Be the best part of someone’s week
Longetra companions spend time with older adults who’d otherwise spend it alone. Paid and voluntary roles, hours that fit around your life, and the training and support to do it properly.
No account needed to check — and nothing you enter below identifies you.
Can you apply?
A few questions before anything else, so we don’t take you through a long application we can’t act on.
What the work actually is
Company, not care
Conversation over a cup of tea. A walk to the shops. Help setting up a video call with a grandchild. Companions are there for the part of somebody’s week that has nothing to do with medication or appointments.
Hours that fit your life
Some companions do a couple of hours a week around another job. Some are employed and work full time. Some volunteer. You tell us when you’re available and we work around it — the vetting and training are the same either way.
Properly supported
You’ll have a named supervisor, someone to call when something doesn’t feel right, and clear guidance on what to do about it. Nobody is sent into a home to work it out for themselves.
How joining works
Everybody goes through the same checks, whether they’re employed, working bank hours or volunteering. The people you’ll be visiting deserve that, and it doesn’t change depending on how you’re paid.
- 1
Check and apply
Four questions first, before you give us anything about yourself. If we can take your application, you create an account and finish it — usually about fifteen minutes.
- 2
Checks and references
Identity, right to work, a criminal record check and references. We ask your referees directly — they answer a short form and don’t need an account.
- 3
Training
Safeguarding first, then whatever else the role needs. Training you already hold counts — bring the certificate and we’ll record it rather than making you sit it again.
- 4
Your first match
Once your Companion Passport is clear you’re matched with someone near you, based on your availability and what you both enjoy. You meet before anything is booked.
About the criminal record check
Everybody who visits our members has one. Having something on your record does not automatically rule you out — we look at what it was, how long ago, and what it has to do with this work, and a person makes that decision rather than a rule. We’ll tell you either way, and we’ll tell you why.
We keep the result of your check and who verified it. We don’t keep a copy of the certificate, and the organisations we work with never see any of it.
Already started an application?
Sign in and open My companion work to pick up where you left off, see what’s still outstanding and track your checks.