new job home carer - is this normal?

mumto2loves

Hi

After feeling so chuffed and excited a couple of weeks ago at getting myself a new part time family friendly hours job. i'm now feeling really down about it.

Basically went for the interview, got told i'd got the job (subject to crb and refrence check) They told me they'd be able to give me all the work I wanted because they are flat out and screaming out for workers and they were fine that i couldnt start until my husband got in from work at 6 during the week.

was told that i'd need to pay £40 for my crb (which i googled and seems fairly normal) then do 2 days training and 'some' shadowing for which i would be paid £100 if I stayed 3 months.

Did the 2 days training (9am-5pm) got the uniform

last week i went out shadowing and because i was fairly confidant I was 'hands on' from the second night. I was out 4 - 7.30 wednesday, 4 - 8 thursday, 4 - 9.30 friday, they have just called me (9pm saturday night) and said to shadow with someone again tomorrow night 4 - 10.

so that will be 35 hours (or 16 in office 19 at work) for £100 that i'll get in 3 months time.

also on top of that, (sorry this is so long) the lady I was shadowing with last night mentioned she'd seen my name on the work rota for next week.
when she looked on her copy they have rota-ed me in for tuesday 3 - 6. BUT they haven't told me yet even though we are supposed to get our rotas on a friday for the next week.
so 1) i'm rota-ed in and haven't been told. 2) its 3 - 6 when i've said i cant work until after 6. 3) i've got 3 hours work for a week

is this normal ? acceptable? or am i being taken for a mug?

I've really enjoyed the work - even the poo wee and sick i've delt with already didnt phase me, and i really want to do this but hhhmmm its not feeling good right now.

Thanks if you've got to the end of this:T

Cherry_Bomb

Completely normal unfortunately.

The shadow shifts that you did were the majority of them double ups by any chance? As in visits that needed 2 people?

Mojisola

mumto2loves wrote: »

is this normal ? acceptable? or am i being taken for a mug?

The bigger agencies are notorious for this kind of behaviour.

Look around at some of the smaller agencies. You get to know the clients better and will usually be treated more fairly as a worker.

mumto2loves

a couple of the calls were supposed to be double ups - and 'it was handy that i was there' -_-

so what do i do?
do i phone the office monday about tuesdays work?
not phone the office because officially i dont know about the shift?
do the shift and get someone (probably nanny so i wont actually cost me money) to have the kids?
refuse to do the shift.

its not fair. its not how they described it in the interview.

mumto2loves

Mojisola wrote: »

The bigger agencies are notorious for this kind of behaviour.

Look around at some of the smaller agencies. You get to know the clients better and will usually be treated more fairly as a worker.

if i leave now though, I wont get the £100. I will have paid out £40 for a crb check, I will have to pay for the uniform (off the top of my head i think it was 2x £20) plus if i really want to get picky probably over £10 in petrol as well.

Mojisola

mumto2loves wrote: »

if i leave now though, I wont get the £100. I will have paid out £40 for a crb check, I will have to pay for the uniform (off the top of my head i think it was 2x £20) plus if i really want to get picky probably over £10 in petrol as well.

I wouldn't leave straight-away but be prepared for them to mess you about and be ready to stand your ground.

Could you email the office "Just wanted to make sure that you know I can only work at *these* times".

If you can fit in with them this week, do it but keep telling them the hours you want.

junkmayle

No wonder they are 'flat out and screaming for workers'. I, for one, would never pay for a CRB, nor a uniform, and it doesn't seem that many other people are willing to either.

Cherry_Bomb

mumto2loves wrote: »

a couple of the calls were supposed to be double ups - and 'it was handy that i was there' -_-

so what do i do?
do i phone the office monday about tuesdays work?
not phone the office because officially i dont know about the shift?
do the shift and get someone (probably nanny so i wont actually cost me money) to have the kids?
refuse to do the shift.

its not fair. its not how they described it in the interview.

Thought as much. They use you because you're pretty much a free pair of hands right now.

They're all the same. So desperate for staff that they'll agree to the hours you've offered but when it comes to it you'll be given what they need to cover. Regardless of whether or not that's what you signed up for.

How you handle it is very much dependent on how desperate for a job you are.
Desperate I would say you're going to have to take what you're given.
If not then you need to make it very clear the shifts you've been given are not what you agreed to and you unable to work them. End of.
Your phone will ring constantly but you need to be firm.

TrickyWicky

mumto2loves wrote: »

if i leave now though, I wont get the £100. I will have paid out £40 for a crb check, I will have to pay for the uniform (off the top of my head i think it was 2x £20) plus if i really want to get picky probably over £10 in petrol as well.

So your costs were £90 and if you stay three months you get that back plus a tenner. Sounds like a very raw deal to me.

That £3.33 per month..

[Deleted User]

Did you get the £100 payment on paper?

Having to pay for uniform is just mean :mad:
Spares ok but not your first tunic

Anyway I know it is hard but set the limits straight away
Do not accommodate the hours you cannot work - not once - conversations get forgotten esp in this line of work

Hope things improve but there is far more to liking a job and it is a heartbreaking industry to be in - sorry

mumto2loves

Sorry I worded it wrong, I didn't have to pay for my uniform, only if I don't stay the 3 months.
Yes its on my job offer letter about the £100.
I think I might phone the office tomorrow asking when I might have some paid work and see what they say.