got a job as a care worker, cant get insured for business use and stressed about it!

gujigurl22

i applied as a care worker at bluebird care, got the job,done the training
BUT i couldnt get insured for business use and the manager for the care work kept sayin cant u get 1 for yourself and look on comparison sites i said i cant physically pay it and insurance is too much etc
she seemed pushy over the phone about me looking up insurance etc as you need to be insured for business use for driving clients and reaching them but she never told me in interview about using public transport so im unsure

and when i said i cant get car insurance for business use she kept goin on about it and said what you gonna do now i said i dont know and i said cant i work without the business insurance on car and she said no i cant send you out then:(
i was jus stressed bout whole thing as last week wen she said ask ur insurance to get you covered for business use, i rang car insurace asked they said no, and i rang n told her
and she said ask again they might say sumfin different n 2nd time i asked i tryd telin lady to put me as main driver so then i could use it for work etc and said i use it ait more at the moment than my sis and the lady advisor was rude and was like i'm jus gonna ask manager and be back and she come back saying youve gave me details that are wrong on your insurance and im going to cancel it.(tesco insurance)
i was sooo stressd was goin crazy n rang work cudnt get hold of manager and call got diverted to another care work branch and then spoke to some other manager
and she was like i will pass ur message n i was panickin on fone
and then tryd ringing again no1 iked up and call got diverted this time went thru to a azn worker he was like calm down etc n explain all to ur sis they cant cancel without her knowledge
and then within 20 mins she rang em n explained to them and lady was like we are allowed to cancel cus of the info we got and then sis calmly chatted to her and it was ok
but its like a damn rollercoaster
i do want the job but why cant the lady be straight up and give me other options,in job description it says its desirable for own transport that means you dont have to have transport could use other transport but she never mentioned it to me
wen i spoke to her last on thurday she was like we got ur crb and badges and uniform and evrythin sorted out for you ready for you to go out for work and then she like wer just stuk with this insurance problem
i was like i cant afford to pay insurance for my own and you cant have 2 different insurances on 1 car
and she kept goin on about it i was jus stressd and annoyed lisnin to her
i did 3days free training and will get certificates for them
but the lady jus has been annoyin even tho she was nice wen i met her

sorry its long but i feel stressed want a job and do want this job was told i'd b givin 20 hours to start with too:(
i dont know wat to do she never explained if i can use public transport

Savvy_Sue

I'm struggling to follow all this, but

a) the employer is correct to require you to have the right insurance if you are using the car for business, even commuting. If you are taking clients in your car it would be completely irresponsible of them not to insist on checking this (and to ask to see your driving licence, MOT and tax disc as well).

b) the insurance company has the right to cancel the insurance if they believe you have given incorrect information.

Now, it may be that the company you wish to work for prefer you to have a car so that you can get from one client to another in a reasonable time. And if you said "yes I have use of a car" you can understand your new manager being slightly frustrated that you can't get the right insurance.

Beyond that, I am not sure what you are asking.

jackieb

I'm also a care worker. When I phoned my car insurance they added business use to my policy at no extra cost.

Savvy_Sue

jackieb wrote: »

I'm also a care worker. When I phoned my car insurance they added business use to my policy at no extra cost.

some do it at no extra cost, some do it for a modest charge. If there's a modest charge for our workers, we'll reimburse it - not all employers do.

However, I suspect that the OP is insured to drive a car, but not as the main driver. An insurance company might quite rightly question how someone can NOT be the main driver, and yet need business use.

If the car was insured with a partner or spouse as the main driver, the insurance company might be less questioning, but if the sister is older / a more experienced driver, then obviously the insurance would be cheaper with her as the main driver. But if she is no longer the main driver, you can't just change it and not expect to pay any more.

jackieb

I'm just a named driver on our policy. My husband is down as the main driver. Our insurance is with Direct Line.

Savvy_Sue

And our car is insured in my name, with DH as the main driver! We both have business use.

However, one difference in my case - and perhaps in yours too - is that there is not a lot of difference in age and driving experience between me and DH. And we live at the same address.

I am not sure that is the case for the OP. And when you are young, even small differences in age or driving experience can make a big difference.

There's an article on the main site about car insurance for young drivers: the list of Dos and Don'ts is quite comprehensive.

jackieb

Yes, we're both old farts (well 40ish) and live at the same address, so that probably does explain why it was no bother for us.

Crazy_Larry

Care work is crap, find another job

paddedjohn

Crazy_Larry wrote: »

Care work is crap, find another job

it might seem crap to you but its a valuable job to others, why dont you try it you might like the idea of going back to work.;)

cazziebo

Crazy_Larry wrote: »

Care work is crap, find another job

Giving people the dignity of having a choice about where they die?
Making it possible for vulnerable people to remain in their own homes rather than go into institutions ?
Allowing sick people to recover in the comfort of their own surroundings, in their community?
Supporting adults with learning difficulties to lead an independent life?

That's not crap - care work is one of the most important roles in our community, and care workers save taxpayers thousands - possibly millions - in keeping people out of hospital and care homes.

What is crap is how undervalued care workers are, how councils are continually squeezing bill rates and care packages to save money, and how it is the norm for care workers to be on zero hours contracts, paid only when they are with service users. (ie no travel time or expenses)

But no, care work is not crap.

Hootie19

Crazy_Larry wrote: »

Care work is crap, find another job

Well let's hope you're never in the position of needing a care worker.