How to become a care worker or home carer

Official title: Care workers and home carers

Also called: Care aid, Home aid, Pa carer, Care aide, Home aide, Home carer, Care giver, Care nurse, Home helper, Care worker, Care enabler, Care visitor

Care workers and home carers attend to the personal needs and comforts of children, the elderly, the infirm and others with care and support needs (‘service users’) within residential care establishments, day care establishments or in their own homes.

Main tasks

• Assists and enables service users to dress, undress, wash, use the toilet and bathe
• Serves meals to service users at table or in bed, and assists with feeding if required
• Assists with service users’ overall comfort and wellbeing
• Provides interest and activities to stimulate and engage the service user
• Helps with daily activities such as letter writing, paying bills, collecting benefits
• Undertakes light cleaning and domestic duties including meal preparation as required
• Monitors service users’ conditions by taking temperature, pulse, respiration and weight, and contributes to record keeping
• Liaises with professional staff in carrying out care plans etc.

How to become one

There are no formal academic entry requirements. In most cases workers will be required to register with the appropriate statutory body which involves satisfying the registration criteria. This would normally include holding or working towards the appropriate qualification for the job. Entrants must typically be 18 years old and have experience of working in a care environment. Both Off and on-the-job training is available. A wide range of qualifications including NVQs/SVQs covering various aspects of care are available. Background checks including a DBS check are likely to be required.

Ways in

• Apprenticeship (England): Adult care worker (level 2). England. Typically 12 months. Skills England standard ST0005.
• Apprenticeship (England): Lead adult care worker (level 3). England. Typically 18 months. Skills England standard ST0006.
• Apprenticeship (England): Lead practitioner in adult care (level 4). England. Typically 18 months. Skills England standard ST0007.

Pay · Outlook

• Median full-time pay: £27,468 a year The middle half earn £22,798 to £32,493.
• About 1,070,300 people work in this job now, and about 1,173,000 are projected by 2035. (+9.6%)

Related jobs

• Nursing auxiliaries and assistants
• Ambulance staff (excluding paramedics)
• Dental nurses
• Houseparents and residential wardens
• Senior care workers
• Care escorts

Not sure this is for you? Take the 2-minute career quiz

Questions people ask

How do I become a care worker or home carer?

There are no formal academic entry requirements. In most cases workers will be required to register with the appropriate statutory body which involves satisfying the registration criteria. This would normally include holding or working towards the appropriate qualification for the job. Entrants must typically be 18 years old and have experience of working in a care environment. Both Off and on-the-job training is available. A wide range of qualifications including NVQs/SVQs covering various aspects of care are available. Background checks including a DBS check are likely to be required.

How much does a care worker or home carer earn in the UK?

Median full-time pay is £27,468 a year (Office for National Statistics). The middle half earn £22,798 to £32,493.

Is a care worker or home carer a growing career in the UK?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 10% by 2035, from about 1,070,300 to about 1,173,000 people (Department for Education).

Do you need a degree to become a care worker or home carer?

Not always. 30% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Adult care worker (level 2).

Sources

• Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03