[Suzie Dean]

Hi Guys.

I came over to the UK a few months ago and interviewed with a personal assistant agency called Origin. They accepted me, then I signed a contract and went to training...but that was # months ago and they haven't given me any work yet. They keep telling me something else needs to be done before I can have an assignment. They said I can work elsewhere but once they need me I have to work otherwise I owe them £500 for training. What gives?

Has anyone else had problems with them?
Are they just really disorganized or after my £500?

[ggalin]

When I was really desperate for work, I considered Origin myself. They have loads of ad on this fine site but they all look a bit scammy.

Is there some contract saying you have to pay for training? I've done horrendous care work in the past and also went to a few interviews for care work and no place has ever suggested any kind of training that I have to pay for. And I'd never agree to that.

You can get care work ANYWHERE. And the fact that you speak English already puts you well ahead of the game. Its the most vile job on earth. Only the most desperate of the desperate do it. It's about wiping the buttocks of the elderly and/or mentally ill, after all. You have to be really hard up to do that.

So just look for other work. Its ridiculously easy to get that sort of work. I hate to suggest other agencies, but some Blue Arrow branch literally begged me to do care work for them (I refused). You can try them. I dont know what particular branch it was, but I think they specialised in care work.

If this Origin ever asks for the £500, I wouldnt pay. But its up to you if you want to fight it. If you signed some contract saying you'd pay, it might be difficult.

[midnightstar]

Well lets just hope when you get old you dont looking after.There are some good carers out there who do a brilliant job every day.How can you say its the most vile job on earth.

[ggalin]

Nobody's saying there arent good carers. Anybody doing that job is really earninig their money. And I've done the job before myself. But lets not kid ourselves. The job is disgusting. Jobs involving poop are pretty low on most people's list of dream jobs.

As for me, the day I can't wipe my own backside is the day I book a flight to one of those suicide clinics in Amsterdam or whereever.

[jess.jessen]

> Suzie Dean

read your contract. i work as a care assistant and although i have never worked for an care agency i would seriously doubt that they can charge you gbp 500,- for the standard 3-day training course where they superficially show you a couple of care related things and then pass you on to the potential customers as somebody who has completed their ‘highly specialised training course’. so read it and if there is indeed a penalty for breaching the contract then i’m afraid you do not have much choice. in the worst case scenario you can work for them for the shortest period of time possible which is, if i’m not mistaken, 3 months.

> ggalin

i do agree with you that some aspects of the job are disgusting, mainly the personal care related ones. but according to my experience, if the disabled person is organized, then it is not such a big part of the job. apart from that the job is almost as being a housewife, lol. i am not over the moon from this kind of job but do much prefer it to other options (like waitressing, bar, hotel, factory, shop assistant work etc.) that i as an non-native-english speaker who can not use my original university education in this country have. care work can be paid relatively well (in my case between 30-36k) and apart from tax&ni i don’t have any other bills to pay (no rent, food, electricity, gas, council etc. bills). in my current job it takes me approx 20 mins. to get the guy out of the bed in the mornings, 10 minutes to chuck him into the bed in the evenings, he does most of his personal care himself, i cook a couple of meals a week and that’s about all i do here work wise; i have a plenty of free time when I can study, surf the net, go shopping etc.. obviously, the social life suffers a bit but that’s just temporary.
so all in all I can not quite agree with you that carer’s job is one of the worst one's out of all the odd jobs out there..

[bustyhomecareworker]

PPS, It's such a shame about your social life..