Care Agency

Very probably, but doubt it would be that simple. You would have to register your business and comply with regulations here, and would you intend to employ careers directly, thus having to apply all Spanish employment rules. If not, your staff would need to be legally registered as autonomo, self employed. You and they and your clients would be subject to swingeing fines if found not to be legally compliant.

It might be an idea to run it past your local friendly Gestor to establish the exact implications.

Thanks for your input, all potential employees would be self employed, police checked(if there's such a thing in Spain), and have their own liability insurance........

Yes would register the business and comply with all applicable rules and regulations!

My doubts are whether there are people who can afford the services in Torrevieja/surrounding areas???

Well, as you are probably aware, Labour rates here for most services are much less costly here than in UK, I doubt you’d be able to charge those sorts of rates.

Have you asked people in general what they may be prepared to pay?

Market research to follow soon!!,,,,just wanted feedback/thoughts from here first.....  yes am aware wages/charges not the same level as in the UK.

But sometimes if there's no demand/market for a service, the costs become irrelevant.

Yes, I understand your point. My feeling is that the demand is probably there in most areas- there have been a couple of requests on this site - but the stumbling block is what people can pay here.

I am acquainted with a professional qualified carer who worked for one of the agencies here, and she gave up because they expected her to drive all over the place without paying for her travelling time and the pay rates simply weren’t worth it. She now does the going back to UK thing, couple of weeks here, several there.

My own elderly mother, who could do with some help, pays either of two women whom she knows personally, to take her shopping and doctors appointments etc. This is because she can’t pay agency rates, and also because she doesn’t want to see different people all the time.

Reliability is also an issue, in our very small group of houses, admittedly in the campo, there have been attempts to get help when necessary, several times. Either staff come once and then never again, or no one will come at all.

So if you can pitch the price affordably and guarantee reliability, then I am sure there is a demand.

There is definitely demand for care agencies that not only care for the health, but the undervalued social part.

That sort of work I would love to do 

I’m a home care worker in Sydney. Most of my clients are elderly people who can no longer drive , have mobility & health issues and can’t get to the shops alone.

i do a lot of trips to the mall with them. Some just want company. Some need to get to a hospital appt and it’s cheaper to use my agency than get a cab. Some need a little bit of domestic assistance. Change linen, laundry, hoovering etc. stuff you & I do on a daily basis and think little of it. 

Sam, there is a great difference between giving someone you know a helping hand now and then, and setting yourself up to offer paid for services.

To be legal, you must register as autonomo (self-employed) which immediately will bring you into the orbit of Spanish Social Security, which will demand contributions every month regardless of income, although these are reduced for the first 6 months or so. You will need a Gestor to undertake your tax returns. The alternative is to see if you can register with one of the Care Agencies which mainly cater to the expat population (assuming that you don’t speak Spanish?) who will want to know all your qualifications and experience and may also expect you to work on an autonomo basis.

Attempting to do anything like this other than through the proper channels leaves both you and your potential clients open to the possibility of swingeing fines from the Spanish authorities who are clamping down dramatically.