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Become a self-employed carer with Elder

Elder connects self-employed carers with families across Great Britain who need live-in, respite or visiting care. Whether you're already an experienced carer or looking for a new way to use your skills, you'll find flexible opportunities, competitive pay and a dedicated team behind you.

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Carer supporting older person
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    Find the right clients

    Browse opportunities and get custom-matched to those that best fit your requirements.

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    Get paid on time

    Our secure system means no more chasing invoices or delayed payments.

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    Make a real difference

    Help older people get the quality care they need, in their own homes.

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    Access the ElderHub

    Apply for opportunities, chat to families, and build a schedule from our award-winning app

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Why apply with Elder

Elder gives you the tools to build a care career on your own terms. You choose your clients, set your schedule, and get paid securely, without ever having to chase an invoice.

Competitive pay

Pay varies depending on the type of care you provide and where you're based:

  • Earn up to £865 a week for live-in placements
  • Double pay on bank holidays
  • Food allowance for live-in roles
  • All travel costs reimbursed

Easier and faster to find work

Stop spending hours ringing round agencies or posting ads. Elder's award-winning platform gives you free access to a powerful app, so you can find and manage care work quickly, with no joining fee.

Flexible opportunities that fit your lifestyle

Browse hundreds of care opportunities and apply for the roles that match your availability and preferences. Whether you're looking for live-in work or flexible shifts, you choose what fits your life.

Work directly with families and use your skills

With Elder, the care agreement is between you and the family, so you're free to bring your professional judgement, experience and person-centred approach to every placement. This gives you more control over your work and how care is delivered.

Carer spending time with older woman and her daughter

Are you in one of these locations?

Families in the following areas are currently looking for self-employed carers via the Elder platform.

Live-in Carer Birmingham

homeLive-in CarepaymentsEarn up to £865 per week

Live-in Carer Newcastle

homeLive-in CarepaymentsEarn up to £865 per week

Live-in Carer Manchester

homeLive-in CarepaymentsEarn up to £865 per week

Live-in Carer Nottingham

homeLive-in CarepaymentsEarn up to £865 per week

Live-in Carer Glasgow

homeLive-in CarepaymentsEarn up to £865 per week

Live-in Carer Edinburgh

homeLive-in CarepaymentsEarn up to £865 per week

Live-in Carer London

homeLive-in CarepaymentsEarn up to £865 per week

Live-in Carer Bristol

homeLive-in CarepaymentsEarn up to £865 per week

How to join Elder

We’ve made it as simple as possible to join the Elder platform. Ultimately, it’s all about getting to know you, so that you can get the most out of care.

Types of care work available with Elder

Elder connects carers to three main types of care work, so you can choose what fits your skills and lifestyle.

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    Live-in care

    You’ll move into your client's home to provide one-to-one, round-the-clock support:

    • Earn up to £865 a week
    • Build a flexible schedule
    • Short and ongoing placements available
    Carer helping an older woman get out of the car

    Respite care

    You’ll move into your client’s home for a short period:

    • Cover a family's main carer, or a temporary increase in care needs
    • Minimum placement of three days
    • A flexible way to build experience alongside other placements
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    Visiting care

    You’ll provide one-on-one support through care visits:

    • Set your own hourly rate
    • Build your own flexible schedule
    • One-off and regular weekly visits available

What to expect from our vetting process

Every self-employed carer introduced through Elder goes through a thorough vetting process before joining the platform. This process protects you and the families you'll work with, and it's part of what makes the Elder platform trusted by thousands of families across Great Britain.

Here's what our vetting process involves:

  • Situational judgement

    We assess how you'd respond to real care scenarios and critical moments.

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  • Character assessment

    We check you have the respectful, caring attitude families are looking for.

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  • DBS / PVG background check

    We verify your history, so families can feel confident inviting you into their home.

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  • Professional references

    We confirm your experience in a professional care setting.

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Access hundreds of opportunities from your phone

Once you’ve completed a short suitability check you’ll gain access to our ElderHub app – designed exclusively for self-employed carers.

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Easy

Get notified of new opportunities that meet your requirements, and apply straight from your phone.

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Flexible

Set your preferences, choose when and where you work, and book breaks with ease.

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Supportive

Get support around-the-clock via the carer newsfeed and help centre.

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Efficient

Get real time application updates, track your payments, and easily keep your information up-to-date.

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Getting to spend time with my clients and talking about their lives, families, hobbies and interests is amazing

Joy

I have never looked back. I'm enjoying the progress I'm making day by day. It is my joy to work at Elder.

Celeste

The flexibility of the work is good, but I also found live-in care more fulfilling in terms of job satisfaction.

Bawinile

About the Elder platform

Elder is an introductory agency that connects self-employed carers to families across Great Britain. Because we introduce carers rather than employ them directly, the Care Quality Commission doesn't require us to register in the same way as a traditional home care agency. In practice, that means:

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It’s easier to find the right opportunities

Browse and apply for suitable placements without ringing round agencies or advertising online. Each listing shows the hours or days required, the location, and detailed care information from the family.

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You can access the right information

Before your placement starts, we make sure you have everything you need, and our in-app chat lets you talk to the family and the Elder team to ask questions and get to know your client.

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You're free to do your job

The care agreement is between you and the family. There's no care manager directing how you provide care, so you're free to work together with the family, drawing on your own skills and experience to deliver person-centred care.

An elderly person playing the piano and a carer is listening

Frequently Asked Questions

phone0333 920 3648

Apply to become a carer