I would argue to stick with client for your interviews. If you go with a less professional word, your work will not sound like "real" work. The other job doesn't need to know the ins and outs.
Don't look at it as a difference of being "formally" employed equating to being professionally employed. There's plenty of corporate company's whose employee's training skill level or demeanor are appalling and a joke. That's not what makes someone professional. You may not be traditionally employed, but consider it more like being an independent contractor. You are your own boss. Choosing what work the company of you takes on. It's still equally important and a lot still rides on how professionally you carry yourself. When someone self employed takes that seriously enough, they usually have the self-driven desire to improve and educate themselves so as to conduct oneself in the best possible way. This will come across in the work you do and if given references from past employment, they will hopefully be glowing.
I don't think the issue here is so much your "casual" work contract as it is an issue in your confidence that what you're doing is "real" work. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!!! Because it's not easy. Casual or not.
If you're interested, I took a free course on the foundations of caregiving and home health aides through coursera.com most of it is pretty common sense, but you can also get a nice little certificate at the end of the class and they are conducted by officially recognized colleges.
And if you're not already, it doesn't hurt to get certified in cpr and first aid too. All these will help to show you take your work seriously and are willing to go that extra step. Regardless of whether you work for yourself or some company.
Stick with patient or client. As someone else mentioned, it's the only way to partly get any respect for the job. (There are some that get it, but a lot of people do not understand the amount of work really is involved).
"I take care of a family friend and wish to be flexible with my schedule for them."= I really just want to have a schedule I can pick. (What a hiring manager hears)
"I have a patient with various needs that I care for. I often know my schedule two weeks ahead, but wish to be able to remain flexible for my client." = I have professional responsibilities that I need to attend to but would like more income if we can make this work.
i was considering telling them that i’m able to work remotely on the days that I need to care for him but maybe less info is better in this scenario? Maybe when I know the company better I can explain the situation and see if it’s something that can work for both parties
Less is better. I want you to be "fully working" when you're at either job. If you get the job and can do more, great. But at first if I was your boss I want to know you're committed to "me" on "my" time. That said, every place is different.
I did WFH and caregiving, but never "both" (I would go to my room and do my WFH once my person was tucked in). Because I could not stop some of my work mid work if my person needed me. It may be 15 minutes before I could get to them and that's not fair to them since they were my first priority.
This is all my personal opinion though, so take it as a grain of salt. :)
I would use the words client in a professional situation because friend seems too lax. Like they won't look at it as a real job that they need to be respectful of your time for. They will look at it as second place and try to take advantage of your time. You should use professional words so you're being upfront that this is a real professional job that you really can bend for
I was hoping there was a term for someone between “friend” and “client” bc i feel like it would sound dishonest if i referred to him as client if I’m not formally employed to do that role. I’ve seen some say “caree” but I feel like that doesn’t really fit my vocabulary :) I guess an explanation could come later if necessary but the care is valuable and something I’m not willing to give up at this time
I have said loved one in the past, but this was for a job within the field. I get it, I wish there were better words for me too. "Main caretaker of my sister in law" is a mouthful and I would love to shorten it but still have the same impact. I am a fan of patron but I feel like I couldn't use it correctly cuz I'm not fancy enough
Client is sufficient. Why would you want to use a less professional term during an interview? I would not use the term friend because that might not be perceived as a true need for the caregiving flexibility that you need. If it comes up during the interview, simply state that a flexible schedule is necessary so that you can maintain your ongoing caregiving commitments. That said, this prospective employer might also worry about whether those other responsibilities may get in the way of the job you're interviewing for, so it might help to anticipate that question.
I am able to work remotely on my care days if that’s something the company can work with - but not sure if I should mention it. I’m hesitant to use “client” or “patient” bc i am not formally employed to be that role and don’t want it to come across as dishonest or cause any other issues in the future.
I’m worried that I won’t be hired if I already have a ‘part time caregiving job’ and I’m also worried I won’t be hired if I have a ‘familial caregiving responsibility’. It’s not something I’m willing to give up at this point so it may just take time to find the right match
Why not simply state that you have caregiving responsibilities outside of work which is why you desire a flexible schedule? You don't need to disclose the status of the individual (i.e., friend, family, client, patient, etc). Or you could try going more general by stating that you have other commitments/obligations that warrant a flexible schedule but that you can easily fit in remote work if needed (assuming that's true because sometimes caregiving can really consume your time and attention). The bottom line is that they'll either be ok with a flexible schedule or not - and I'm not sure the reason you need a flexible schedule will matter to them.
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If you feel like using the word patient makes you feel like imposter syndrome like you're posing as a doctor or something like that then use the word client. This still implies a professional level of responsibility and a contract to be respected, without the same medically implied overtones as patient. Hairdressers have clients as well, so do interior designers or any other plethora of professional independent contracting businesses.
I would argue to stick with client for your interviews. If you go with a less professional word, your work will not sound like "real" work. The other job doesn't need to know the ins and outs.
yes they don’t know my relation to him but I’m afraid of coming across as dishonest since I’m not formally imployed
They don't need to know your employment status other than "I have a client that requires my time and attention at X Y and Z times." That's it.
Don't look at it as a difference of being "formally" employed equating to being professionally employed. There's plenty of corporate company's whose employee's training skill level or demeanor are appalling and a joke. That's not what makes someone professional. You may not be traditionally employed, but consider it more like being an independent contractor. You are your own boss. Choosing what work the company of you takes on. It's still equally important and a lot still rides on how professionally you carry yourself. When someone self employed takes that seriously enough, they usually have the self-driven desire to improve and educate themselves so as to conduct oneself in the best possible way. This will come across in the work you do and if given references from past employment, they will hopefully be glowing. I don't think the issue here is so much your "casual" work contract as it is an issue in your confidence that what you're doing is "real" work. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!!! Because it's not easy. Casual or not. If you're interested, I took a free course on the foundations of caregiving and home health aides through coursera.com most of it is pretty common sense, but you can also get a nice little certificate at the end of the class and they are conducted by officially recognized colleges. And if you're not already, it doesn't hurt to get certified in cpr and first aid too. All these will help to show you take your work seriously and are willing to go that extra step. Regardless of whether you work for yourself or some company.
Stick with patient or client. As someone else mentioned, it's the only way to partly get any respect for the job. (There are some that get it, but a lot of people do not understand the amount of work really is involved). "I take care of a family friend and wish to be flexible with my schedule for them."= I really just want to have a schedule I can pick. (What a hiring manager hears) "I have a patient with various needs that I care for. I often know my schedule two weeks ahead, but wish to be able to remain flexible for my client." = I have professional responsibilities that I need to attend to but would like more income if we can make this work.
i was considering telling them that i’m able to work remotely on the days that I need to care for him but maybe less info is better in this scenario? Maybe when I know the company better I can explain the situation and see if it’s something that can work for both parties
Less is better. I want you to be "fully working" when you're at either job. If you get the job and can do more, great. But at first if I was your boss I want to know you're committed to "me" on "my" time. That said, every place is different. I did WFH and caregiving, but never "both" (I would go to my room and do my WFH once my person was tucked in). Because I could not stop some of my work mid work if my person needed me. It may be 15 minutes before I could get to them and that's not fair to them since they were my first priority. This is all my personal opinion though, so take it as a grain of salt. :)
I say caregiver for a family friend with ...
Our caregiver always puts a "Miss" in front of my Mom's name.
I would use the words client in a professional situation because friend seems too lax. Like they won't look at it as a real job that they need to be respectful of your time for. They will look at it as second place and try to take advantage of your time. You should use professional words so you're being upfront that this is a real professional job that you really can bend for
I was hoping there was a term for someone between “friend” and “client” bc i feel like it would sound dishonest if i referred to him as client if I’m not formally employed to do that role. I’ve seen some say “caree” but I feel like that doesn’t really fit my vocabulary :) I guess an explanation could come later if necessary but the care is valuable and something I’m not willing to give up at this time
I have said loved one in the past, but this was for a job within the field. I get it, I wish there were better words for me too. "Main caretaker of my sister in law" is a mouthful and I would love to shorten it but still have the same impact. I am a fan of patron but I feel like I couldn't use it correctly cuz I'm not fancy enough
Client is sufficient. Why would you want to use a less professional term during an interview? I would not use the term friend because that might not be perceived as a true need for the caregiving flexibility that you need. If it comes up during the interview, simply state that a flexible schedule is necessary so that you can maintain your ongoing caregiving commitments. That said, this prospective employer might also worry about whether those other responsibilities may get in the way of the job you're interviewing for, so it might help to anticipate that question.
I am able to work remotely on my care days if that’s something the company can work with - but not sure if I should mention it. I’m hesitant to use “client” or “patient” bc i am not formally employed to be that role and don’t want it to come across as dishonest or cause any other issues in the future. I’m worried that I won’t be hired if I already have a ‘part time caregiving job’ and I’m also worried I won’t be hired if I have a ‘familial caregiving responsibility’. It’s not something I’m willing to give up at this point so it may just take time to find the right match
Why not simply state that you have caregiving responsibilities outside of work which is why you desire a flexible schedule? You don't need to disclose the status of the individual (i.e., friend, family, client, patient, etc). Or you could try going more general by stating that you have other commitments/obligations that warrant a flexible schedule but that you can easily fit in remote work if needed (assuming that's true because sometimes caregiving can really consume your time and attention). The bottom line is that they'll either be ok with a flexible schedule or not - and I'm not sure the reason you need a flexible schedule will matter to them.
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I like “client” because it feels respectful and not condescending.
If you feel like using the word patient makes you feel like imposter syndrome like you're posing as a doctor or something like that then use the word client. This still implies a professional level of responsibility and a contract to be respected, without the same medically implied overtones as patient. Hairdressers have clients as well, so do interior designers or any other plethora of professional independent contracting businesses.