In simple terms, Southern Live-In Carers is an introduction agency - we work with selected providers to match their customers (people who need care & support to live at home) to Live-In care workers (people like you)!

Live-In care is exactly that. You will live in a customer’s home for a minimum of a one week booking. You are there to provide the continuity of care required that the customers love. We will work with you and our selected care providers to establish how long your booking will be and you will typically know in advance what your working pattern will be with that customer.  

If you are kind, honest, devoted, happy, loyal & trustworthy; if you have least one years’ experience in care, time to dedicate, the desire to care and the willingness to go that extra mile........... then YES!

We find many of our carers do this job because they need or want the flexibility this role gives them. You are self-employed so can plan when you want to work and when you would like to take time off.

As a Self-Employed Carer or Personal Assistant, you will need to have Public Liability Insurance (PLI) for carers in place. Public Liability Insurance is a key insurance product for carers. It can cover you if you have a claim for compensation from a client or another third party. It can also cover you if your client receives an injury during your care work.

Working as a Self-Employed Carer comes with all the usual perks that you would expect when running your own business, from choosing the hours that you work to having more control over the financial aspects of your job and being able to pick your clients for yourself. On the other hand, there are many things that you need to consider when running your own care business, such as self-employed carer expenses like tax & insurance.

The effect that Carers and Personal Assistants have on an individual’s life is significant and the role is often rewarding, but it also comes with a range of risks, such as.

• Accidental Injury to any person in relation to your work (e.g., your client, a member of the public)

• Injury to yourself as a result of your work

• Loss or damage to property

• Allegations of negligence or abuse

This is because there are some risks involved in the job, especially if you must give medicine to your client or help them move from room to room. Having a PLI policy protects you in situations that involve personal injury, errors, accidents, abuse claims and other risks within the job role.

If you don’t already have this, we can support you with this. 

Not at all. There are times where a selected care provider may request a carer who can drive, but for many placements, this is not a requirement. You will need to plan your travel to and from your customers’ home and allow plenty of time to do so, especially if you are using public transport!  

For majority of our Bookings - you are responsible for your own travel costs to and from your customers home or closest train station. If you use public transport, you will be collected by a team member who will take you to the customers home and support you with a handover. 

Food Allowance is upto the value of £40 per week. Your customer will normally include your food with their shop - the idea is to enjoy food and mealtimes together as a social occasion. But this is not always possible so you maybe given your food allowance directly to you to purchase your own food. 

The training courses advertised on this site are run by our partner company, Kore Associates Ltd. Because we are not your 'employers' we do not offer training ourselves. If you book a course through us, you will own your certificates, and you can join as many agencies as you like to increase your chances of finding work. We only accept carers that have accredited training. You can do additional training elsewhere and present your certificates to us, which we will recognise. We will verify them before adding them to your profile.  includes all E-learning modules.

Day rates vary from £105 - £125, dependant on the clients’ needs. Southern Live-In Carers will present your profile to the care provider with your preferred daily rate which we ask you when you register with us. We cannot guarantee you will get paid your preferred daily rate, but we do our best to negotiate this for you! 

Do not forget as you are self-employed you will be responsible for paying your own tax bill.  

If you are self-employed, you do not qualify for holiday pay, sick pay or employer pension contributions.

A UTR number is your ‘unique taxpayer reference’ number. HMRC assigns each self-assessment taxpayer a different number in order to track their tax records. All UTR numbers have 10 digits, and sometimes there is a letter 'K' at the end. Once you get your UTR number it stays with you all your life - in the same way as your National Insurance number.

You only need a UTR number if you submit a self-assessment tax return. This could be the case if you are self-employed or have set up a limited company, if you owe tax on savings, dividends, or capital gains, or if you earn more than £100,000. There are a range of other circumstances where you will be required to submit a tax return.

You will automatically be sent a Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) when you:

• Register for Self-Assessment

• Set up a limited company

It is a 10-digit number. It might just be called ‘tax reference’.

Where to find your UTR

Your UTR is on previous tax returns and other documents from HMRC, for example:

• Notices to file a return

• Payment reminders

You can also find your UTR in your Personal Tax Account if you are registered for Self-Assessment.

If you cannot find your UTR

Call the Self-Assessment helpline to request your UTR if you cannot find any documents from HMRC.

If you have a limited company, you can request your Corporation Tax UTR online. HMRC will send it to the business address that is registered with Companies House.