The Best Gig Job You’ve Never Heard Of

If you’re searching for flexible part-time work, consider companion caregiving. Without a doubt, it’s the best gig job you’ve never heard of.

What’s the gig? In a word, companionship. You’ll offer companionship and support to older adults, seniors, and families in their homes in your neighborhood. For people who love helping others, it’s a great role.

At Papa, companion caregivers are Papa Pals. They work part-time supporting Papa members in communities across the country.

Papa Pals choose the type of help they provide and set their own hours. They offer support and companionship with a variety of activities and tasks, including:

As a Papa Pal, you can work when it’s convenient for you. Shifts, also called visits, are usually 2 to 4 hours, and you can work as often as you want and take a break when you want.

You’ll select visits that include the activities you prefer. In some cases, your visit will be all about companionship: checking in with someone and enjoying each other’s conversation. At other visits, your focus could be tidying up the house.

Papa pays you a base rate for every hour you work. Click here to check the rate for your location. You can also earn bonuses and incentives. With bonuses, many Papa Pals earn $20 an hour.

If you choose to provide car rides to Papa members using your car, Papa also pays for your mileage.

Companion caregiving is a non-medical role, so you don’t need health care experience or special qualifications to apply. You can get approved and start working in about 2 weeks.

No two Papa Pals are the same, but all are big hearted people.

The most successful Papa Pals are kind, friendly, reliable, and empathetic people. They often have family caregiving experience like raising kids, helping siblings, caring for older parents, and supporting spouses.

Some Papa Pals are stay-at-home parents who want to work during school hours, while others are retired folks who want to earn extra income. Papa Pals are military spouses and grad students, too. Some have other gig work experience, including Uber Eats, Shipt, Instacart, DoorDash and Lyft.

But there’s a big difference between companion caregiving and other types of gig work.

Being a Papa Pal has the flexibility gig workers want in a part-time role, but it offers something very different. When you're a Papa Pal, you have the opportunity to use your life experience to help others.

It goes without saying that there’s nothing better than the sense of accomplishment you get when you help someone.

Companion caregiving is also one of the few gig jobs with openings in smaller cities, towns and rural areas. Check to see if Papa Pals are needed in your community here.

Because Papa pays for your commute mileage to and from visits, you’re covered if your visit is more than a couple of miles away. It makes being a gig worker in a rural area more convenient.

One of the hidden benefits of working as a Papa Pal is that you can work in communities across the country. If you move, you don’t have to find a new gig in your new town.

Let’s say you’re relocating from Bangor, Michigan to Elizabethton, Tennessee. You can "move" your job with you. Simply update your location in the Papa Pal app and start booking visits in your new location.

There are many plusses of being a Papa Pal, including the incentive, bonus, and referral programs.

There are always new opportunities to keep earning, so when you’re approved and do your first visit, be sure to keep checking for the latest ways to boost your income.

Papa Pals have the satisfaction of knowing that their work helps others in their communities and neighborhoods. It’s the key difference between companion caregiving and all other types of gig work.

Ready to start earning and make a positive difference in your community?

If you’re looking for a flexible and fulfilling gig, it’s time to check out companion caregiving, the best gig job you’ve never heard of. Apply here.