First Week of an International Employee with Academy Care
Posted on 22nd February 2023 at 16:21
So, you have your flights booked and are set to arrive in the UK in the coming days. But now you're left wondering what your first week is going to look like here in Wakefield, working for Academy Care Ltd. Well here is a quick overview of what you're going to be getting up to.
Monday-
This is the day that you will land in the UK, typically arriving at London Heathrow, and then taking a flight up to Manchester airport. From here, it is then your responsibility to get to Leeds Bradford Airport or to Leeds Train Station where a member of the team can meet you, they will then bring you and your bags to Wakefield. Either way, you need to contact Kristian@academycare.co.uk and let Kristian know your plans with as much notice as possible (the week prior to your arrival please!).
If you are to arrive before 6pm you will be taken to your prebooked accommodation, where you will have signed a 6 month tenancy agreement prior to arriving in the country, after the 6 month period, it is your choice whether or not to stay in the accommodation, you can either carry on living there or you can find accommodation elsewhere. After dropping off your bags, collecting your keys and being shown around, Tina our International Support Executive will take you out, show you the local area, so you can familiarise yourself. She will show you places such as supermarkets, the bus station and where to buy essentials, also don't forget to read our previous blog post for some more information on living in Wakefield. If you arrive after 6pm you will be taken straight to your accommodation, where you will be left to relax for the night and Tina will arrange to take you out later in the week.
Tuesday-
Your first full day both with Academy Care and living in the UK, today you will be bought into the office for the first time, we will arrange times and transport with you in due course. You will begin by meeting the Wakefield office team, and get to spend some time getting to know names and faces, some might already be familiar from the application and interview process and some not so much.
You will be sitting with either Rachel, our Accounts Executive, or Tina and they will help you to set up a UK bank account, so that you can get paid and spend money, we have a great working relationship with both Monzo and Revolut, they are both virtual banks which typically allow you to setup with basic information and perfect for when you first move to the UK, you can change banks at a later date, at your discretion. Once you receive your Sort Code and Account Number, you must send them to kristian@academycare.co.uk so we can set you up to be paid.
Whilst in the office you will also need to fill in an application for an Enhanced DBS check, a DBS check is a way for us as the employer to do some background checks on your criminal record and helps us in deciding if it is suitable or not for you to be working with children or vulnerable adults, don't worry though, we will receive it back and you will receive the official DBS documentation not long after in the post.
Finally, you will sit through an Induction presentation, the main objectives of this presentation are for you to get to know the admin team are in a little more depth, learn what training and continued training we have to offer and learn what Birdie, the system we use for care is. The presentation will also cover how we do Payroll, how we manage Compliance, the Ways of Working of Academy Care and about our awards system Perkbox. As well as these main topics, we will cover much more and answer any questions that you might have.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday-
These three days will be spent doing the first three classroom training sessions, you will also be enrolled onto the Care Certificate Course which will be completed over the course of the next 12 weeks.
The classroom training will take place upstairs at the office in the classroom area, each session will be taken by the appropriate member of the admin team, they will teach through a combination of both written and practical forms of teaching, engaging you with a presentation and get you involved with physical elements and equipment you need to learn.
First, there will be First Aid training taught by Kristian, with the objectives of you being able to list the aims of first aid, know how to prioritise treatment, understand life threatening conditions, demonstrate how to administer first aid in different situations including CPR, know how to record accidents and finally know what an AED is and how to use it.
Secondly, there will be Moving and Handling training taught by Joanne, with the objectives of knowing the legislation surrounding moving and handling, understanding your roles and responsibilities, understanding risk assessments, knowing how to prevent injury, being aware of the basic principles of moving and handling and finally being able to communicate and use equipment correctly and efficiently.
And thirdly, there will be Medication training with Rachel, the objectives of this training are to understand what a drug is, what medication is and why people take them, consider the roles of others with the management of medication process, discuss the task of administration and the need for a person centred approach, understand relevant law and best practice, understand the 8 'rights' supporting the administration of medication, be aware of useful sources of support and understand Academy Care's ways of working.
Saturday and Sunday-
You will be going out into the community doing shadow shifts alongside some of our most experienced Care Professionals, this will be an excellent opportunity for you to learn from some of our staff about how we work as a company, ask any questions you might have and most importantly start to show off some of the skills learnt in the training you’ve already been given. We will organise transport to and from your accommodation to meet all of your shifts that day.
And that rounds off your first week with Academy Care, In your downtime during the day and evenings, we highly recommend you acquaint yourself with Wakefield, learning and exploring everything you can in order to settle into the area, as from the following week you will be put onto the Primary Care Register and be out doing what you came here to do, be a care worker.
BRPs are issued to our designated post office (in Leeds) ten days after your visa has been approved. Academy Care Ltd will help you collect your BRP, where we will then need you to issue us your share code.
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