AUSTRALIA · JOB GUIDE
Help older people with daily living in a residential home or through visits to their own homes. Compare the duties and travel requirements before choosing a role.
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You value patient, practical work supporting older people with their daily routines.
Personal care can be physically and emotionally demanding. Check the role’s qualification, screening and shift requirements before applying.
Personal-care work can include helping people wash, dress, eat and move safely, alongside companionship and recording changes for the care team. Home-care work may also involve shopping, meal preparation and household tasks.
Ask how much personal care the position involves. A domestic-assistance shift and a residential personal-care shift can have very different responsibilities, even when both appear under aged care.
Residential work usually gives you a fixed workplace; home-care shifts may require driving between clients. Check the service area, gaps between visits, paid travel and whether a vehicle is essential.
Be realistic about your availability for early starts and weekends. A longer stay makes induction and continuity easier; discuss a fixed departure date before accepting a roster.
Certificate III in Individual Support or an accepted equivalent is a common requirement for personal-care roles. Employer training pathways offer another entry route. Domestic assistance and personal care involve different duties; overseas experience and qualifications should be listed separately.
Screening and health requirements vary with the role and service. Clear spoken English, understanding care instructions and accurate handover notes are practical requirements for safe care.
Compare the ageing and disability pathways at TAFE NSW. Check practical placement, course length and visa eligibility before paying. Do not assume a subsidised place advertised to residents is available to a working-holiday visitor.
St John offers accredited first aid and CPR through its state organisations. Choose the unit named in the role: HLTAID011 is general first aid, while HLTAID009 covers CPR.
HLTAID011 Provide First Aid: $199 for 4.75 hours in class plus pre-learning, or $225 for 7.75 hours in class without pre-learning. These are Victorian options; choose a listed venue and date. First aid is relevant when the role requires it, rather than a universal entry qualification.
St John Victoria course and locations · checked 23 October 2026.
Direct employer and agency application routes, checked 17 October 2026.
Search by location and care setting
Search for specialised carer and home-care roles. HammondCare describes development pathways including Certificate III, but confirm training availability and entry requirements for the particular vacancy.
Residential and home-care locations
Search its official careers site for personal care worker and home-care opportunities. Compare the location, contract, qualification and vehicle requirements before applying.
Residential and home-care services
Care-worker recruitment includes personal-care vacancies, traineeships and supported entry pathways. Select residential or home care to match the work you want.
Lead with experience helping people with personal care, meals, mobility and daily routines. List any Certificate III, current screening and first aid, separating completed training from courses still underway.
For home care, include your licence and vehicle access. For residential care, give shift availability and the facilities you can reach. Use the role’s actual title, such as personal care worker, care service employee or home-care worker.
Residential aged care has separate entry and qualified carer levels. The Aged Care Award publishes these full-time minimums for 38 ordinary hours a week.
| Direct-care classification | Weekly minimum |
|---|---|
| Level 1 — introductory, first three months | $1,239.00 |
| Level 2 — direct carer after three months | $1,307.80 |
| Level 3 — Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing) or equivalent | $1,376.70 |
Rates from 1 July 2026, before tax and excluding super. Casual loading, shift penalties and overtime are additional. These are residential aged-care award rates; home-care work can fall under SCHADS and uses a different pay structure.
HammondCare development pathways
Sources checked 17 October 2026.
BaptistCare — official recruitment · checked 17 October 2026
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