Being a PA

We are looking for bright, well-presented and motivated women (this is only open to female applicants) to work as part of a team of assistants who make Ruth's busy life practical.

Because of its residential nature, you can do this job with your home-base anywhere within a few hours travel of Cambridge. Minimum commitment of four months, maximum one year.

As a PA you can gain skills while taking a year to: pause and take a breath, earn money, have some free time around work, and do something completely different. 

A lot of the help that Ruth needs includes personal care and hygiene, which is why all Ruth's PAs must be female.*

Ruth's physical disability means that she needs someone able-bodied to help her to do everything her body won’t do but her life demands. Basically, this job is to lend Ruth an intelligent set of arms and legs. 

It's a role which is very varied, and you can make as much of it as you wish: there's personal care and a lot of practicality, it involves helping her as she does her job, there's cooking and stuff in her home, and she'll rely upon you to organise things so it is physically and effectively possible for her to attend meetings, travel, and go out with friends or just do everything she wants to do. 

PAs spend up to six days at a time on duty. During their shift the PA stays with Ruth in her home, or wherever she is, to be available as and when she needs help. To ensure flexibility within the team, every PA spends more time off duty and away from work than they spend with Ruth. PAs can live some distance from Ruth as they will travel and stay for each shift.

As one of Ruth's PAs, it is your job to enable her to be as active as she is. There is no typical shift - it depends on what Ruth is doing. Sometimes it can be quiet and you will have lots of time to read and watch TV while Ruth is doing things she doesn't need help with, and sometimes it's very demanding when Ruth is very busy and needs you with her, but it's always rewarding!

You can choose a format which suits you:

• Regular PA for a fixed contract of between four and twelve months

• Occasional PA with flexible shifts to work round education or seasonal commitments

• Volunteer to gain experience

*The requirement for female employees only is an 'occupational requirement' for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010.