Most care workers will ask themselves this question at some point: should I work through an agency or take a permanent job? The honest answer depends on what you need from your working life — but the common assumptions about each option are often wrong.
Many permanent care workers underestimate how much more they could earn on an agency rate — particularly with night and weekend premiums. Many agency workers underestimate how stable regular placements can become.
The pay comparison — honest figures
Let's use real numbers. A Healthcare Assistant in a permanent care home role in Northamptonshire typically earns £11.44–£13.50 per hour (the 2026 National Living Wage to a modest premium above it). Some large providers pay slightly more for experienced staff.
An agency HCA working through Giusto Care earns £12–14 per hour on standard daytime shifts. So far, the gap is modest. But then you add premiums:
- Night shifts: +25% — so £15–17.50/hr agency vs typically £12–13 permanent (if paid at all)
- Weekend shifts: +15% — so £13.80–16.10/hr agency vs often no premium at many permanent employers
- Bank holidays: agency rates often double or attract specific premiums; permanent contracts vary widely
For a care worker doing regular night or weekend shifts, the annual difference can be significant — often £3,000–6,000 per year in favour of agency work.
Use the Giusto Care Pay Guide to estimate your weekly agency earnings based on your role, hours and shift type. Then compare to your current or offered permanent rate.
The trade-off: agency workers are typically self-employed or working through an umbrella company, which means you handle your own tax and National Insurance. You will not receive sick pay, holiday pay or pension contributions directly from the agency. However, you are paid at a higher gross rate partly to compensate for this.
Flexibility and control
This is the area where agency work genuinely wins for most people. As an agency worker:
- You set your own availability — days, shifts and locations
- You can accept or decline individual placements
- You can work for multiple clients through the same agency
- You can take time off without needing to request annual leave
For people with caring responsibilities, studying commitments, or those who simply value control over their schedule, this flexibility is often worth more than any pay difference.
Permanent roles offer predictability — you know your rota in advance (usually) and have an employment contract that gives you rights and certainty. For some people, that stability matters more than flexibility.
Job security and stability
The common view is that permanent work is more secure. This is partially true — a permanent contract gives you employment rights from day one, redundancy protections, and the security of knowing your shifts are guaranteed.
But agency work is less unstable than people assume. Workers who build a good relationship with an agency — turning up reliably, performing well, maintaining their compliance — often find themselves booked consistently week after week. Many Giusto Care workers effectively work full-time hours through regular placements at the same client.
The risk is real though: agencies cannot guarantee hours. If client demand drops, your hours may reduce. This is the genuine trade-off.
Career progression
Permanent roles generally offer clearer progression pathways — senior HCA, team leader, registered nurse (with sponsored training) — within a single organisation.
Agency work builds breadth: exposure to different settings, residents, clinical environments and management styles. Many nurses and senior carers say their early agency experience accelerated their development faster than any permanent role would have. But if you want to move upwards within a specific organisation, a permanent role eventually makes more sense.
Who is agency work best suited to?
- Care workers who want flexibility around other commitments
- Those who want to earn more by taking on nights and weekends
- Newly qualified workers who want to experience multiple settings before committing to one
- Returning carers who want to ease back in with controllable hours
- Registered nurses wanting to supplement a part-time permanent role
Who is permanent work best suited to?
- Those who prioritise predictable income and rotas
- Workers who want employment rights from day one
- Those pursuing a specific management or clinical leadership pathway
- People who prefer working with the same team and residents long-term
There is no single right answer. Many experienced care workers do both — a part-time permanent role for stability and pension contributions, supplemented by agency shifts for the premium rates and variety. If that model interests you, get in touch — it is something we accommodate.