Private carer and PA job interview questions

We’ve created a series of guides for people looking to hire a private PA or Carer for the home. At Fish Insurance, we understand how much responsibility our customers take on when deciding to hire a private PA or carer. Not only have we created a series of guides to get you started, but our customers can benefit from additional support depending on the policy products they buy.

With our Care Protect and Healthcare Protect insurance products, customers will be able to access additional support. These policies are bundled with a 24-hour support line which can provide legal and health and safety advice to them, as employers. Please note that this is not available with our Basic Protect policy.

Aquarium is a service that’s available with all 3 of Protect products, Basic, Care and Healthcare Protect. It is an online portal which provides helpful training and management tools to help our customers succeed as great employers.

Visit our Protect Insurance pages for more info about our policies.

Once you’ve found some candidates, you’ll want to meet them. Set up an interview to get a feel for whether they’re the right fit for you. And all importantly, you for them. Choose a suitable location, perhaps at the home – and allow yourself time to really get to know the person.

It’s always an idea to have a planned structure for the interview and what questions you’d like to ask. That way you can be as thorough as you like. Then, you can make sure you get all the information you need to make a decision.

Here is a list of suggestions on what questions to ask a PA or Carer during a job interview. Hopefully, these will provide you with inspiration to find a great fit for yourself or your loved one.

You may also wish to ask them if they have any background of caring for someone with a specific condition. Particularly if the care receiver has a specific need. For example, have they cared for someone who has Alzheimer’s or poor mobility?

This can be great to identify someone’s qualities. It can show how passionate they are about caring for others.

You’re looking for someone who can support their client. Particularly if someone lives on their own. Or if they have a condition that leaves them confused at times.

Asking questions like this can be a good way to dig into how compassionate they are. Plus, you can sense their ability to deal with difficult scenarios.

This can gauge their timeliness and ability to take responsibility. You can also discuss a backup plan for when this happens.

Everyone has a part of their job they dislike. A good employee is someone who’ll recognise this. Despite their dislikes, they will still make sure their care and attention are given in all parts of the job.

This gives them a chance to demonstrate their ability to handle any potential emergencies. You’re looking for someone who can assess the situation and act accordingly. They should describe how to make sure their client is safe and well when accidents happen.

Always invite a candidate to ask questions at the end of an interview. It gives them a chance to show how much they’ve considered the role. If they have no questions, have they fully considered the role? Plus, it can help to identify any issues or concerns that they may have in the future.

It is worth asking if they have their own private carer insurance. They should ideally be covered for things like accidental injury, plus errors and omissions in the provision of medical treatment. You can read about Fish Insurance products for carers to give you an idea of what they might need.

It’s worth having an open and honest conversation with the interviewee. Find out how they’d like to be managed. This could be in terms of time records, absences, breaks and holidays. Identify and discuss any areas that could create a sticking point further down the line.

Find out more about our offering of Protect insurance policies.