Common questions from self-employed carers

There is no need to leave your existing agency until you start work with us. We see care workers being asked to leave their agency on the promise of work, only to find out that there isn’t any. This is wrong and a disaster for your financial planning.  We simply ask you to complete your profile and pay a deposit to cover your DBS checks which will be returned to you in full once you have completed your first 7 hours with us. Deciding when to move is entirely your decision. We will work hard in the background to get you set up for when you are ready. Once you have signed up, you will have access to any new jobs in your area.

We get it. We have been there too. Actually, self-employment should allow you to earn much more overall. Not only can we charge you less commission than traditional agencies, but you can also set your own rates as a self-employed person! We can set you up with an inexpensive accountant who can sort out any paperwork for you, leaving you free to get caring.

Every family on Gladys completes a profile that you can read before you agree to anything, and we hold nothing back. You can also see what other carers have said about a family, because reviews should not only run one way. If you want to meet someone before committing, we encourage it. Anyone who breaches our community standards can be removed from the platform, and all you need to do is tell us.

We cannot promise you a full week and we would rather say so than over-promise. What we can tell you is that we are matching more carers with families every month across Bath, Bristol, Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset and Hampshire, and that you will see every new client and shift in your area as it comes in. Some carers use Gladys to top up hours alongside other work and some build a full week from it. Both work well.

You set your own hourly rate. Carers on Gladys start from £18 an hour for visiting care and average around £20, and there is no upper limit: what you charge depends on your experience, where you are based and the type of support you provide. For context, most agency care roles sit somewhere between £12.50 and £18 an hour. Because you are self-employed you are responsible for your own tax and National Insurance, so the fair comparison is your rate against an agency's headline rate. You are paid weekly.

We have a complaints process for carers as well as clients, and we will not take a client's word over yours without looking into it properly. Completing your end-of-visit notes is your best protection: it records what was done, and our software can show that you attended. We will talk you through how to protect yourself when you join.