I am live in caretaker taker I work alone with 6 clients. My boss pays cash $2,000 a month. No sick time, no overtime, no holiday pay. I care for, cook, clean, laundry, yard work, showers, basically everything plus some. I receive free room and board, but pay for my own food and will frequently buy things for my clients because the boss doesn't. Puzzle books, yarn, socks, etc. I'm 59 yrs old. I am paid under the table, so nothing for my retirement. Am I getting taken advantage of?
Would illegal traffickers allow someone access to a computer and internet?
You AGREED to the terms you're living and working under. So unless you've been trafficked and are being held prisoner then forced to work as a round-the-clock caregiver to six people 24/7, you CHOOSE to be where you are. You choose to work an under-the-table job. Unless of course you are in the country illegally and can't work legally. Or you actually have been trafficked. If such is the case and you are from another country, there are programs that will help you. Though, I don't think you have been because your traffickers would not allow you access to a computer. However and sadly, no programs exist if you are an American who has been trafficked within the borders of your own country.
So assuming that you're a legal American person who is not being held captive and forced to work, you can leave. Or get a safety deposit box at the bank and start dropping that two grand a month into it. In six months or so you will have enough to start over. Also, don't buy anything for the clients. Bank everything you're not spending on your own food and necessities. Clearly, you have access to a computer and the internet, so start applying for other jobs. Even other live-in caregiver jobs that are for only one client and you'll not only make more money, but it will be legal employment on the books.
What's stopping you from putting up a profile on a care.com which is a caregiver website? People are always looking or live-in help.
$11 an hour isn't much for what you describe doing but the picture becomes so much worse if you are 24/7 care as well.
You are playing with fire if this is under the table with no W2 or 1099. And if you ARE 1099 - that's considered independent contractor, and you will be hit with a tax bill, experts usually suggest you put back like $30% of your income to pay the taxes. The room and board "sweeten" the pot so to speak to "save" you money...but do they really?
Could you find a reasonably priced room to rent somewhere that might be affordable and look for a W2 job with benefits and a few dollars more an hour?
Find an agency job if caregiving is your jam. Agencies charge anywhere from $20-$40 an hour depending on the state and from what I understand the "average" caregiver pay is like $15-$16 an hour of that rate on the lower end. For an agency, I would think you would have safety benefits like PTO, Worker's Comp, and even insurance possibly.
You are sacrificing a lot to get "free" room and board and you have to look at what you are losing to get "free".
I bet it's not even an actual business since you're getting paid in cash (ie: not a sole proprietorship, not an LLC, not a corporation -- just a greedy person taking advantage of people who don't know any better). No withholding, no reporting, no W2s, no Worker's Comp -- you won't even have references or a work experience history when you look for CG jobs privately or at an agency.
After your next paycheck you should just disappear and block them. Let this "employer" figure out how to fix the problem they created. If they aren't having you sign a receipt for the cash then you're good to go. Go straight to a reputable agency and put in an application - they are hard up for good people. Don't work for yourself yet... get trained through an agency and then you'll have something to put on a resume if you want to work privately.
Working for cash is very tempting but the disadvantages outweighs any benefits. $11 p/hr is not even minimum wage. Get a FT position with a good agency, make some money, get some benefits, then you have real options for your future.