Comfort Keepers

elisabetta · 01-02-2013 04:21PM #1

Hi

I was wondering if any of you might have experience working with comfort keepers.I was successful passing the interview and in doing the introduction course.Now I am just waiting for the garda clearance. Can any one please tell me more how it really is to work for them and about their course thanks

xkariex · 02-02-2013 01:41PM

elisabetta wrote: »

Hi

I was wondering if any of you might have experience working with comfort keepers.I was successful passing the interview and in doing the introduction course.Now I am just waiting for the garda clearance. Can any one please tell me more how it really is to work for them and about their course thanks

Is it to work as a carer or in there offices as co ordinator?

purplerain1 · 06-02-2013 04:38PM

I too have passed the interview stage.I know all jobs have good & bad points.Would like to hear more before i commit to paying for a training course through them.Any information would be appreciated GOOD OR BAD thanks.

elisabetta · 15-02-2013 03:03PM

To work as a carer

StillWaters · 16-02-2013 10:48AM

Flexible work is required, certainly you will get more hours if you are willing to work nights and weekends, as that is where the demand is for home care.

It is not a well paid job, at around €10 ph, and the work is not for everyone, it can be challenging and can involve looking after personal care for clients. If you have no experience in caring for elderly or sick people, it can be a bit of a shock.

However it can be very rewarding job and I know people who love it.

I think the above applies to all the home care agencies, not just comfort keepers.

purplerain1 · 16-02-2013 10:07PM

thank you

MrTsSnickers · 16-02-2013 10:23PM

purplerain1 wrote: »

I too have passed the interview stage.I know all jobs have good & bad points.Would like to hear more before i commit to paying for a training course through them.Any information would be appreciated GOOD OR BAD thanks.

Are you qualified as a social carer? Or completed the care of the older person course with FETAC?

Why would you have to pay for a training course though them is what I'm asking, I suppose.

Ls87 · 16-03-2013 05:15PM

elisabetta and purplerain1
how long are you both waiting on your garda vetting? i got offered a job with comfort keepers back in OCTOBER, ive been trained, signed contract, just waiting on vetting, been 5 months now

purplerain1 · 16-03-2013 07:45PM

Hi I went for interview and passed that stage at the end of feb told it would take about 8 weeks for garda vetting to be done,i have heard nothing since either by pnone or email very poor and thats before you even begin to work with them so i wouldnt have much faith in them now.Have another job now so its there loss.

purplerain1 · 16-03-2013 07:51PM

Did you train through them?,If so how much did you pay? <snip>

Ls87 · 16-03-2013 11:31PM

no, a kind of orientation day and manual handling. The training that we pay for is the fetac courses, about 100euro each and we do that after we begin working for them im assuming. When did your vetting get sent off?

Ls87 · 16-03-2013 11:44PM

everywhere i look i see them advertising for more carers, facebook, adverts etc...doesnt make me feel like i have a good secure job along with the vetting taking so long. Vetting can take longer with certain companies. ive never ever had to wait this long on it for any other company/college.

purplerain1 · 17-03-2013 09:16PM

Guy took it at the interview.Im not too bothered eitherway.But i remember if you start with them & start the training you must pay for all of course even if you leave them.All the best hope it works out.

Carer · 10-05-2013 08:48AM

e10 is rate for carer/healthcare assistant in hospitals
Garda vetting takes up to 6 months and is Garda regulated only ....if you had any error it could take much longer
I had vetting problem and I had to resubmit so it took 6 months nearly and my employer could do nothing to fast track it nor could the local Garda as its a special unit to deal with vetting
Manual handeling costs over e100 alone to do so if u get other training on induction that's good
Home care work in nature is rewarding but can be infrequent u usually sign up to 0-39 hours in a contract
Most other recruiters if not all agencys need people to be trained at FETAC 5 with manual handeling vetted infection control challenging behaviour and all vacinations completed before you start a job
I know this from experience of dealing with agencies and healthcare recruitment companies

bri007 · 13-05-2013 12:42PM

e12.57 is the hse rate for new carers working in hositals and agency staff such as nurse on call.

sammihoops · 26-07-2013 03:57PM

elisabetta wrote: »

Hi

I was wondering if any of you might have experience working with comfort keepers.I was successful passing the interview and in doing the introduction course.Now I am just waiting for the garda clearance. Can any one please tell me more how it really is to work for them and about their course thanks

Hi, just wondering if you ever received your Garda vetting from Comfort Keepers?

Ls87 · 27-07-2013 02:16AM

sammihoops wrote: »

Hi, just wondering if you ever received your Garda vetting from Comfort Keepers?

I've been waiting since mid October, 9 months now and no phone calls or anything from them. An unprofessional organisation if there ever was one. I'm doing a course anyway so I'm not at a loss. Are you waiting on vetting?

sammihoops · 28-07-2013 10:22AM

Ls87 wrote: »

I've been waiting since mid October, 9 months now and no phone calls or anything from them. An unprofessional organisation if there ever was one. I'm doing a course anyway so I'm not at a loss. Are you waiting on vetting?

Nine months??!! I thought I was bad at 6 months! I rang the Garda Vetting in tipperary and she told me firstly that Comfort Keepers are not registered with them and that they would be using a different agency, they also told me me that they are up to April with the vetting clearance. I don't know why Comfort Keepers are doing this?

Ls87 · 28-07-2013 06:22PM

The Garda vetting unit are up to April?? So what had happened our vetting? Did comfort keepers not send them or lose them or something... I rang ck twice at the start the year and they couldn't tell me anything except that I will hear from them as soon as my vetting came through. Soon after i Rang the guards in Tipperary as you did and thy couldn't tell me anything.
I've had vetting done twice for college and 3 times for other organisations, all down within 3 months and the organisations kept in touch with me in that time but in 9 months ck can't find the time to ring me once!
We can't be the only ones to hae received this treatment!?

sammihoops · 28-07-2013 08:29PM

Ls87 wrote: »

The Garda vetting unit are up to April?? So what had happened our vetting? Did comfort keepers not send them or lose them or something... I rang ck twice at the start the year and they couldn't tell me anything except that I will hear from them as soon as my vetting came through. Soon after i Rang the guards in Tipperary as you did and thy couldn't tell me anything.
I've had vetting done twice for college and 3 times for other organisations, all down within 3 months and the organisations kept in touch with me in that time but in 9 months ck can't find the time to ring me once!
We can't be the only ones to hae received this treatment!?

I too am waiting for my Garda vetting...the lady from Tipperary told me that Comfort Keepers are not registered with them!

I have been waiting since early January. If any one would like to tell me there story about this as I am taking this further. Any names you give me will be kept private.

sammihoops · 28-07-2013 08:33PM

Comfort Keepers

I am looking for people that have applied for employment with Comfort Keepers and are waiting for Garda vetting to come through.

I am interested in hearing about how long people are waiting for garda vetting and if any one has payed up front for the training (FETAC)

Any information welcome

Ls87 · 29-07-2013 12:29AM

You can use my story as an example if you want

i was going to write on their facebook page, publically for everyone to see but dont know if theres much point, would it do any good!? i commented on a post that somebody else waiting on vetting had put up, months ago, and somebody from ck wrote back apologizing for the delay and said that somebody would be in touch with me (never heard from them of course)

JustAThought · 29-07-2013 08:19AM

You should put that up too .

Their business model seems to come from two channels -payment by nursing clients & selling courses to people aspiring to work in lowly paid roles.

What oh ease have they used for Garda Vetting? Vetting? Background checks? Garda vetting? If they are promising Garda Vetting to their clients on their website but are in fact Not doing this ( as per statements made here) that is misleading for the clients. If they are using a private company who is that, ( you have a right to know) & why is it taking up to. 9 months for them to do their job?

Murky issues here, particularly for a relatively new company who advertises their courses in dole offices & areas of high unemployment : (

Ls87 · 29-07-2013 12:33PM

They advertise for carers EVERYWHERE and their facebook page is constantly looking to recruit new carers, there's no way they need all those carers, that often, they must pull this ****e with the vetting a lot!

'Sammihoops' did you do your training and sign a contract?

We need to do something, you've got me all riled up now

Message me if you have a plan on what we could do, i don't see why we should sit back and take this when we were promised jobs. The only reason i haven't done anything is cause im doing a college course instead and decided months ago with the treatment, or lack of, i was getting from ck, that i would not be working for them even if they ever did call to say the vettings through. Ive heard they aren't very good to work for, no communication between carers and hr/managers.

Gemima123 · 29-07-2013 05:29PM

The same happened to me, I did their training course, got a contract back in November. Still no work, I rung them several times and sent a letter. They rung me back once with work and asked if I drove even though I already told them I didn't, they said it wouldn't be a suitable position then and that was the last Ive heard from the grrrr

sammihoops · 29-07-2013 05:35PM

Gemima123 wrote: »

The same happened to me, I did their training course, got a contract back in November. Still no work, I rung them several times and sent a letter. They rung me back once with work and asked if I drove even though I already told them I didn't, they said it wouldn't be a suitable position then and that was the last Ive heard from the grrrr

They don't hire staff without a driving license, so unfair not to tell you that!
Did they tell you your garda vetting had come through? Also did you pay any them any money?

Samantha

Gemima123 · 29-07-2013 10:33PM

I told them at my interview that I didn't drive and they said that was fine. And at my training some of the others didn't drive either! Well when they rung me I presumed my garda vetting had gone through?? They were also really fussy with my refferences and asked for a third one as one of them wasn't "suitable", I wouldn't mind cept for d fact I still haven't been offered work and nope haven't paid them anythin thank god!

Ls87 · 30-07-2013 02:16PM

Ive never heard anything about you absolutely needing a car. i was told you work in your own area, dublin 1 or 2 etc, you walk from client to client homes or take the bus if its far.

absolute ****!!!

Mrs OBumble · 17-08-2013 08:26PM

MOD-NOTE: Superbad50, I've moved your post over to a new thread over in State Benefits. Your question is quite different to the rest on this thread.

lmcs91 · 26-08-2013 04:43PM

elisabetta wrote: »

Hi

I was wondering if any of you might have experience working with comfort keepers.I was successful passing the interview and in doing the introduction course.Now I am just waiting for the garda clearance. Can any one please tell me more how it really is to work for them and about their course thanks

Just got passed from interview too, when do you have to pay the 100e for training by the way it was hardly on the 1st day was it? I vaguely remember reading something about taking money away from your wages but not sure if that covers the training costs?
Thanks! Hope your getting on well with them so far.

Ls87 · 26-08-2013 05:39PM

Do not pay them any money! Don't get your hopes up that you actually even have a job either. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but id advise you to read the others posts on this thread to get an idea of the kind of company you could be working for. My own story in a nutshell, got a job with them last october, trained (didn't pay any money thank god), sent of Garda vetting...10 months later, i'm still unemployed and haven't heard from comfort keepers once!!!

Comfort Keepers

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