Do you need to provide care for your elderly and ill family member who can no longer look after himself, requires care for normal activities and also craves social contact when you cannot keep him company? A legal care service is a reliable solution for you and especially for your family member.
Caregiving – risks of the illegal form
Are you thinking of circumventing the law and hiring someone under the table? If you arrange a carer for your loved one on your own, you will certainly save money, but there are many risks involved. The main problem is precisely that such work is contrary to the legislation. There are criminal consequences for carrying it out. An employee working illegally does not pay taxes or social security contributions. If someone denounces him, the problem is not only for the employee, but also for the employer who illegally employed him. You risk a heavy financial penalty. If you employ a foreigner illegally, you could face the immigration police banning him or her from living in your country.
The unreliability of illegal care
Apart from run-ins with the law, you can’t be 100% sure of the person’s credibility and qualifications. You search for it yourself on classifieds portals, so you basically know nothing about it in real terms and no one can vouch for it. What if an unreliable person comes into your home, what if something goes missing, valuables or money? Illegal nannying just doesn’t pay. Another risk is that you cannot be sure that your family member will be well and adequately cared for. And you certainly care about his satisfaction and safety.
Caregiving – legal ways
There are three models to choose from when looking for a care service that meets the statutory conditions:
- employer model,
- self-employment model,
- posting model.
In the first case, you hire the carer directly, either you or the person who will use her services, and act as the employer. If it is to be legal, you must follow the rules of employment law: enter into a contract, register yourself and the employee with the relevant authorities and pay taxes and levies for both parties. It’s a rather financially disadvantageous way for you, the most expensive of the three.
In the second model, you entrust the care of your loved one to a freelance carer, i.e. someone who is self-employed and has a trade established in Germany or another EU country. In this case, check whether you actually pay social security contributions in the country where the trade was set up. It must not be false gainful employment, which occurs when a carer provides care services exclusively to one client with whom she is staying. She would be caring for several people and would be invoiced for the services provided.
Agency care – the most suitable option
The last model, the secondment model, means that you get a nanny through a placement agency that provides companies with employees from several countries. This model is the simplest and most ideal way, because the agency will relieve you from unnecessary bureaucracy at the offices and provide all related services. It will help you find a suitable and vetted employee who meets both your criteria and the needs of the loved one they will be caring for. What’s more, it’s flexible because if the carer drops out due to illness, you’ll get a replacement. The agency will also make sure that a person who speaks German at a certain level comes to you, which can be a complication when hiring a babysitter blindly. The placement agency checks the language skills of applicants for care work abroad.
If you want to know what kind of caregiver you should be, read this article. To know what to avoid when you plan to work with a brokerage agency, click here.
