Before you start
The people reading your advert may be new to care, changing career, or speak English as a second language, and they may well be reading on a phone. Write for them:
- Put pay, hours and location in the first few lines.
- Use short sentences and everyday words. Explain or avoid jargon and acronyms like PBS, MAR or CQC.
- Say clearly if no experience is needed.
- Talk to the reader as “you”, and to your team as “we”.
- Be honest about the hard parts, like personal care, nights and weekends.
The template
Each section has a short tip on why it matters. Use Copy template at the top of the page to paste the whole thing as plain text.
1Job title
[Care Assistant / Support Worker / Home Carer], [Town]: [Days / Nights], [Full-time / Part-time]
2About us
[Employer name] is a [care home / home care service / supported living service] in [town]. We support [who, e.g. older people living with dementia]. [One sentence about what it's like to work here.]
3Pay
£[amount] per hour
or £[lowest] to £[highest] per hour, depending on [experience / qualifications]
Nights, weekends and bank holidays: [enhanced rate / same rate]
For home care: travel time between visits is [paid / not paid] and mileage is £[amount] per mile
4Hours and shifts
[number] hours per week
Guaranteed hours: [Yes, number of hours / No, zero-hours contract]
Shift pattern: [e.g. 7am to 3pm and 3pm to 10pm / 12-hour shifts / 3 days on, 3 days off]
Weekends: [every other weekend / 1 in 3 / none]
[Hours can fit around school times / study]
5Location and travel
Based at: [care home name and town / home visits in these areas / supported living in this area]
Driving: [Not needed / Full UK licence and own car needed / Car provided]
Getting here: [e.g. near the bus station, free parking]
6What the job involves
You'll support [who] with everyday life, including:
Personal care, like washing, dressing and using the toilet
Meals and drinks
Medication, once you've been trained
Activities, outings and conversation
Writing short notes about each person's day
7Training and support
We'll train you:
Induction: [number] days, [paid at your hourly rate]
[number] shadow shifts with an experienced colleague before you work alone
Support to complete the Care Certificate in your first [number] weeks
Funded qualifications, such as [the Level 2 or Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care]
[A named supervisor / regular supervision / a buddy] for when you need help
8What we're looking for
[You don't need any experience. We'll train you.]
We're looking for someone who:
Is kind, patient and respectful
Is reliable and turns up on time
Listens, and treats people with dignity
Is happy to learn and work in a team
Experience of caring for family, volunteering or customer service is welcome.
Essential: [only what you'd really turn someone away for, e.g. the right to work in the UK]
9Benefits
[number] days' paid holiday, including bank holidays
[Free DBS check]
[Free uniform]
[Paid breaks]
[Weekly pay / early access to wages]
[Wellbeing support, refer-a-friend bonus, staff discounts]
10DBS check
This role needs an enhanced DBS check.
Who pays: [We pay for it / You pay and we refund it after a set time / We accept the DBS Update Service]
11Visa sponsorship
[We can offer visa sponsorship for this role. / We can't offer visa sponsorship for this role.]
12How to apply
Apply [online at your link / by phone on your number / by email to your address].
[You don't need a CV.] Our form takes about [number] minutes.
Questions? Call [name] on [number].
We'll reply within [number] days. Interviews can be [in person / by video], [including evenings or weekends].
#workinsocialcare
Final checks
- Is the pay a real figure or range?
- Does it say whether hours are guaranteed, and whether driving is needed?
- Could someone new to care understand every sentence?
- Have you said who pays for the DBS check, and your visa sponsorship position?
- Is it clear how to apply and when you'll reply?
- Have you deleted every [square bracket]?
Want to help applicants? Point them to our free guides on writing a CV, cover letters and interviews.