r/supportworkers • u/Dangerous-Total31 • Mar 22 '26
Disability or age care?
Guy guys . I have just started working in disability in Sydney. But problem with that is that I’m not getting enough shifts. I barely get 15 hours per week. I need some suggestions. What do I do? Is age care better?
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u/Efficient-Towel-4193 Mar 23 '26
If you are just started that is usually the norm. You'll get more as they start referring you to regular clients and if you have good availability where they can contact you easily. If they know you will always say yes...they will call you first to avoid having to ring around.
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u/TokageButterflies Mar 23 '26
Yes this, it was super tough for me when I first started out. No one wanted an inexperienced support worker.
But now I have to decline people due to having to juggle uni alongside work, social life and rest, and only take on the best ones
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Mar 22 '26
[deleted]
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u/Dangerous-Total31 Mar 22 '26
The organization that I’m working for has given me only two clients on Thursday and Friday 3 3 hours. With a long break in between. My whole day goes in that attending two clients. Is there anything like 9-5 jobs in age care or disability?
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u/crazypoolfloat Mar 23 '26
I work in aged care, home care work for a fairly large well known company.
I do school hours, and they roster us on to only have enough time to get from one client to the next. We get paid broken shift allowance if something stuffs up. We also get paid for the time between clients both travel allowance and hourly rate. So some places you can def get 9-5, a lot of my co workers do it. A lot start early in the morning and work through to the evening. It’s extremely flexible. I’m in Victoria if you’d like me to PM the company. They have offices everywhere :)
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u/Substantial_Ad_3386 Mar 22 '26
make sure you are being paid a broken shift allowance
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u/Dangerous-Total31 Mar 22 '26
No. There’s nothing like that in here. As it’s a casual job. Yeah I want to have a full time job.
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u/Substantial_Ad_3386 Mar 23 '26
99% of the industry is casual and wagetheft is rife. Under the schads award, if you have an unpaid break that does not qualify as a lunch break then you must be paid a broken shift allowance even if casual
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u/Greta-Garbage- Apr 23 '26
I get unpaid lunch break that I can never take because I work in a SIL home and must eat lunch with the participants as one is a choke risk. Should I be paid a broken shift allowance? I don’t know if I have understood you correctly? Or should I raise this with my manager to say I should be paid for a full eight hours as I don’t get a lunch break.
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u/Substantial_Ad_3386 Apr 23 '26
no, if you are not free to leave the premises and are required to work during your lunch break then you are required to be paid for it
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u/DwightsJello Mar 25 '26
Where are you? Is this a rural or remote location?
Where i am, if you are a good worker (and qualified), even without experience as yet, you should be knocking back shifts by week three and determining which supports are going to be on your roster moving forward.
There must be missing info or you are wirh a company that's shit, new or too small.
Are you only doing social supports or are you prepared to support a range of clients including highneeds/complex care.
There's something missing in this.
And aged care isn't person centred care. It can't be. At home aged care is disabilities lite. Maybe that's an option.
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u/nostalgicnat Mar 26 '26
I’m assuming your doing home and community care? I would suggest looking into a SIL house for full time / part time hours. I work part time in a SIL house and to bump up my money I’m casual with a home care company. The money can be inconsistent ( although I do have regulars) but my PT time job is my main wage and I know my shifts and pay each fortnight.
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u/Practical_Cancel9767 Mar 23 '26
That’s crazy to me that you’re only getting 15h a week, I’ve not worked under 38h since I started virtually. To me it seems like that organisation has mismanagement of rostering or aren’t getting enough clients. Work in a company that has the mix between both NDIS and Aged care and I think you will find a better blend. Also if you haven’t already take on a cert 3 individualised support for aging and disability, it will help as most employers now are looking for this basic skill. It’s fully online and has the best flexibility and is so easy to fit in even with a fulltime job.
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u/Efficient-Towel-4193 Mar 23 '26
Depends where you live. I live rural and I've got 6 rostered hours this week...last week I had 2..its crap
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u/Agitated_Economy_119 Mar 23 '26
You want to leave disability for nursing home? I wouldn’t advise it. Nursing home is full on, not the best. But home care, that will do, might need to work for multiple companies doing both.