Chronic Fatigue jobs

• Location: Longbenton area
• Hours: 9.5 hours per week (across two Personal Assistants)
• Type: part-time / job share

Job Summary
I am looking for two kind, reliable and proactive Personal Assistants to join my existing PA team on a job-share basis. There are 9.5 regular hours available each week, primarily providing morning and early-afternoon support across the week. Please check before applying that you will be able to manage the commute reliably to Longbenton.

My ideal weekly pattern is:

• Monday: 10 am–1 pm = 3 hours
• Tuesday: 9–11 am = 2 hours
• Wednesday: 9–11 am = 2 hours
• Thursday: 10:30am–1pm = 2.5 hours

I am ideally looking for two people to share these shifts, so you do not need to be available for all four days. Please let me know which days you can regularly work when applying.

There will also occasionally be opportunities for additional hours, depending on my needs and the availability of my wider PA team. These could include appointments, evenings or weekends, community/social activities, covering another PA's leave, or additional support when my husband is away.

What the Morning Role Is For

The main purpose of these shifts is to help me get ready and safely set up for the day.

Because of my disabilities and fluctuating health, mornings can be particularly difficult. Fatigue, pain, dizziness and executive dysfunction can all affect my ability to get started and complete a morning routine independently. Sometimes I need hands-on practical support. At other times, the most useful thing is having somebody there to provide structure, prompting, motivation and encouragement.

My aim is to shower around three times per week, depending on my health and energy. This means some shifts will involve supporting me to shower and get dressed, while others may focus more on breakfast, getting ready, hydration and organising the start of my day.

A typical shift could include:

• Supporting and encouraging me to shower or wash.
• Helping with drying, dressing and getting ready where needed.
• Providing motivation, prompting and structure when fatigue or executive dysfunction make it difficult to get started.
• Preparing breakfast.
• Staying with me while I eat because of current swallowing/choking difficulties.
• Prompting hydration.
• Supporting my morning medication routine.
• Helping me pace activities so I don't use all of my energy at the beginning of the day.
• Light household tasks such as dishes, laundry or tidying while I'm getting ready.
• Helping me work out and prepare for what I need to do that day.

Not every shift will involve all of these things, and my support needs can vary considerably from day to day.

Other / Additional Support

I already have an established team of PAs who provide much of my other day-to-day support. The morning role is intended to complement rather than replace their roles. Flexibility is useful because there may occasionally be crossover when another PA is unavailable, on annual leave, or when my needs change.

Additional support could sometimes include:

• Preparing or supervising lunch.
• Accompanying me to healthcare appointments.
• Collecting medication or prescriptions.
• Shopping or errands.
• Supporting me to access community activities, hobbies, or social events.
• Light household tasks.
• Basic pet care.
• Additional support when my husband is working away.
• Occasional evening or weekend support.

These aren't expected to form the core of your regular weekly shifts and would generally be arranged in advance.

About Me

I'm a 31 year-old man living in Longbenton with my husband and our cat, with a hearing dog hopefully joining us soon.

I'm profoundly Deaf, autistic and live with several physical health conditions, including Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and associated symptoms. These affect my mobility, joints, pain, energy, balance, concentration, digestion and ability to carry out everyday activities consistently. I also have significant swallowing difficulties, which means I need somebody present while I eat because of the risk of choking. I use a power-assisted wheelchair.

I work from home, supporting people with benefits and accessibility, particularly across LGBTQ+ and disabled communities. I’m also currently writing my first book. Outside work, I enjoy writing, folklore, sea turtles, travel, arts and culture. I prefer to think of my PAs as paid companions rather than traditional carers. You don’t need to be an expert — just someone kind, dependable, comfortable taking initiative and willing to learn how best to support me.

Communication

Basic BSL skills are highly desirable, but you don't need to be fluent. We can also use text, captioning software and other communication tools while we get to know each other. The role includes access to funded BSL training/qualification.

Who This Might Suit

This could be particularly suitable for:

• Someone looking for a small number of regular weekday hours.
• A student or freelancer whose schedule fits one or more of the shifts.
• A neurodivergent, disabled or chronically ill applicant seeking flexible work.
• An LGBTQ+ person who values working in a queer-affirming environment.
• Someone with experience supporting a disabled friend or family member, even without formal care experience.
• Someone calm and encouraging who is good at helping another person get started without being pushy or patronising.

What I'm Looking For

You don't need to tick every box. Reliability, kindness and initiative are the most important things. Ideally, you will be:

• Friendly, patient, proactive and dependable.
• Comfortable providing encouragement and motivation.
• Understanding that what I can do varies from day to day.
• Comfortable supporting washing, showering and dressing.
• Comfortable preparing food and staying with me while I eat.
• Willing to undertake appropriate first-aid training.
• Able to use your initiative rather than needing detailed instructions for every task.
• Understanding, or be willing to learn about, autism and fluctuating chronic illness.
• Comfortable with processing delays, direct communication, indecision, overwhelm and shutdowns.
• Physically able to assist with light mobility-related tasks.
• Comfortable around cats and dogs.
• Willing and enthusiastic to learn basic BSL skills.

A driving licence and access to a car are desirable but not essential. Driving would be particularly useful for appointments, errands and occasional community/social activities.

Previous PA or care experience is helpful but not required. Relevant experience could equally come from healthcare, hospitality, catering, education, community work, support work, psychology, volunteering or informally supporting a disabled or chronically ill person.

Job Share and Flexibility

An advantage of having two people is that you'll be joining a wider PA team, giving us more flexibility when somebody is unavailable and making it less likely that my support depends on any one person. There may occasionally be additional hours available, but these aren't guaranteed and you wouldn't be expected to be permanently available outside your agreed regular shifts.

Full orientation will be provided, with relevant training including BSL and first aid.

The working relationship is intended to be friendly, collaborative and respectful while still being a professional paid PA role.

Pay: £15.00 per hour

Expected hours: 4.0 – 9.5 per week

Benefits:

• Free parking
• On-site parking
• Paid training

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Newcastle upon Tyne NE12 8LD: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Application question(s):

• Which of these regular shifts are you available to work? Please list all that apply: Monday 10am–1pm, Tuesday 9–11am, Wednesday 9–11am, Thursday 10:30am–1pm, other availability including weekends.
• Are you comfortable providing personal care, including support with showering, washing and dressing?
• Are you comfortable preparing food and supervising me while I eat?
• Why do you think you'd be a good fit for this PA role? You can mention relevant paid, voluntary, informal or lived experience, your communication style, or what interests you about the role.

Licence/Certification:

• First Aid Certification (preferred)

Work Location: In person