There are currently over 17,500 care homes in the UK, these include residential care homes, special dementia facilities, and nursing homes.
These care homes cater to the personal care needs of the aging population in the UK, providing support such as eating, washing, taking medications, and so on.
Due to the continuous increase in the aging population, the UK has a high demand for caregivers and has opened its borders to let trained professionals in the field from all over the world, into the country.
Of course, being a caregiver in the UK comes with some pretty awesome perks, one of them being, eligibility to apply for permanent residency after 5 years of service amongst others.
Being a caregiver is a very rewarding profession, if you’re a professional in this field, this is the perfect opportunity for you to move to the UK as a caregiver.
In this post, I’ve highlighted 7 care homes in the UK that offer visa sponsorship, these care homes are currently recruiting foreigners to work in their organizations as caregivers.
It’s best you go in right now, check the requirements, and apply accordingly.
Who knows, in a couple of months you could be exploring new, ground-breaking opportunities with amazing perks in the UK as a caregiver.
Before we dive in, let’s consider some important details:
Who Is A Caregiver And What Do They Do?
Just as the name implies, a caregiver is someone who provides care services to an individual struggling with independence either as a result of old age or disability.
A caregiver’s job centers around helping the individual carry out daily tasks better, like eating, washing, cleaning, taking medications, and so on.
A caregiver does not necessarily have to be a registered nurse (although registered nurses qualify as caregivers). Caregivers are mostly not specialized in any medical field.
However, they are trained to provide physical and emotional support to patients.
How Much Do Caregivers Earn In The UK
There are various factors that affect the amount a caregiver earns in the UK, these factors include experience, qualification, location, and so on. For instance, caregivers in London are known to earn higher than those in other parts of the UK.
Likewise, caregivers with longer or more experience in a specific field can command higher salaries than others.
On average, caregivers earn a salary of £23,156 annually or £11.88 per hour. Entry-level positions start at £20,963 annually while more experienced care workers can earn up to £30,323 annually.
How Many Hours Do Caregivers Work?
This also varies depending on the type of care required or on the client.
Most caregivers work full-time which is 35 hours a week or on a part-time/flexible time basis.
Benefits Of Working As A Caregiver In The UK
As I mentioned earlier, there are a bunch of amazing perks that come with working as a caregiver in the UK, aside from the fact that you’ll be eligible to apply for permanent residency after 5 years of service.
Other benefits include:
- Generous Pay: Care workers in the UK are entitled to very generous salaries, overtime pay, bonuses, pensions, holiday allowance, and loyalty schemes.
- IELTS waiver for your spouse since he/she will be your dependent
- Flexibility: The shift patterns for caregivers in the UK are designed such that they can fit around other areas of commitment. For instance, if you’re a student trying to balance study and work, or a parent with childcare responsibilities, the care job is perfect for you.
- Qualifications: Most care homes in the UK provide on-the-job training to make sure their workers are well-equipped to start the job. These are real qualifications you can add to your CV for future purposes.
Your spouse is allowed to work full-time in any specialized field.
UK Visa Sponsorship For Caregivers
As a foreigner, before you’ll be allowed into the UK for work, you’re required to secure a visa first. This is where seeking visa-sponsored jobs comes into play.
A Visa Sponsorship indicates that a UK employer wants to sponsor a foreigner to secure a work visa which allows them to come and work for their organization in the UK.
The most common visa available to caregivers is the Health and Care Worker Visa, also known as the Tier 2 (General) Visa. It is important to note that you can only access this visa when you have a job offer in the healthcare sector in the UK.
Basic Requirements For Care Jobs With Visa Sponsorship In The UK
There are certain requirements you must fulfill in order to explore employment opportunities in the UK Care sector, and eventually apply for a caregiver visa.
Let’s take a look at these requirements in no particular order:
- A Valid Passport: Obviously, you must possess an international passport with the required minimum validity period.
- Educational Qualification: You’ll be asked to provide your educational qualification for the relevant field. Either a diploma, BSc, or other qualifications in a caregiving-related discipline.
- Experience: It is very important that you have a level of experience in the field as you’ll be asked to provide documents like references from past employer(s), or proof of volunteering work in the caregiving field.
- Proof of Language Proficiency: You’ll be required to take a recognized English language proficiency test and achieve a score of 5 and above.
- A Good CV: Make sure you highlight all your information and relevant skills and experience in the field.
Top 7 Care Homes In The UK That Offer Visa Sponsorship
Priory Adult Care
Priory Adult Care provides a range of specialist residential and supported living services for adults aged 18 years and over with a learning disability, autism, Prader-Willi Syndrome, brain injuries, or a mental health condition.
They also provide support for older people who require residential, nursing, and dementia care in later life.
Priory Care Homes are known as the UK’s leading care home when it comes to mental health and adult care with over 230 care homes scattered across the UK.
You can see that the probability of you landing a job with Priory is quite high given the number of care homes they have in the UK PLUS they offer visa sponsorships to foreigners!
To apply, just head over to their website (I have it linked here already), select the Career option, pick the job that best suits you, and apply.
Bupa Care Homes
In 2022, Bupa Care Homes was awarded the Care Provider Of The Year. They provide safe, secure, and specialist care options, including dementia care, nursing care, residential care, respite care, palliative care, and so on to both young and old individuals.
They have 120 care homes scattered across the UK, so your chances of securing a care job are quite high.
If you’re interested, just head over to their website, and search for the particular location you would like, you’ll be provided with a list of the available vacancies, and you can apply from there.
Macklin Care Homes
Macklin Care Homes has been in the business of caring for people for over 30 years, and they have tons of awards under their belt as proof of a job well done.
Note that, they have several care homes mainly located in Northern Ireland, so job opportunities in this care company will be restricted to Northern Ireland and its environs.
As usual, head over to their website, if you’re interested, to check out the vacancies available in the various cities.
Care UK
Care UK is actually the most awarded care home provider in the last three years. With 40 years of experience, Care UK is known for its highly trained teams – experts in providing award-winning care.
They have over 150 care homes across England, Wales, and Scotland. I’ve even heard that they give a very generous welcome bonus to foreign workers.
This is definitely worth the try. Go on their website right now and take a look at the job opportunities that exist there.
HC One
Also known as The Kind Care Company. With about 270 care homes across the UK, HC One is the proud provider of positive, personalized care and support to more than 14,000 Residents living in their care homes, encompassing dementia care, nursing, residential and specialist care.
HC One has over 20,000 trained care workers working with them, and they’re still recruiting!
Hurry over to their website to search for care jobs that suit you and apply.
Barchester
Barchester has over 200 care homes across the UK with over 17,000 care workers PLUS they recruit a lot of foreign workers each year, so your chances of landing a job here are very high.
Barchester provides a wide range of care options ranging from short- and long-term residential care to nursing services, assisted living as well as registered hospitals, and a range of services for adults with severe disabilities or mental health needs.
Hurry over to their website right now to find a care job suitable for you.
Four Seasons Health Care
Four Seasons Health Care has a network of over 100 care homes across England and Scotland, employing approximately 9,000 team members and providing long-term and respite residential and nursing care, intermediate care, and palliative care to nearly 7,000 people.
Four Seasons is well known for recruiting loads of foreigners and providing the best training for their care workers so it’s definitely going to be a good fit for you.
Check out their website to find out more about vacancies and how to apply.
Conclusion
Working as a caregiver in the UK is a very rewarding career that pays well and can fit around your lifestyle. You get to build strong relationships with people while improving their quality of life.
Working as a caregiver in the UK is also a great start to your career in the health and care sector.
Finding a visa-sponsored care job in the UK is not easy, it requires lots of patience, determination, and research but this post is definitely a great starting point for that journey.
I wish you the very best as you embark on this journey.
If you enjoyed reading this article, then you’ll also like this one: Move To Australia For Work! (Australian Recruitment Agencies Hiring Foreign Workers).
Don’t forget to like this post and share it with your friends and family.
Until next time!