How to Become an NDIS Support Worker in Australia

Fantastic money, no formal qualifications and working your own hours… Becoming an NDIS Support Worker sounds like the perfect job! Especially for Stay at Home Mum’s that need flexibility to balance family and income.

What is an NDIS Support Worker

Since the rollout of the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) Australia wide, people with disability have had more choice and control over what support and services they can access to reach their goals. This funding has opened up so many job possibilities for carers to provide support and care. An NDIS carer assists someone with a disability by caring for them, supervising them and supporting them in and out of their home to achieve the goals that are apart of their NDIS plan.

How I Got Into Disability Support Work:

To become an NDIS Disability Support Worker, I was actually approached by one of the Mums at my kids’ school. We had gotten to know each other quite well, and she felt that I would be a good match to help provide support for her adult daughter. At that stage, I was a single mum to 4 kids. I had never worked in a caring role before, but I jumped at the chance to be able to provide for my family. We did a few sessions just getting to know each other and see if I would be a good fit for her.

Her family manage her NDIS plan, so I’m in close contact with them on a regular basis. They were able to give me direction on what type of support they wanted me to provide and what goals my client was to work towards. So I didn’t feel unequipped and felt supported to deal with any situation that comes up. I’ve been with my client now for two years. It has been the most rewarding job I’ve ever had. I have felt really privileged to be apart of the journey, being able to support her to grow and achieve way past what she thought they were capable of.

What Support Work Like as a Job:

I can only speak from personal experience, but I’ve found it be a job that has challenged me to become a better communicator and problem solver. There have been situations where I have had to step back and think “Hmm, this isn’t working; what’s another way I can explain the task?”

I have assisted her in building up life skills such as cooking, cleaning, socialising and navigating public transport. My client and I have also been able to make sure, amongst all the hard work that she had some fun along the way. Parks, beach trips, social outings, all about being apart of the community and the improvement of wellbeing.

Support Work has been a flexible job, especially as a mum of 4. Because I have been able to work hours that are within school hours and make sure I have a manageable work/life balance.

How to Get Started in NDIS Support Work

To get started as an NDIS Disability Support Worker, you don’t need any formal qualifications. Often it’s training on the job as every person is so individual in their needs and what type of support they require. You can further your education with VET qualifications to open up more opportunities.

Each Australian state differs in what minimum requirements are as an NDIS carer, but generally, it’s the following:

Working with Children Check (Blue Card)
Police Check
Current First Aid Certificate
Car and Driver’s License – while this isn’t always required as a carer, it opens up being able to provide out of home support.

A carer can be hired by a family to provide support for someone directly or be employed by a disability support provider.

These are organisations that hire carers and manage clients to provide them with the best-matched carer to support them.

NDIS carer is a job that is essential, so there are plenty of job opportunities out there!

Where to Find Work as an NDIS Support Worker:

Try searching job sites like Seek/Indeed/Job Search or even just google local disability support agencies in your area, get in contact and ask if they have work!

Also perhaps get in touch with your local NDIS Registered Provider to put your name down.

Tip: A great disability support work online job platform that you can sign up for is: HireUp

The Pro’s and Con’s of Being an NDIS Support Worker

Alright, here are the pros and cons of being an NDIS Support Worker:

Pros of Being an NDIS Support Worker:

Job satisfaction. Caring for someone can be so rewarding and leave you feeling satisfied that you are making a difference in someone’s life.
Flexible hours. With so much demand, you can set your own hours and availability.
Job Security. NDIS carer roles are essential, and plenty of job vacancies are available. Even with COVID-19, plenty of families and organisations are seeking for more carers.

Cons of Being an NDIS Support Worker:

Support Work can be physically and emotionally challenging. At the end of the day, as a carer, you are looking after someone closely. It can be challenging, and if your client has a bad day, you can be left feeling defeated and exhausted.
You are on your own. Often in a carer role, you are the only one around caring for someone in the home, this can be overwhelming when you first start. Most providers and families will make sure you have enough support to feel confident.
Clients can come and go. As a carer, you can invest so much time and energy into a client, and when the time comes, and they no longer need your support. It can be difficult not to get too attached to a client that you have spent so much time with.

Hours and Money for a NDIS Support Worker:

The hours can vary as an NDIS carer depending on what type of support the client needs. It can range from overnight shifts, all day, weekend work or just an afternoon shift.

On average, a NDIS carer is paid $30 an hour. Some are paid as much as $49.20 per hour. It is all subjective to what the carer and the family or organisation agree upon.