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.

register with sanctuary

Prepare for work

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

register with sanctuary

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
An interview with our nursing team

First written: August 2024 The second in our ‘Meet the team’ series, we spoke to Rhys, one of our wonderful Sydney based AINs. He has been part of the Sanctuary team for the past three years, working on a casual basis in homes across Western and Northern Sydney, NSW. He has worked in a variety…

Aged care worker salary earnings in Australia in 2025

Revised January 2025 An aged care worker salary in Australia is increasing with the demand. It was reported that there is a need for at least 110,000 direct aged care workers across the country in the next decade. The aged care industry is made up of many different roles, both clinical and non-clinical, with a variety…

The true cost of non-compliance in aged care staffing

When we talk about compliance in aged care staffing, the conversation often focuses on regulations, accreditations, audits and minimum ratios. But non-compliance is far more than a box-ticking failure. Its true cost is human, financial, reputational and moral. Understaffing due to lack of compliance isn’t just a workforce issue. It affects quality care and delivery,…

Can I work in aged care without a certificate?

First published: June 2024 Aged Care is a fruitful industry, and as leaders in the recruitment of aged care professionals in Australia, we often are posed with the question of if you can work in aged care without a relevant certificate. Working in aged care can look different to each person. As it is a…

What is home care?

First published: April 2025 Home care, or care at home, is the support and assistance provided by healthcare professionals to allow those who need a helping hand to live independently at home for longer. The number of people wanting to remain at home is increasing, with 80% of older people opting to continue to live…

Workforce planning in aged care: Looking beyond simply filling shifts

By Rhiannon Dhoot, Client Relationship Manager at Sanctuary Recruitment Over the past several months, one of the most common topics I’ve discussed with aged care leaders across metro, regional and coastal communities in NSW has been workforce planning. Whether I’m meeting with providers in Sydney, the Central Coast or the South Coast, the challenge is…

A guide to the Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI) and AN-ACC

First published: Demember 2024 For those receiving aged care services in residential aged care homes, the Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI) was used by the Australian Government to allocate subsidy amounts of residential aged care providers. Payments were based on the ongoing needs of residents and included a variety of factors such as activities of…

Aged care worker resume sample and tips

First published: January 2024 When looking to land your dream job, standing out from the competition can be done through a carefully crafted aged care resume. Showing off your invaluable experience and aged care qualifications is essential, but it can be difficult to know where to start.  Within this blog, we’ve detailed how to perfect…

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…

10 common aged care interview questions for PCAs 

First published: July 2025 Aged care interview questions for personal care assistants (PCAs) are designed to understand your skills, experience and motivations for working in the sector.  In this article, we share 10 common aged care interview questions for PCAs, along with examples of how to answer them. Considering these questions ahead of your interview…