The iSavta Team | 13.06.2019

Considerations when looking for elderly care jobs in Toronto

What qualifications or experience do you need?

Do you have experience working with older adults, or people with dementia? Perhaps you have some social care qualifications, or a degree in nursing. This will affect which type of elderly care job you will be searching for.

Are you thinking about starting a career in elderly care?

Many elderly care jobs in Canada do not require you to have qualifications or experience – they are looking for the right type of person.

Some jobs come with training, and this is something that you would want to ask when applying for a position.

What type of elderly care job are you looking for?

Different jobs and roles:

There are lots of different jobs that you could do in elderly care depending on your experience, qualifications and preferences. Some of the jobs available in elderly care include:

• Nurse
• Caregiver
• Personal Support Worker
• Health Care Assistant
• Housekeeping Aide
• Personal Care Attendant
• Driver

Location and setting

Think about where you want to work. It might be helpful to consider whether you want to work in the city itself, or whether you would be happy working in the surrounding areas. Can you get to work easily on public transport? Or will you need a car?

Work with elderly people can also take place in a variety of different settings. For example, you might work with older people in their own homes, and these jobs can vary in the responsibilities that you have. Live-in caregivers provide elderly care support and live in the person’s home for 24 hours a day.

Other locations include nursing homes, drop-in centres or day-care centres, or even hospices. Consider which of these settings would suit you best.

Elderly care involves work in a variety of settings.

Employers

When you work in elderly care, you could either be working for a company or for an individual. Some people advertise private elderly care jobs on behalf of friends of loved ones who need assistance from a carer.

Some elderly care jobs involve living in the person’s home and helping them to do everyday tasks, like go shopping.

Shift patterns

Work in elderly care can involve a lot of different hours and shift patterns. In a day-care centre, you may work regular 9-5 hours, but in a nursing home, you could be working a range of different shift patterns. Some jobs require you to live with the elderly person in their home, and the hours that you do might vary.

Think about whether you want regular full-time or part-time hours. If you have any family or commitments, this could be something to consider when looking for a job.

One of the positions that I had when working in elderly care was as a bank worker, which means that you work flexible hours to cover staff absences. Depending on the company, this could mean you regularly working in different locations.

Do you need sponsorship?

If you aren’t from Canada and you need a residency permit or sponsorship, this will be a key consideration when looking for an elderly care job in Toronto or in Canada in general. Some jobs provide sponsorship for visas, and this is something you can ask about when enquiring into jobs. You can find more information about your options for permanent residence as a caregiver here.

Websites with elderly care jobs

General job sites

Many of the large, international job sites have plenty of elderly care jobs in Toronto posted on their pages:

• Indeed.com
• WOWjobs
• Workopolis
• SimplyHired
• Glassdoor is a particularly useful site, as they also provide company ratings and reviews from current or previous employees, so that you can make an informed judgment about the company.

Social networking sites

Social networking sites can be really useful places to find jobs in Toronto.

• Facebook can be a great place to find jobs. There are different groups that you can join where jobs will be posted. You can also post to say that you are looking for a job. Just make sure that if anyone contacts you about a job, you check out their profile so you know it’s legitimate.

Here are some active groups you could check out:

• TORONTO – Caregivers, Cleaners, Nannies and Babysitters
• Mommies, Nannies, Caregivers, PSWs, Housekeepers in Toronto
• Toronto Jobs
• LinkedIn is not just a social networking site. They also have job postings, and if you have a great profile as a nurse or caregivers, employers may contact you first. It is worthwhile taking the time to create a great LinkedIn profile.

It is also useful for connecting with former colleagues, who may be able to link you to elderly care jobs in Toronto.

You can also join various groups on LinkedIn, which will help connect you to other elder care professionals, as well as keep up to date with any changes that happen in the industry.

• Elder Care Professionals– Canada
• Canadian Support Worker Association
• Canadian Senior Care and Senior Housing Network
• Canadian Nurse

Care specific job sites

• Eldercare.com is not only a website where you can browse existing jobs; it is also a site where you can build a profile as a caregiver, meaning that prospective employers will be able to find you. This may be helpful when employers are looking for staff but haven’t published a job advert.
• Care.com advertise jobs posted by individuals, such as people seeking caregivers for their elderly parents or loved ones. Similar to the above website, you can also build your own carer’s profile on this site.

As well as the big job sites, have a look on some of the industry specific sites above.

Prospective applications

Another way of finding jobs is to contact employers directly, rather than responding to job adverts. Identify employers in the areas that you wish to work and get in touch with them.

Remember, if you send a CV or resume, make sure you follow up with a phone call. It can be useful to call places in advance to find out who is responsible for hiring care staff and address your correspondence to them. LinkedIn can also be helpful for finding this information.

TIPS on How to Find an Elderly Care Job in Toronto:

1. Do your research.
1. Take into account all of the considerations above.
2. Find out about the person or company you’re applying to through LinkedIn, Facebook or Glassdoor.
3. Find out what employers are looking for with regards to elderly care jobs in Toronto.
2. It's a numbers game

Don’t be disheartened if your first few applications aren’t successful. The more applications you make, the more likely you are to succeed at finding the perfect care job.

   3. Prepare properly for applications/interviews

1. 1. Learn about the job you are applying for.
   2. Consider your previous experience, even if it is not in care work.
   3. Get someone to look over your application.
   4. Practice some mock interview questions before you go to a job interview.

To summarise how to find elderly care jobs in toronto:

1. Think about what kind of care job you want.

2. Search and apply for jobs on the online job boards.

3. Connect with people on social media.

4. Make prospective applications.

5. Research and prepare for job applications and interviews.