Open
Personal care caregiver needed in El Cajon, CA
$25.00/hr offeredPosted Sep 28, 2026
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East County San Diego, California · San Diego County
Caregiver Jobs in East County San Diego
From La Mesa and the trolley suburbs out along Interstate 8 to Alpine, with the mountain and desert communities beyond. East County has one of the deepest caregiver pools on the platform and the county's largest Arabic-speaking community.
- Free to join and build a profile
- No agency fees, no cut of your pay
- Families can contact you directly
Start here
Finding caregiver jobs in East County San Diego
East County is two places joined by one freeway. The suburban half, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, El Cajon, Santee, Spring Valley and Lakeside, is 10 to 21 road miles from downtown San Diego, reached by the Orange, Green and Copper trolley lines, and is where a large share of the platform's caregivers live; La Mesa and El Cajon have more caregiver profiles within 15 miles than almost any other city on the site. The rural half starts at Alpine (30 miles from downtown, 14 from El Cajon) and runs to Pine Valley, Descanso, Campo and Julian, then down to Borrego Springs, 74 road miles from El Cajon. Postings come from a 40-mile radius around El Cajon, so you will see the suburbs in depth and the backcountry only as far as Pine Valley.
What a profile needs here: the trolley line or freeway exit you are near, your languages (Arabic for El Cajon, Spanish for Lemon Grove and Spring Valley), whether you drive and will take a client to Sharp Grossmont, and how far up I-8 you will go. A caregiver in Lakeside or Alpine willing to serve the backcountry has almost no competition, because no caregivers have joined from Julian or Borrego Springs yet.
Live postings
Open caregiver opportunities in East County San Diego
Real postings from families on CaregiverConnect, matched to East County San Diego by distance. 48 caregivers within 40 miles already have profiles here.
Open
Personal care caregiver needed in Santee, CA
$20.00/hr offeredPosted Oct 10, 2026
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Open
Personal care caregiver needed in San Diego, CA
$25.00/hr offeredPosted Sep 12, 2026
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Open
Meal preparation & homemaking caregiver needed in Poway, CA
$20.00/hr offeredPosted Aug 2, 2026
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Open
Personal care caregiver needed in San Diego, CA
$25.00/hr offeredPosted Sep 15, 2026
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Open
Companion care caregiver needed in San Diego, CA
$30.00/hr offeredPosted Sep 11, 2026
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Open
Personal care caregiver needed in Del Mar, CA
$30.00/hr offeredPosted Aug 29, 2026
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Open
Personal care caregiver needed in Escondido, CA
$25.00/hr offeredPosted Aug 21, 2026
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Showing 8 of 10 open postings within 40 miles of East County San Diego, newest first. Family names and care-recipient details are shown after you sign in. Postings are removed from this page as soon as a family hires or closes them.
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Cities in East County San Diego
Caregiver jobs by city
Each page below has its own local research and shows live postings near that place. Towns without a page yet are covered by this hub.
- Caregiver jobs in El Cajonpop. 104,932
- Caregiver jobs in La Mesapop. 61,707
- Caregiver jobs in Santeepop. 59,812
- Caregiver jobs in Lemon Grovepop. 28,233
- Caregiver jobs in Spring Valleypop. 31,969
- Caregiver jobs in Lakesidepop. 22,447
- Caregiver jobs in Alpinepop. 15,180
Area by area
The communities of East County San Diego
Every East County community in one line; the first seven have their own job pages.
- El CajonLargest city in the region, 104,932 residents; 11.0% Arabic-speaking, 19.6% Spanish; county IHSS office, East County Career Center, Grossmont College; 29 facilities and nine agencies; Orange, Green and Copper Line hub.
- La MesaCity of 61,707 around Sharp Grossmont Hospital; 15.5% aged 65 or older; 21 facilities including Grossmont Gardens (425 places) and 13 agencies, the most in the region.
- SanteeCity of 59,812 at the end of the Copper Line; 16.5% aged 65 or older; the Grossmont Health Occupations Center; nine facilities, four agencies.
- Lemon GroveCity of 28,233 on the Orange Line, 10 road miles from downtown; 31.3% Spanish-speaking; seven facilities.
- Spring ValleyUnincorporated community (census-designated place) of 31,969 south of La Mesa; 30.0% Spanish-speaking; Covenant Living at Mount Miguel (435 places) and five other facilities.
- LakesideUnincorporated community (census-designated place) of 22,447 on I-8 east of Santee; 19.7% aged 65 or older; three facilities, one agency.
- AlpineUnincorporated mountain community (census-designated place) of 15,180, 14 road miles from El Cajon; 19.5% aged 65 or older; two facilities; the last sizeable community before the backcountry.
- Rancho San DiegoUnincorporated community (census-designated place) of 21,272 east of Spring Valley; 22.6% aged 65 or older; Cuyamaca College; search from Spring Valley or El Cajon.
- La Presa and Casa de Oro–Mount HelixUnincorporated communities (census-designated places) of 34,962 and 19,765 between Spring Valley and La Mesa; covered by those pages.
- Crest and JamulUnincorporated communities (census-designated places) of 2,775 and 6,574 in the hills; 20.0% and 21.5% aged 65 or older; a car is essential.
- Pine Valley and DescansoUnincorporated mountain communities (census-designated places) of 1,786 and 1,590 on I-8 beyond Alpine; 27.9% and 25.1% aged 65 or older; 27 road miles from El Cajon to Pine Valley.
- CampoUnincorporated community (census-designated place) of 2,729 near the border, 39 road miles from El Cajon; 35.1% Spanish-speaking.
- JulianUnincorporated mountain community (census-designated place) of 1,751, 44 road miles from El Cajon, in the county's North Inland service region; 43.9% aged 65 or older; no caregivers on the platform yet.
- Borrego SpringsUnincorporated desert community (census-designated place) of 2,700, 74 road miles from El Cajon, in the county's North Inland service region; 40.6% aged 65 or older; no caregivers on the platform yet.
Types of caregiver jobs
Types of caregiver jobs in East County San Diego
Families post weekday personal care and company for a parent in the trolley suburbs, dementia supervision (Lakeside and Alpine have older profiles than the county, 19.7% and 19.5% aged 65 or older), recovery after discharge from Sharp Grossmont, and overnight cover. El Cajon families often want a caregiver who speaks Arabic with a grandparent, and backcountry postings usually ask for a full day rather than split shifts. Companionship and household help are the usual first jobs without a certificate.
- Senior caregiving: day-to-day help so an older adult can stay at home.
- Personal care: bathing, dressing, grooming, transfers.
- Companion care: company, errands, appointments, light help.
- Dementia care: routine-based support for memory loss.
- Respite care: cover so a family caregiver can rest or work.
- Live-in: room and board as part of the arrangement.
- Overnight: supervision through the night.
- Part-time and full-time: set by day and time block on your profile.
Pay
Caregiver pay in East County San Diego
Public figures first, then what they mean for private work. Statistics describe employed aides across the San Diego–Chula Vista–Carlsbad, CA metro (San Diego County); private rates on CaregiverConnect are agreed between each caregiver and family and are not tracked by any agency.
| Measure | Hourly | Source and coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Home health and personal care aides, San Diego–Chula Vista–Carlsbad, CA metro (San Diego County) | $16.97 median ($17.71 mean) | BLS OEWS, May 2025; 57,080 jobs; concentration 1.34× national |
| IHSS provider wage, San Diego County | $20.40 | CDSS; effective March 1, 2026 |
| California minimum wage | $16.90 | effective January 1, 2026 |
| Nursing assistants, San Diego–Chula Vista–Carlsbad, CA metro (San Diego County) | $23.11 median | BLS OEWS, May 2025 (certified roles, for comparison) |
Who is the employer. A family that hires you directly is your employer under California's Domestic Worker Bill of Rights. The state minimum wage ($16.90 an hour from 1 January 2026; some cities set more, for example $17.75 in the City of San Diego) is the legal floor, and a personal attendant earns overtime at 1.5× after 9 hours in a day or 45 in a week. The main exceptions are IHSS recipients and an employer's own parent, spouse or child. Source: California DIR, Domestic Worker Bill of Rights FAQ.
San Diego County projection: 52,820 aide jobs in 2023 to 69,580 in 2033 (+31.7%), about 105,890 openings over the decade including replacements (California EDD, 2023–2033 projections). Openings are not the same as net new jobs.
No East County city has a local minimum wage, so the state's $16.90 applies everywhere here; the City of San Diego's $17.75 stops at the La Mesa and Lemon Grove boundaries. The $20.40 IHSS wage carries extra weight because household incomes are lower in El Cajon ($67,511 median) and Lemon Grove ($88,009) than in Santee ($113,394) or the county ($106,268), so IHSS matters to more households, and the county keeps an IHSS office at 389 North Magnolia Avenue in El Cajon. Private rates run above the IHSS wage; Sharp Grossmont's 562 beds, 77 licensed residential care facilities and 28 agencies in the seven communities draw on the same CNAs. Backcountry postings should carry a travel allowance: Julian is 44 road miles from El Cajon and Campo 39.
IHSS wages for every county we cover, with effective dates, are in the IHSS pay by county guide.
How the public numbers relate to private rates, and what affects them, is covered in the caregiver pay guide.
Rules
Caregiver requirements in California, applied to East County San Diego
Same California rules, local offices. IHSS providers enrol through the Public Authority, (866) 351-7722 (SOC 426, a $47 Live Scan, an online video session, SOC 846), and can hand in forms at the county's El Cajon office on North Magnolia Avenue rather than driving to National City. A caregiver hired directly for non-medical care needs no licence; the Home Care Aide Registry is voluntary for independents ($35) and compulsory for aides of the 28 licensed agencies based in the region, 13 of them in La Mesa and nine in El Cajon. CNAs, certified by CDPH, come mostly from the Grossmont Health Occupations Center in Santee, part of Grossmont Adult Education, whose CDPH-approved course is open to adults 18 and over. The 77 residential care facilities, from six-bed homes (53 of them) to Covenant Living at Mount Miguel in Spring Valley (435 places) and Grossmont Gardens in La Mesa (425), hire from that pipeline. Mandated reporting applies to everyone; the county line is (800) 339-4661. Full detail in the requirements guide.
Local resources
Training and career resources near East County San Diego
Resources inside East County; county-wide ones are on the county hub.
- Grossmont Health Occupations Center (Grossmont Adult Education)8770 Mast Boulevard, Santee, next to West Hills High School; (619) 956-4300, hoc@guhsd.net. CDPH-approved Certified Nurse Assistant course plus an Acute Care CNA add-on; adults 18 and over; a medical orientation (in person or on Zoom) is required before registering; next registration opens 1 November 2026 for spring 2027.
- East County Career Center151 Van Houten Avenue, El Cajon; (619) 319-9675; weekdays 8 am to 5 pm. Free job-search help from the San Diego Workforce Partnership.
- County IHSS office, El Cajon389 North Magnolia Avenue, El Cajon. IHSS applications and forms; Aging & Independence Services also has an administrative office at 8530 La Mesa Boulevard; call centre (800) 339-4661.
- Grossmont College and Cuyamaca CollegeGrossmont College, 8800 Grossmont College Drive, El Cajon, (619) 644-7300: associate-degree registered nursing for caregivers who want to progress. Cuyamaca College, 900 Rancho San Diego Parkway, El Cajon, (619) 660-4000.
- Sharp Grossmont Hospital5555 Grossmont Center Drive, La Mesa, (619) 740-6000. 562 beds, the largest hospital in East County, serving La Mesa, El Cajon and Santee; hospice, palliative care and rehabilitation on site.
- MTS Orange, Green and Copper LinesOrange Line: downtown to Lemon Grove Depot, La Mesa, Grossmont Transit Center and El Cajon Transit Center. Green Line: downtown via Mission Valley and SDSU to Grossmont and El Cajon. Copper Line: El Cajon to Santee Town Center. $3 adult, $1.50 reduced; MTS Access paratransit $6 a trip, (888) 517-9627.
The area
East County in numbers
The four cities had 254,684 residents on 1 January 2026 (El Cajon 104,932, La Mesa 61,707, Santee 59,812, Lemon Grove 28,233); Spring Valley (31,969), Lakeside (22,447) and Alpine (15,180) are the largest unincorporated communities (ACS 2020–2024). The seven sit in the county's East HHSA service region, which also takes in Rancho San Diego (21,272 residents, 22.6% aged 65 or older), La Presa (34,962), Casa de Oro–Mount Helix (19,765, 21.4%), Crest, Jamul, Pine Valley, Descanso and Campo; Julian and Borrego Springs are counted in the county's North Inland region but are usually thought of as East County backcountry and are listed here. El Cajon is the county's Arabic-speaking centre: 10,674 residents aged five and over, 11.0% of the city, speak Arabic at home, the largest such community in the county (30,640 county-wide). Spanish leads in Lemon Grove (31.3%), Spring Valley (30.0%) and La Presa (35.5%).
Housing is the region's draw for caregivers: median home values are $681,700 in El Cajon, $634,400 in Lakeside and $714,700 in Spring Valley against $854,700 county-wide, and El Cajon's median rent ($1,856) is $390 below the county figure, which is why so many caregivers live here and work towards the city. The backcountry is the opposite: Julian (1,751 residents, 43.9% aged 65 or older) and Borrego Springs (2,700, 40.6%) have the oldest populations in the county and no caregivers on the platform yet. Sharp Grossmont is 19 road miles from Alpine and 50 from Julian; El Centro and the Imperial Valley are 84 miles from Alpine and a separate market.
How it works
How to find caregiver work in East County San Diego on CaregiverConnect
CaregiverConnect is a marketplace, not an agency. Families post what they need, caregivers apply, and the two of you work out the arrangement directly.
Tell us about your experience
Years of experience, the care types you provide, any certifications. No licence is needed for non-medical care.
Set your availability and rate
Full-time, part-time or live-in; days and time blocks; hourly rate; travel radius; vehicle.
Create your account
Name, email, ZIP code, password. Your profile is live immediately for families in your radius.
Browse, apply or respond
Open postings plus a matched list. Apply, or answer a family's direct request; the family chooses who to hire. Applying to open postings and starting a new conversation are part of Caregiver Premium ($7.99/month, cancel anytime). Replying to a family who contacts you is always free.
Agree on the details
Message to settle schedule, duties and pay. CaregiverConnect takes no cut of what you earn.
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Widen your search
Caregiver jobs near East County San Diego
Families often post from neighbouring towns. Set your travel radius in your profile and you will appear in their searches too.
East County San Diego is part of San Diego County; the county page covers every area.
Guides
Useful reading before you apply
California caregiver requirements: HCA registry, IHSS and CNA explained
Which rules apply to a caregiver in California depends on who pays them. A plain-language map of the Home Care Aide Registry, IHSS provider enrolment and CNA/HHA certification, with the official sources.
What caregivers earn in California and Arizona: BLS, IHSS and minimum wage (2026)
Median hourly pay for home health and personal care aides by metro area from the May 2025 BLS survey, county IHSS wages, state minimum wages, and how private rates relate to them.
How to find private caregiver jobs without an agency
Where families who hire directly actually look, how to be found, what to put in writing, and the legal basics of being a household employee.
Caregiver interview preparation: questions families ask and how to answer them
What a family interview for private caregiving work really covers, the questions to expect, the questions you should ask, and what to bring.
Sources (checked 2026-10-13):
- BLS OEWS May 2025, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
- CDSS, IHSS wages by county
- California EDD, 2023–2033 occupational projections
- San Diego County IHSS Public Authority, steps to enrol
- County of San Diego AIS, IHSS offices; AIS La Mesa office
- County of San Diego, HHSA regions (East and North Inland ZIP codes)
- Grossmont Health Occupations Center (home, CNA, directions, general information)
- Grossmont College nursing; Cuyamaca College
- San Diego Workforce Partnership career centres
- Sharp Grossmont Hospital
- MTS trolley lines, fares and Access paratransit
- California Department of Finance, E-1 2026
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 (S0101, S1601, C16001, DP03, DP04) and 2024 Gazetteer, East County places
- CDSS Community Care Licensing open data (HCO and RCFE, May 2025 file)
Questions
Caregiver jobs in East County San Diego: frequently asked questions
Where is the nearest CNA training in East County?
The Grossmont Health Occupations Center at 8770 Mast Boulevard in Santee, run by Grossmont Adult Education, with a CDPH-approved nursing assistant course; attend a medical orientation first, then register online when the next window opens.
Do I need Arabic to get caregiver work in El Cajon?
No, but it opens a large group of households: 11.0% of El Cajon residents aged five and over speak Arabic at home, the largest Arabic-speaking community in the county. List Arabic and any related languages on your profile.
Can I reach East County clients by trolley?
In La Mesa, Lemon Grove, El Cajon and Santee, yes: the Orange, Green and Copper Lines serve all four, and both the Orange and Green Lines stop at the Grossmont Transit Center. Spring Valley, Lakeside, Alpine and the backcountry need a car.
Are there caregiver jobs in Julian, Borrego Springs or Campo?
Families there can post, but no caregivers have joined from those communities yet and they are 39 to 74 road miles from El Cajon. A caregiver in Alpine or Lakeside with a wide radius would have that ground to themselves.
Where do I hand in IHSS paperwork in East County?
At the county IHSS office, 389 North Magnolia Avenue, El Cajon. Provider enrolment itself (Live Scan, video session, SOC 846) runs through the Public Authority on (866) 351-7722.
Where do East County families post?
On the East County families page and the seven community family pages linked from it.
Ready to find caregiver work in East County San Diego?
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