Applying for a home help or a cleaning services vacancy can feel daunting so we want to put you at ease.
This blog takes you through our recruitment process step by step, so that you can feel confident at every stage, familiar with what happens, with no hidden surprises.
Feel free to read the blog in full, or jump to the section(s) you’d most like to know about…
Who are Happy to Help Gateshead?
Happy to Help Gateshead is a home help and social care charity for people aged 65+ and people with disabilities. We've helped take care of the regular home and cleaning tasks for thousands of people across Gateshead since we began in 2000.
We have two members of our head office team, Liz and Nancy, and a team of over 20 home help assistants across the borough.
What do we do?
Home Help
Each person we help is different. This is why we provide people with the services they or their loved ones want, which may include any of the following tasks (this list is not exhaustive, if people have other tasks in the home they are struggling with, just let us know).
Shopping
Bill Paying
Prescription collection
Vacuuming
Sweeping
Polishing/Dusting
Cleaning Floors
Cleaning inside Windows
Cleaning Cupboards inside and out
Making and Changing Beds
Ironing
Laundry services
Assisted Outings
We also have a one to one assisted outings service, which is used flexibly by our clients to go to the places they want or need to go, knowing they have support from one of our assisted outings assistants from home and back again.
Head Office Support
One of the added benefits of Happy to Help Gateshead is our head office support which offers clients and their loved ones a dedicated contact to ask questions, ask for extra help, make changes to their service, raise concerns without speaking directly to their home help assistant and much more.
What vacancies do we have?
Helping someone to live independently in their own homes is profoundly rewarding. We see first hand the difference it makes to the quality of life, happiness and wellbeing of those we help.
We currently have two vacancies:-
Home Help Assistant – providing weekly home help support in people’s homes, making sure the domestic tasks are taken care of.
Assisted Outings Assistant – supporting clients on a 1-2-1 basis on any outings (such as appointments, errands, places of interest, leisure activities etc).
Both of our vacancies have an hourly rate of at least minimum wage, plus mileage/travel expenses, and all of our assistants are given a rota that matches the hours and days they want to work.
We never work weekends or evenings, we always have time off between Christmas and New Year, and do not provide any personal care, which ensures that are roles are perfect for working around the school run, caring responsibilities, other jobs, or for people who might just want a few hours, or a full rota.
There’s more information on our careers page where you can find the full job descriptions of each role.
How do I apply?
To apply, you can submit an application form via post, hand delivery or email. You can call or email us for an application form, or pop in to see us weekdays between 9am and 3:30pm, or you can download an application form from our website.
Here's our postal address, email address and telephone number to request or return and application form...
Happy to Help Gateshead
Holy Rosary Parish House
Northumberland Street
Teams
Gateshead
NE8 2PQ
0191 4785919
What should I write in my application form?
In your application we like to know:-
Your personal details so that we can contact you
Your education/training
Your previous and/or current employment
Your references
Your skills, experience or knowledge that makes you a suitable candidate
Anything else you wish to tell us that might support your application
Can I ask questions?
Of course. We are always more than happy to chat to candidates and answer any questions they have about the role, application process, interview or any other questions you might have. To chat to our team, you can call Liz or Nancy on 0191 4785919 between 9am and 4pm Monday to Friday, or email vacancies@teamwork-dt.co.uk.
Is there an interview?
Yes.
What can I expect at an interview?
Our interviews are held at our head office in Teams, Gateshead, and they last, on average, 20 minutes. Our interviews are very informal so please don’t worry about formal clothing, we would rather you felt comfortable in whatever clothing you want to wear. We’ll have a glass of water ready for you, and always start of with informal chatting, an introduction of our services, followed by a few questions.
Who will interview me?
There is usually two or three people that are part of the interview panel. We have two coordinators at Happy to Help Gateshead, and if available, one of our Trustees might also attend. Don’t let this put you off however, we know that interviews can cause anxiety so we make our interviews very informal and we're a friendly team who do everything we can to put you at ease right from the beginning.
What will I be asked at an interview?
Our first question is to tell us about yourself, so we can get to know you. We then ask a few questions to find out what your understanding is about home help and cleaning services and the role, and we ask about your experience (personally and professionally). Finally, we’ll ask if you have any questions for us, and we’ll then go on to tell you about what happens next if you’re offered a role with Happy to Help Gateshead.
We’ll also ask you what days, time, hours you can work, so that if offered a job, we can build your rota around you and any other commitments you have.
We’ll also let you know when you can expect to be told about the outcome of your interview.
If I’m offered a job, what happens next?
We try and let candidates know within a day or two whether they were successful and, if so, we then move onto the next phase of joining the team.
Step 1
You’ll be invited to go out to meet a client or two with an existing member of staff, to try out the role for yourself, and to see if it’s for you. These hours are paid, and gives you a perfect opportunity to get some practical experience of working for Happy to Help Gateshead, with an experienced team member there to support you and answer any questions. For us, it’s a chance to see how you interact with our clients, and carry out tasks to look at any extra training we might carry out in the step 2. It is very rare at this stage that Happy to Help Gateshead will find that a candidate is not right for our team, but we’re more than happy for candidates to decide the role is not for them once they’ve tried it for themselves, and we’re never offended if that’s the case.
Step 2
If you and Happy to Help Gateshead are pleased with how Step 1 goes, you’ll be formally offered a role, and invited to spend some time with Liz in the office (approximately 2 hours). We’ll ask you to bring in some paperwork so we can add you to all of our systems and to process your enhanced DBS check. We'll also go through everything you need to know as part of your induction including:-
· Paperwork to fill in for each client
· Code of conduct
· Safeguarding training
· Uniform and equipment
· Your rota
After Step 2, and as soon as your DBS checks are all complete, you begin your career with Happy to Help Gateshead visiting your regular clients each week.
To apply to become a home help assistant, Happy to Help Gateshead accepts applications all year round. An application form and job description can be found on the careers page of our website, and if you’d like to know more, you can contact Liz for a chat on 0191 478 5919 or by emailing vacancies@teamwork-dt.co.uk.
If you have any questions that we haven't answered, we'd love to hear from you. Drop a comment below our call our head office team on 0191 4785919.
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