Aged Care Jobs in Cairns

Sanctuary Recruitment is currently seeking candidates for aged care jobs in Cairns CBD/metro area
and various locations throughout regional and rural Queensland. We are a specialist aged care recruitment
consultancy with years of industry expertise. We pride ourselves on our long-lasting relationships with
aged care homes and nurses and are committed to strengthening and
maintaining relationships within the aged care sector.

Register with Sanctuary

register with sanctuary

Express your interest

Send in your resume or register your interest and our industry expert consultants will be in contact.

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Prepare for work

Complete the onboarding process and become fully compliant. Our compliance team can help you through this step by step.

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Being working with Sanctuary

Choose from 100's of roles that suit your needs, values and requirements.

Rewards and Benefits

market leading pay rates

Market leading pay rates

bonuses and incentives

Bonuses and incentives

industry expert consultants

Industry expert consultants

discount programs

Discount programs

Free online education modules

Free online education modules

Referral scheme

Referral scheme

Aged Care Jobs in Cairns FAQs

Aged care workers provide the direct care of residents on a physical, personal and emotional level. An entry level role in this industry would be an Assistant in nursing/Personal care worker, and you can develop your clinical skills to become a registered nurse and beyond.

Our longstanding relationships with over 400 aged care providers across the country, in metro, regional, rural and remote areas of the country.

Alongside Cairns, in Queensland we have roles in:

  • Bribie Island
  • Brisbane
  • Darling Downs
  • Far North Queensland
  • Gold Coast
  • Sunshine Coast
  • Toowoomba
  • Whitsundays
  • Wide Bay

There are a lot of variances when it comes to pay rates, as aged care casual rates depend on your position, experience level and shift times that you work. Our casual pay rates range from:

  • AIN: $38 - $75 per hour
  • EN: $40 - $81 per hour
  • RN: $50 -  $120 per hour

Incentives, allowances and bonuses are applicable for certain areas and contract placements. Reforms in aged care have led to pay rises for aged care workers in recent years, with more developments to come.

We have a scheme where we offer nurses who have less than 6 months experience a trial period within a residential aged care home. If you have less than 6 months experience or have an aged care certificate, please get in contact to see what your options are.

To work as an AIN/PCA you need to hold a Cert III/IV in Ageing Support/Individual Support/Health Services Assistance. To work as an EN you will need a Diploma of Nursing and an AHPRA number, and for RN's you need a Bachelor of Nursing degree and an AHPRA number. 

We are recruiting aged care positions on a clinical and non clinical basis (direct and non direct care), for temporary/casual, contract and permanent assignments. Temporary work, or casual work, is done on an ad-hoc or block booking basis. Contract roles are usually up to 12 weeks long in rural, regional and remote areas of the country and permanent positions are salary based, with you being employed directly by the home.

Absolutely. We offer continuous online training via our Learning Management System (LMS) at no cost to you. This is regularly updated to reflect new legislation and regulations.

Through working on a short term or ad-hoc basis, you can:

  • Structure your work day/week to your lifestyle
  • Through our contract roles, you can explore areas of Australia whilst getting paid for it, with free travel and accommodation included.
  • Set your own work/life balance
  • Receive a higher hourly rate than if you were a permanent employee
Aged Care Blog
Meet our Sanctuary Nursing Team

First published: September 2024 Getting to know our nurses on a personal as well as clinical background is important to us. When you join the Sanctuary team, the sense of community that you get through building relationships with other nurses and your consultant provides a foundation of support and opportunity. Kingsley, a AIN based in…

What is Aged Care?

First published: January 2025 Aged care is a collection of services delivered to older people (usually aged 65 and over), both inside and outside of their home, that allows them to live a full, normal life. Aged care is provided on a variety of different levels, depending on the needs of the client. In Australia,…

The 15% Aged Care Pay Rise in 2023 Could Jump to 25% in 2024

First published: October 2023, revised February 2024 As part of the aged care reform, the 15% aged care pay rise that was implemented on the 30th of June 2023 is being called increase to 25% in 2024. Last year, the Department of Health and Aged Care, in conjunction with the Fair Work Commission funded the…

How to Become an Aged Care Worker

First published: November 2023, revised April 2024 The aged care industry encompasses the services provided and delivered to care for the elderly population. The Department of Health and Aged Care governs the quality of these services and focuses on continuous improvement and development, with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission in charge of government…

Transitioning into Aged Care

First published: November 2023 A non clinical perspective With the aged care industry being a part of the healthcare space, the common perception is that you need a nursing qualification to be eligible for a role in a residential aged care home. This is true for a large number of job positions, as clinical members…

A Guide to the 8 Aged Care Quality Standards

First published: July 2024 The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission have formed eight Quality Standards that are set within the aged care industry for the purpose of ensuring services provided to the elderly population of Australia are: Safe High quality Meet the needs and preferences of the people under their care All government funded…

The Tier One Relationship Between Arcare and Sanctuary

First published: August 2024 We are proud to have served the aged care industry for nine years, placing aged care professionals across the country on temporary, contract and permanent assignments. Our established base of nursing professionals, working on every level from assistant in nursing to management, are familiar with our clients and have developed a…

12 Aged Care Interview Questions and Answers

First published: October 2023 Are you ready to embark on a fulfilling career in aged care or looking to move beyond your current role? Mastering the art of aged care interview questions is an important step towards becoming an aged care worker, and we’re here to guide you through 12 key questions you are likely…

Creating a Heartwarming Holiday Season in Aged Care

First published: December 2023 The festive season in Residential Aged Care is a time to bring the residents and their families together to celebrate the Christmas period. It may be a new experience for those observing this occasion away from the comfort of their family home, so making sure that everyone feels included in the…

The Resilience of the Aged Care Industry

First published: October 2023 How to overcome aged care hidden hurdles “The staff were the most vital asset in this situation, the power of the team really shone through during this time” Being part of the world of aged care usually means your general workday is fast-paced and constantly changing, but we often know what…