AND NOW FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT: INDEPENDENT LIVING ALTERNATIVES PROMOTING INDEPENDENCE -MANAGED BY DISABLED PEOPLE SINCE 1989

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!).

 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 £9+ 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.”

Registered Charity: 802198

UPCOMING VACANCIES

ILA has a register of PAs available for short- and long-term positions across London. If you are

looking for a permanent job or ad hoc shifts to suit, then you need to complete an application

form to receive PA Vacancy Alerts as they become available.

POSITION AS52 – Brixton SW9

Office based personal assistant required for a woman offering up to 20 hours of work per month

(days/times tbc). The tasks include supporting the PA User in her job role including the

development and running of virtual events and meetings. She also needs support with organising

and attending face to face meetings. You need to have an excellent knowledge of various

platforms that include Zoom, MS Teams, YouTube including use of accessible features; excellent

knowledge of MS Office applications (in particular MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint) and Survey

Monkey. Starting date: August Salary: £15.50ph (ILA)

POSITION BA69 – Stockwell SW9

Female PA User seeks a live-in PA for ad hoc shifts (with the possibility of this becoming a regular job). The PA User is a very active person with a busy lifestyle and the tasks include: providing all personal care; support with physio (swimming); pushing a wheelchair; care of wheelchair and other equipment; help with gardening and socialising, preparing and cooking meals and pet care; support with all housework, providing general PA support such as help with getting in and out of the car or lifting, fetching and carrying items. Salary: £160 per 24 hour shift (ILA)

POSITION ES82 – Thamesmead SE2

Female wheelchair user is looking for a PA to enable her to live independently in the community, to assist in all areas of personal and domestic need and to accompany her in her social and day-to-day activities. The available shifts are: 48 hour weekend shift once per month (Saturday 9am–Monday 9am); 37 hour weekend shift once per month (Saturday 9am–Sunday 10pm); 37 hour shift once per month (Monday 9am–Tuesday 10pm). You need to be a driver and be okay with cats. Salary: £11.05 per hour (Direct employment)

POSITION KL31 - Canning Town/Newham E16

Disabled woman is looking for a female* PA to work a regular daytime shift per week (9am-9pm). The tasks include providing all personal care as well as assisting with cooking, household chores, accompanying outside when needed and also looking after a very friendly cat. (Please don’t apply if you are allergic to or dislike cats!). You will need to attend a short training before your first shift. Salary: £10.28ph (ILA)

POSITION MB43: SUPPORT WORKER – Bromley BR5

Young disabled man is looking for a support worker in his new employment role. This position offers 18 hours per week worked on 3 days (currently Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays but this can be rearranged) and it is a combination of remote and face-to-face work. The job can be shared between more PAs. August start date. Salary: £15.50ph (ILA)

POSITION MS22 - Roehampton SW15

Woman looking for a female* PA to work regular shifts at her placement. These are all 24h shifts and the pattern is to work every other week between Wednesday (7pm) and the following Tuesday (7pm); this can be either worked by one person or the shifts can be shared between more PAs. The work includes all aspects of personal care including catheter care, toileting, hoist transfers, preparing simple meals and drinks during the day, feeding, dressing, general housework, shopping etc. When working, PAs stay in a separate PA accommodation and there is adequate downtime for meals and breaks during the shifts. You will be provided with a training before you can start working on your own. Salary: £145 - £200 per 24h shift (ILA) TO START ASAP

POSITION PB64 - Chingford/Highams Park E4

Disabled man living in E4 is looking for a Personal Assistant for regular 24 hour shifts. At the moment it is regular weekend shifts (Saturday 8:30am – Monday 7:45am) but there will also be additional 2-3 regular weekdays’ shifts available soon. Ideally you need to be a driver (25+) but non-drivers will be considered as well. TO START ASAP. Salary: £246.72 per 24 hour shift plus holiday pay (ILA)

POSITION SM03 - Chelsea SW3

Female PA User in Chelsea, a physically disabled artist, is looking for a female* PA/PAs who can work several shifts per week (about 6 hours per day) with the starting time between 9-11am. The work includes personal care and domestic tasks. You need to be a good communicator as the PA User has a speech impairment so at times you may need to communicate on her behalf. Interviews to be held between Monday and Friday after 1pm.  Salary: £11.05ph (Direct employment) TO START ASAP

POSITION SM73 - Westminster

Male PA User requires a PA to work two days per week to provide practical work support such as note taking and research as well as a limited amount of personal assistance. Salary: £15ph to start ASAP (ILA)

POSITION OV91 - Paddington-W2

Female* PA required for a visually impaired woman (opera singer & teacher of singing) to assist her 8 hours per week (as and when required). You need to have a high level of written and spoken English. Good administrative and organisational and PC skills are essential. Ideally someone who is able to read music notation. Salary: £11.05ph (ILA) TO START IN JUNE

POSITION YF86 - SUPPORT FOR ONLINE MEETINGS

PA required to support a disabled man with learning difficulties to participate in formal Zoom meetings. The PA User joins regular formal Zoom meetings and requires PA support before and during these meetings. The tasks usually include basic note taking; online meeting with the PA User prior to the formal Zoom meeting to go through the materials and assist in preparing questions/contributions to discussion; prompt the PA User to ask prepared questions/contributions during the meeting; post meeting debrief (how it went, follow ups) etc. You need to have an access to a computer, be encouraging, patient and friendly, to understand and work to the Social Model of Disability. Experience of supporting disabled people with learning difficulties in formal meetings is an advantage but not a must. Salary: £11.05ph (ILA)

*Gender is considered to be a genuine occupational requirement in accordance with paragraph 1 of Schedule 9 of the Equality Act 2010 for a female worker to work with our client.