Caregiver Career Development
How hourly caregivers can advance their careers to become financially independent, professional live-in caregivers in just a few years.
What would you do with an extra $30,000 to $60,000 per year?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) earn an average annual salary of $35,740, and Home Health Aides (HHAs) earn an average yearly wage of $30,930. What would you do if you could double, or even triple that amount? Many professional live-in caregivers who started out doing hourly shift work for facilities or agencies have used that ADL/memory care training and experience to launch into a career as a professional live-in caregiver, making their way up the career ladder, step by step, and now making $100,000-$150,000 per year! So, what are those steps? What options do hourly caregivers have to start down this road to financial freedom? What sacrifices are involved? How long does it usually take? These are all good questions, and though the answers can vary between individuals, the road is straightforward. Look below for a guide to the timeframe and steps to make it a reality.
YOUR ROADMAP TO SUCCESS.
1
Gain Caregiver Experience
Timeframe: 12-18 months.
How: Working hourly shifts for a local home care agency, home health agency, or assisted living community.
Training: Take the LCA "Career Development Course". Pay special attention to Modules 1 and 2. Get training and practice with ADLs, memory care, and customer service skills.
Practice: Soft skills like tolerance and patience while working with/for people with challenging personalities or behaviors. Practice your communication skills and sense of humor, and when available, work 12-hour shifts to practice endurance.
Goal: Get a training certificate and written recommendations from supervisors or care recipients. Earn $35k-$50k per year.
2
Gain Live-in
Care Experience
Timeframe: 12-18 months.
How: Working live-in shifts for a local home care agency, group home, or directly for a private-hire family.
Practice: Review the LCA course material found in Module 3 when interviewing for and considering positions. Once you have a live-in position, you can use the course material and lessons in Module 4 to help avoid or overcome the most common obstacles to success for live-in caregivers.
Goal: Get 3+ recommendation letters from supervisors, care recipients, or their families specifically for live-in positions. At least one should be from a position that lasted longer than 6 months. Update your resume to reflect your live-in care experience and new references. Earn $50k-$80k per year.
3
Learn How to
Market Yourself
Timeframe: Ongoing.
How: This is where your original 12-18 months of caregiver experience and your additional 12-18 months of live-in care experience come together with your LCA coursework to propel you into the professional live-in caregiver marketplace, where you can earn enough to meet your long-term financial goals and help you and your family achieve the American dream for generations.
Practice: Review Module 6 "Benchmarks to Higher Income" and follow the checklist at the end of the module. This is were you can now really shine. Review the LCA course material found in Module 5 when interviewing for and considering the higher-paying travel positions.
Goal: Earn $100,000+ per year. Save and invest for your family's future.
LIVE-IN CAREGIVER JOBS CAN BE BOTH EMOTIONALLY AND
FINANCIALLY REWARDING.
Buy
a Home
Reach the American Dream by using the savings that you have made by working as a professional live-in caregiver, to make a down payment on a home. Use the home to create a place that your family can come and visit. Get the guestroom ready! If you decide to continue working as a live-in, you can opt to take local positions or switch back to hourly shifts with your local agency or care community and enjoy your well-earned home.
Pay for
College
Being a professional live-in caregiver can help make it possible for your children (or your grandchildren) to attend a four-year college, and get a professional degree. That degree can literally change their opportunities in this country and create opportunities for generations to come.
Save for
Retirement
When we reach a certain age, many of us realize that we have been so busy rowing the boat of daily life that we haven't thought enough about how we are going to afford "not working" when the time comes to retire. Lucky for you, as long as you have a few years to go, you can bank tens of thousands of dollars for your retirement in just a few short years of doing professional traveling live-in jobs.