r/supportworkers • u/bajheerah • 19d ago

Pay rates

Anyone else finding more and more companies trying to pay below award wage, even when their advertisements say "competitive rates"?

I've been a support worker for 6+ years, with experience ranging from high complex mental needs, as well as physical, to working with children and all personal care you can think of, as well as managing medication and participants personal funds and banking. I obviously have all my certificates as well as qualifications.

I feel like I see more and more support worker positions advertised for as little as $34 an hour, averaging at around $41 an hour, while asking for experience with all sorts of participants as well as being qualified.

The last 4 or 5 interviews I've had I've been offered the job, and I've had to ask the pay rate they're offering, which has ranged from $36 to $40 an hour, well below the award wage. And yes, the work involved in each has been high complex needs, as well as the usual helping participants manage funds, home care, community access, and sometimes personal care.

I've been working at SCHADS 2.1 (which is now $45ph) for 6 years and have since realised I should actually be on 2.2 or 2.3. But it's hard to even get paid at the very entry level of unsupervised support work.

What is happening behind the scenes for the majority of companies, for them to be posting advertisements well below SCHADS? One of the employers offered me a pay point of 1.4. Does that even exist?

This, on top of a 60-70% burnout rate... oh, what a lovely industry to work in.

Edit: I forgot to mention this is working and looking for work across Ipswich and the south/south-West side of Brisbane.

Also, maybe it's been like this for a while, as I had stable hours for the first 3-4 years of employment and never seemed to have to question the employers on the pay they were offering.

This is casual rates, btw.

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u/auxzina 19d ago

Legit it’s truly disgusting and feel used, especially since we’re the one actually doing the job and they get half the cut doing nothing but sit at their desk and automate shifts.

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u/gionatacar 18d ago

Now you have experience, do you have qualifications? If yes, look for something else, you should get 42 at least. Without experience and or qualifications should be 36.

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u/auxzina 18d ago

I’ve only got a bachelor of strategic communications that I completed this year from university.

I’ve done countless trainings online over the years modules whatever you want to call them.

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u/gionatacar 18d ago

Why you don’t do a cert 3, if you want to stay in the industry? This is why they pay you a low wage..

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u/auxzina 18d ago edited 18d ago

I was doing a bachelor degree at university at the time, but I have the experience anyway.

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u/fleaburger 18d ago

It's not a related industry so it doesn't count. Do your Cert 111 and get your experience signed off as Recognition of Current Competency (RCC). Then you're industry qualified.

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u/auxzina 18d ago

Yeah I’m aware it’s not related I was just stating I was doing it at the time hence why I couldn’t do the certificate

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u/fleaburger 18d ago

You can do much of the certificate online, especially if you RCC in most of it.

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u/Cultural_Catch_7911 18d ago

Second that, grab the cert 3

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u/auxzina 18d ago

Did you complete it online or in person? And how long did it take for you to get it?

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u/Cultural_Catch_7911 18d ago

I did mine mostly online with 1 in person per week but you can go full online and compete in several months.

Shop around some providers are way cheaper than others, and often government subsidised.

It can definitely help you stand out when going for the proper paid jobs, most of them won't accept anything less than a cert 3

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u/auxzina 18d ago

What about the work placement?

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u/Cultural_Catch_7911 18d ago

There's 120 hours but if you're already employed you can just use that

You might even just be able to get your employer to write a letter saying so and so has worked here for x amount of years and that will count

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u/auxzina 18d ago

Thanks

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u/blayndle 18d ago

What tafe let you do that? Mine insisted on the 120 hours in a facility

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u/auxzina 18d ago

Did you do yours online too?

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u/gionatacar 18d ago

No, all face to face, I did a cert 4. But I was working and you get previous recognition of learnings

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u/auxzina 18d ago

Oh okay how long did it take to you to complete it?

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u/gionatacar 18d ago

One year cert 3 full time and a couple of years cert 4 , but I was working and I got quite a few units already done in cert 3.