Personal care assistant, attendant and aide jobs in Australia

There are no open personal care assistant roles listed with CrossNation right now. New roles are added as employers brief us, so create a profile to be matched when one opens.

A PCA works from a care plan written by a nurse or care manager. Typical tasks are helping a person wash and dress, assisting at meals, moving between bed, chair and bathroom with the right equipment, and keeping their room clean and safe. You also notice and report small changes, such as a resident refusing food or a client who seems more confused than last week. PCAs do not do tasks that need a nurse's clinical judgement, and help with medication depends on the employer's policy, your training and the rules of the state you work in. Teamwork matters, because you hand over to the next shift and record what you did in the care notes.

In a residential home you work on a floor or wing with other care staff and a nurse on site, so the day is structured by meal times and routines. Shifts cover mornings, afternoons and nights. In home care you visit clients one after another, often alone, and help with personal care, meals, light housework and getting to appointments. That suits people who like variety and independence, but you need a reliable car, a current driver licence and comfort working without a colleague beside you. Travel between clients can be unpaid or paid depending on the employer and the award, so ask how travel time and kilometres are treated before you accept.

Most employers ask for a Certificate III in Individual Support, a national police check and proof you can work in Australia, and some add a first aid certificate or vaccination evidence. Workers in aged care follow the Aged Care Code of Conduct set by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. Residential staff are often covered by the Aged Care Award [MA000018], while home care workers can fall under the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award [MA000100] or an enterprise agreement. We do not quote pay figures, as they depend on the award, your level and your roster. Use the Fair Work Pay Calculator once you know which instrument applies.

In job ads the three titles usually describe the same hands-on work: helping a person wash, dress, eat and move safely. Some employers use attendant for roles in disability services or hospitals, and aide for roles in aged care or schools, while others use them interchangeably. The title does not fix the award or the pay level, which follow the duties, your experience and your qualification. Search for all three terms when you look for vacancies, and read the position description for the setting, the clients and the shifts before you decide whether it fits you.

Search the live roles on the jobs page, register with CrossNation and upload your CV so a recruiter can consider you when an employer briefs us. Put your Certificate III, police check, first aid and licence details at the top, and say whether you prefer residential, home care or disability support. Our disability support worker guides explain the NDIS Worker Screening Check for roles that support people with disability, and our aged care guides cover the Aged Care Award. A listing is not a job offer, and CrossNation cannot promise a job or a start date.

Registration: No national registration (Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission sets the Code of Conduct). Personal care assistants are not registered with Ahpra. Employers set their own requirements, commonly a Certificate III in Individual Support and a police check.

Pay and conditions: usually the Aged Care Award [MA000018] or an enterprise agreement. Check current minimum rates with the Fair Work Pay Calculator.

ANZSCO: 423313 Personal Care Assistant