How to increase your income as an independent support worker

Support workers in the care sector assist clients in all areas of their daily lives, including their physical or social activities. They also give emotional support. Workers can be employed privately, hired via an agency and/or be fully independent (i.e. self-employed).

In this post, we’ll compare typical salaries, hours and working conditions to show why becoming an independent support worker is a fantastic idea to increase your income.

Why work as an independent carer rather than an agency worker or employed carer?

According to Career Smart, around 48.7% of carers are full-time employees, 45.8% are part-time employees, and only 5.5% are currently self-employed independent carers. Many may not even be aware that becoming self-employed is an option!

There are a few reasons why qualified carers should consider switching to self-employment, or to at least supplement their current income with independent caring work. Let’s look into this further below.

Average support worker salaries

Rates for support workers can vary hugely, depending on experience, employers, region, and type of duties carried out. According to www.nurses.co.uk, the average salary for support worker jobs “is around £19,000 a year”, with starting salaries of around £17,000 a year. While wages in the NHS are slightly higher, most support workers are employed in private residential care homes, where rates are typically much lower. Zero-contract agency work is also common.

Agency workers' salaries

Duke Atori, the owner of CareDial and a carer himself, says: “Carers working for an agency typically earn around £10 per hour. Some carers working in independent living have to support two to three clients at this low rate.” It’s concerning that one carer may need to cater for up to three care receivers with varying needs, and do all this below the UK minimum wage.

Employed care workers' salaries

An experienced employed carer doesn’t necessarily earn much more than an independent support worker or agency worker. It completely depends on how generous their employer is.

Some may offer slightly higher wages to those with more experience. Depending on the employer, workers may receive additional perks, such as bonuses or overtime pay, but benefits and pay in the private sector are unpredictable and not always as good as, say, in the NHS. According to Duke Atori, rates for experienced employed carers range from £8.50 to £17 per hour.

Independent support workers' salaries

In contrast, going independent (either fully, or in addition to existing work) can help carers to become more financially stable and to set their own working conditions. Atori emphasises that “many carers don’t realise they could become independent support workers and get paid more for just supporting one client.”

As an independent worker, salaries can range from £20,000 to £30,000 per year or more, depending on the experience, qualifications, and availability of the individual.

Average working hours and conditions for a UK support worker

There are currently many support worker vacancies, though the working conditions and hours can vary a lot.

Regulations for care support agency workers

While agency workers can earn more than employed care workers, their working conditions are less regulated. Unregulated agency fees have been claimed to cause “negative work environments”, which increase the “likelihood of unsafe care practices”. In theory, the employer the agency works for (not the agency) is responsible to ensure that carers don’t work over 48 hours per week. This may not always be regulated as well in practice.

Working conditions for employed carers

According to Gov.UK, you can't work "more than 48 hours a week on average - normally averaged over 17 weeks." However, there are some exceptions.

Note: both for agency workers and employed care workers, the working week doesn't include e.g. travelling time, breaks, unpaid overtime or time on-call spent away from the workplace.

Perks for independent support workers

One of the major benefits of being an independent support worker is the complete flexibility in terms of working hours and conditions. As they’re self-employed, independent carers can choose when, where, and how they work, allowing them to fit their job around other commitments.

For example, their fees can include commuting times/costs and any unexpected overtime they do. That’s why independent support workers often benefit from better hourly pay rates than those employed in other social care roles.

Importantly, they decide which clients to work with. Being their own boss and having this control over working conditions and pay is a huge plus.

How do you become an independent care or support worker?

1. Work on your key skills

Numeracy and literacy skills are important to become a carer. Of course, you'll also need great people and communication skills.

After all, you'll work with the elderly, vulnerable people, those with learning difficulties, and/or young people. An interest in healthcare, mental health, and helping people lead independent lives is also essential.

2. Get some qualifications

The good news: you don't need many qualifications to get started as a carer. As a minimum, you’ll need to get a care certificate.

If you want to study further, an NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care is a great way to show your knowledge and expertise as a successful independent support worker in the UK. For some roles, you may need GCSEs in English and mathematics, or special healthcare training qualifications, e.g. a BTEC diploma or NVQs.

3. Be proactive

There are many national or local job boards you could use to advertise yourself and your services. Also, don’t forget the power of social media and word of mouth, including through friends and family.

4. Network

Connecting with other independent support workers, carers, and social workers can open up new opportunities for employment and help you learn more about the profession. Check LinkedIn to find and get in touch with colleagues in your area, or try online meetups for this.

How can you earn more as an independent caring professional?

As a carer, you make a positive difference in your clients' lives. Your work should be paid fairly. Here’s how:

1. Work out how much you want to earn

First, think about how many hours you’re available per week or month. Then, calculate how much you would like to earn in this period. Don’t forget to include what you’ll need to set aside for your pension, sick pay, holiday pay, time for commuting, etc, in your hourly rate!

2. Develop your existing skills

There are many continuing professional development courses and seminars to develop your knowledge and skills as an independent support worker. Invest in yourself. For example, you may want to focus on specialising as a family support worker or in mental health support.

3. Offer additional services

You could offer extra services to increase your current income, such as home visits, transport services, shopping services, and/or accompanying clients to appointments. It’s all up to you and what you’d like to do.

4. Register with a care platform that pays fairly

It’s important to earn more than minimum wage in this difficult economic climate. The online platform CareDial—built by a carer and run by a social enterprise—is trying to help care workers do this.

CareDial solves many issues workers in the healthcare sector face: low wages, lack of holidays, and few career development opportunities. It’s also a perfect tool for care receivers, who can choose their preferred independent support worker for free, without having to pay any extra fees or taxes. They can rest assured their care worker receives fairer wages.

How can independent carers use CareDial to earn more?

The CareDial platform allows support workers and care receivers to connect with each other, free of charge. Independent carers can use CareDial to:

• find and manage clients,

• easily set up contracts,

• transfer existing clients,

• Connect with other carers to arrange holiday or sickness cover,

• invoice, and

• receive 100% of the money they’ve earned.

All these basic features are free. And, unlike with other agencies or care platforms, there are no penalty fees to pay if independent carers should leave with clients they found on CareDial.

There are also optional add-on business management tools if needed. For these, CareDial charges a low transaction fee of 6% through Stripe, its payment system. This covers Stripe’s transaction fees, CareDial’s site maintenance, marketing, and the development of future features.

CareDial’s model differs from other commercial UK platforms, which charge much higher rates for their admin services (often between 12% and 18%, plus VAT). For example, many other agencies get 12.5% + VAT each time a carer invoices their clients. Some care platforms also add introduction fees, taxes, and other costs to the client's invoice.

Get a better support worker salary

There are many advantages to becoming an independent support worker. You can really increase your income and job security by opting for self-employment as a carer. Even if you don’t want to be fully self-employed, you could work around existing job commitments.

CareDial is an easy-to-use platform for carers and their clients. Why not register for free today and make caring a rewarding full-time career or just an additional income stream?