Female Personal Support Assistant [Disability] *This post is exempt from the Equality Act 2010 (Schedule 9, Part 1) which provides for the application of a genuine occupational requirement. Summary Job: Lending a hand to facilitate independent living through personal care, physiotherapy, driving, household tasks and general mobility support. Roles available: 2 roles, each 30 hours average [which would increase on occasion to cover team’s annual leave or my busy periods]. Role 1: will include flexible morning/evening shifts including weekends and 1 x week wakened overnight; Role 2: will involve flexible 2 x wakened overnights and 2 x evening shift per week including weekends. Location: Glasgow, may require occasional travel to locations beyond Glasgow, employer will pay travel/accommodation costs beyond Glasgow. Contract: 18-month cycle contract; which can be extended up to 3 years by mutual agreement. Essential requirements: Transferable skills including interpersonal skills, communication and fitness/strength. Experience of physiotherapy/sport may prove useful in this job. Ability to drive safely/willingness to learn to drive sponsored by employer. Additional info: It is open to UK residents with work permits, including student and post-graduate Visas. Due to employer’s health, you must be a non-smoker and remain a non-smoker while in this role. Who am I? I'm an individual employer with a neuromuscular health condition, I use an electric wheelchair for mobility and live independently in my own home. I need physical support for all the “everyday” parts of life that most people take for granted [from fixing my hair, to brushing my teeth, going to the bathroom, cooking… you get the picture!]. I work in the creative and access industries, all whilst building my own business, offering companies my entrepreneurial skills, and training to work in spiritual-psychotherapeutic field. I'm keenly interested in holistic well-being/biohacking, fashion and cosmetics, and the natural world. As an individual I have a dynamic and diverse lifestyle, with an athletic level of effort that goes into creating a life where I am happy, health and living my aspirations. It's important for the people who work with me to match that level of athletic effort towards their role and understand how helping me in the way I need makes true positive impact. What Does The Role Involve? The role can broadly be summarised as personal care, household tasks, emergency and physiotherapy support, as well as help with mobility and safety when I am outside. I am essentially “borrowing” your hands to help me with the parts of life I cannot physically do and need help with. I am able to teach you both the practical aspects of the role (such as moving and handling, hoisting, physio, emergency support) and the approach I would like you to take. If offered the role you would begin with a training period – meaning your first 70-100 hours of work is mostly learning. For me, it is important for my support team to be able to step back and allow me to learn and experience life on my own terms, as well as being hands on when emergency happens or I need support. As such, professional working boundaries, respecting privacy and retaining confidentiality are equally important in the role and part of your learning process. Who You Are As The Ideal Candidate This is a practical job that requires working with your hands, transferable skills and an open mind, rather than specific degrees or qualifications, but ultimately you’ll be a well-rounded individual who finds the value in both academic learning and the real-world school of life! You’ll appreciate that real life involves hard work with no task being too big or too small. You don’t mind everyday tasks like household work, but also appreciate the more technical parts of the role like physiotherapy and moving and handling. You’ll be able to flow with the dynamic pace of the role and remember routine tasks through muscle memory and presence to the current moment. As this role involves flexibility, learning and investment during the 18 months’ cycle, it is best suited for graduates (uni/school/college) or someone who wishes to take time to redirect and develop their careers (like an entrepreneur). Essential Requirements - Physical and cognitive fitness/strength to meet the needs of the role - Excellent communication [listening, understanding, speaking including non-verbal communication] - Honesty and trustworthy - Excellent attention span and ability to stay present - Self-disciplined in attendance, reliability and punctuality - Ability to retain confidentiality, respect privacy and maintain boundaries - Flexible availability for working hours - Free-of-judgement approach to the job - Excellent personal hygiene and following hygiene instructions [Please note Covid face masks are no longer a daily requirement, though may be necessary in specific environments/situations.] - Respectful towards anyone you encounter [regardless of how different they are from you] - Professional, precise and efficient when following instructions - Initiative to precisely carry out tasks that are routine with efficiency, without instructions/supervision when required. - Comfortable working 1:1 and taking on responsibility required in the role - Comfortable doing all aspects of the role including intimate personal care - Ability to drive safely/willingness to learn if sponsored. - Ability to take a step back and allow space for me to socialise/work/experience life independently - Comfortable in different settings including quiet home, loud gigs, natural places, with a variety of Scottish weather! The Application and Interview Process If you'd like to apply, attach your CV and cover letter tailored to the role so I can assess your applications and transferable skills. Please make sure this is not AI assisted, as it can give a misleading impression. Interviews will be offered to the right persons and reference checks will follow. There is usually a minimum of 2 interviews, with possible trial shifts to ensure you are suitable for the role. If you are offered a position, you'll be asked to apply for security checks [PVG or equivalent] which’ll be funded by me. Previous employee testimonies “My role made me aware of the lack of well-designed, affordable products for people with disabilities which enhanced my drive to become an engineer to design products and improve infrastructure that improve people’s lives. Having now worked multiple engineering jobs, my role as a Personal Assistant remains on my CV as it demonstrates my ability to time manage and react in high pressure situations. The role significantly boosted my confidence and provided me with unique insights and knowledge that have helped me secure valuable placements throughout university. Working as a Personal Assistant allowed me to save enough money to focus on my studies without the added pressure of part-time work during university.” Z.C., Previous employee, re-located to study engineering “Working as a personal support assistant was a rewarding experience that allowed me to grow both professionally and personally, while continuously expanding my knowledge and expertise in the field. Being a postgraduate student in the healthcare field, I had the opportunity to develop new skills and refine my moving and handling techniques, enhance both verbal and non-verbal communication, and improve fast decision-making and thinking patterns. The current pay has offered a stable foundation for my personal finances. It makes the role more attractive, knowing that I can manage my living expenses effectively.” E.G., Previous employee, now re-located abroad, working in healthcare.