Personal Care Assistant (PA)

The role of a Personal Care Assistant (PA) is an extremely varied and interesting one from the basics of personal care (getting some dressed, bathed and feeding meals and cooking and cleaning) to having a unique insight into an individual's life and learning skills (from assisting someone at work or in social activities to assisting at a conference or demonstrating outside Parliament!). ILA also has vacancies supporting Disabled people in their workplace by filing, scanning documents, taking notes, etc.

Do you want to work in an environment where every day you are empowering a disabled person to do what they want to do? We believe that everyone should be in control of when they get up and go to bed; what they eat; where they go; when they go out and when they come home; every decision and choice is up to the disabled person-needing assistance does not mean losing control and independence. If you agree with this, you should consider working as a Personal Assistant with Independent Living Alternatives:

• Independent Living Alternatives is a user controlled organisation - the people who use the service control the service
• We have full-time and part-time work across London with physically disabled people living independently in their own home
• Salaries start from £12.71 up to £17.50 per hour plus holiday and pension
• You choose when you work and when you don't work - you also decide if you want a flexible or fixed contract of employment
• We offer free online training for The Care Certificate, First Aid, Health and Safety and Being a Personal Assistant and you don't pay for your DBS
• You will be provided with full training to work with each person that you assist
You don't need any experience to work as a Personal Assistant with Independent Living Alternatives, just an open mind and a willingness to learn new things:
• PAs are great communicators, have lots of patience, excellent listening skills and are able to follow instructions to do what the disabled person asks them to
• PAs tell us that they have great working relationships with the disabled people at ILA
• Disabled people tell us that PAs are flexible and PAs enjoy the diversity of disabled people they work for including artists, accountants, activists and homemakers
• Over 75% of ILA PAs stay for more than a year on their placement
"I've worked with ILA for 10 years now. I know the family and I am happy with the PA user; I like the mornings as we talk a lot and there are always interesting topics -I've learnt loads regarding disability and social services etc."