty – like the 600 people a day who have to quit their jobs to provide care. Those people lost to unpaid caring cost around £1.3 billion a year (based on Carer’s Allowance payment figures and lost tax revenues).

Keeping carers employed, by contrast, is good for business. Recent research show that the cost of implementing paid Carer’s Leave would only be between £5.5 to £32 million; but the economic benefit would equate to £8.2 billion a year in productivity. Sounds like a win-win to me.

As a carer, I am privileged to be able to work. I hang on by my fingernails everyday so I can keep the only thing I have left of my life. I’m in a position millions of people will find themselves in at some point in their lives and any legislation that eases that burden is a good thing.

And, trust me, I will earn every penny of that paid ‘time off’.

You can read Carers UK’s report on the matter here.