Caregiver - 4 Ways to Start - Hiring Now

About the role

You go to people’s homes and help them with daily life. Mostly older adults. Baths, getting dressed, meals, light cleaning, errands, companionship. This is physical work—you help people move around and you’re on your feet most of the day. You do not give medicine or do medical tasks; that’s for nurses.

Responsibilities

• Follow client care policies and limits you set during your interview
• Report incidents within 24 hours
• Accept only clients that match the limits you provided
• Provide reliable attendance; frequent call-offs or no-call/no-shows are the most common reasons clients leave Haven
• Clock in and out via the app or phone and follow call-off steps if you cannot make a shift
• Stay in touch: answer office calls and texts quickly, send updated documents when asked (insurance, license, training), complete feedback forms when sent

Requirements

• Driver’s license and your own car with insurance that covers work driving
• Pass background checks
• Work at least 20 hours per week
• Available between 6 AM and 8 PM (most work is 8 AM–5 PM)
• Legal right to work in the U.S.; at least 18 years old

Qualification pathways

Pick the path that fits you. All four lead to the same job.

Path 1: STNA License (fastest start)

• Pay: $18/hour
• Need: Ohio STNA license—active or expired
• Timeline: 1–3 days if you move quickly
• Process:
  • Apply with your STNA license number
  • 20-minute phone talk
  • Short online questionnaire
  • Sign paperwork online
  • Online orientation + document verification (30–40 minutes)
  • Fingerprinting

Path 2: HHA Certificate

• Pay: $16–18/hour based on interview
• Need: HHA certificate (30+ hours) signed by an RN (unless completed online)
• Timeline: 5–8 days to working
• Process:
  • Apply and send your certificate
  • 20-minute phone talk
  • Short online questionnaire
  • Take the HHA test at our Cuyahoga Falls office (scheduled with you)
  • Sign paperwork online
  • Online orientation + document verification (30–40 minutes)
  • Fingerprinting

Path 3: Experience under a licensed nurse

• Pay: $16–18/hour based on interview
• Need: 1+ year at one company where your supervisor was an RN or LPN
• Where this kind of experience comes from:
  • Nursing homes
  • Hospitals
  • Skilled home health agencies (Medicare-certified)
  • Assisted living with licensed nurses on staff
• Does NOT count:
  • Non-medical home care agencies
  • Private caregiving for family or friends
  • Any job where your supervisor was not a licensed nurse
• Ohio requires Home Health Aides to have training OR supervised experience under a licensed nurse
• Verification: Ohio law requires us to call your former employer directly to confirm your dates, 1+ year of employment, and that your supervisor was an RN or LPN
• This pathway will not work if:
  • Your former employer uses The Work Number or another third-party verification service
  • The company has closed and no longer has records
  • They cannot or will not verify the required details
• Process:
  • Apply—include former employer’s name, phone number, your RN/LPN supervisor’s name and title, and the dates you worked
  • We call to verify experience and RN/LPN supervision
  • Once verified, 20-minute phone talk
  • Short online questionnaire
  • Take the HHA test at our Cuyahoga Falls office (scheduled with you)
  • Sign paperwork online
  • Online orientation + document verification (30–40 minutes)
  • Fingerprinting

Path 4: No experience (we train you free)

• Pay: $16/hour
• Need: Willingness to help people; we teach everything else
• Timeline: 1–2 weeks to working
• Process:
  • Apply
  • 20-minute phone talk
  • Short online questionnaire
  • Complete free 32-hour online HHA training (at home, 6 days to finish; training is not paid)
  • Take the HHA test at our Cuyahoga Falls office (scheduled with you)
  • Sign paperwork online
  • Online orientation + document verification (30–40 minutes)
  • Fingerprinting
• If you do not finish training in 6 days, we close your application; text us if something comes up

HHA Test

• Ohio requires all Home Health Aides to pass a competency test (written and skills demonstration)
• You need 80% on both parts; both occur in person at our Cuyahoga Falls office
• Already passed an HHA test elsewhere? Show us results ≥80% to skip it
• STNAs skip the test entirely; your license—active or expired—proves you passed
• Reschedule policy: text (330) 400-3423 before your test time if you cannot make it

Pay

• $18/hour — with an active or expired Ohio STNA license
• $16–18/hour — with an HHA certificate or 1+ year of experience under an RN/LPN (based on interview)
• $16/hour — free training pathway
• $19–20/hour — when you refer and care for a private-pay client
• 10% extra on holidays
• Drive time between clients is paid; drive time to your first client or from your last client is not

Raises

• Built-in 3 raises in your first 2 years:
  • 90-day review: +$0.50/hour
  • 1-year review: +$0.50/hour more
  • 2-year review: +$1.00/hour more
• Total possible increase: $2.00/hour if you hit all three; missed raises carry over to the next review
• How you earn raises:
  • At 90 days, 1 year, and 2 years you complete an evaluation form: grade yourself on 11 items, then we grade you on the same items
  • Score all 1s (highest) on every item and the raise is automatic
  • Items evaluated:
    • Showing up: on time, clock in/out, follow call-off steps
    • Client care: follow policies, accept clients within your limits, report incidents within 24 hours, receive good client feedback
    • Staying in touch: answer office calls/texts quickly, send updated documents when asked, complete feedback forms

Bonuses

• $100 after 30 days with perfect attendance—every shift on time, zero call-offs
• $300 when you refer a caregiver who stays—$100 at 60 hours, $200 more at 200 hours
• $75–$1,500 when you refer a private-pay client, based on their hours

Schedule

• Shifts can be 2–3 hours, 4–6 hours, or 8 hours depending on client needs
• Most caregivers have 2–4 regular clients per week; pick up extra fill-ins anytime to reach 20+ hours
• “Flexible” means the days and times you committed to during your phone interview; it does not mean calling off whenever you want
• Attendance is a key factor in raises; if your life changes, tell us—we can adjust hours, but we cannot accommodate no-shows or last-minute call-offs

Client assignment

• We match based on how far you’re willing to travel, not just city names
• During your phone interview you tell us your limits (pets, smoking, travel distance, days/times); we only assign clients that fit what you said
• If you can travel anywhere we have clients and work with any client, you will start working quickly
• If you have specific travel limits or preferences, your client availability will be smaller
• First 2 weeks are fill-in shifts to gauge reliability; permanent clients are assigned as soon as a match is available

Document verification

• Federal law requires us to verify your identity and work authorization
• During your orientation video call, you’ll show original documents on camera; we’ll send you the full list of acceptable documents

What we don’t offer

• No PTO—time off is unpaid; give 1 month notice
• No 401(k)
• No health insurance