How to become an independent support worker on Mable

Support workers make a huge difference in people’s lives. It’s a role filled with purpose, which means it also comes with a lot of responsibility. Learn what this type of work means for you.

Mum watches support worker and her child with disability roll pasta through dough machine. 

Support work requires empathy, dedication and responsibility

As a support worker you play a key role in making sure people receive the support they need.
People living with disability or older Australians often need support to live life their way. Your work can make a significant difference to the quality of someone’s life.

This is why reliability and a willingness to work hard are essential to support work.

“It’s quite humbling to be able to go into someone’s house and provide them with the care that they need.”

Margaret, independent support worker

Play Video about Margaret and Anne

Learn how Margaret found the opportunity to provide holistic care to her clients on Mable.

Illustration of person going through a checklist

Is providing support work on Mable right for you?

On Mable, support workers are independent contractors who find and connect with clients in their local area. Our low fees could mean better earnings for your support sessions. Becoming an independent support worker and working for yourself in this way has many advantages, but there are things to consider:

As a support worker on the Mable platform, you:

  • Choose your own hours
  • Set your own rates
  • Decide who you want to work with
  • Build your own business

You'll also need to think about how you'll run your own support work business:

  • You'll need to have your own ABN
  • You'll find your own clients on Mable
  • We recommend you set aside money for tax and super
  • We also suggest you manage and budget for earnings that vary depending on funding sources and payment types
Illustration of person going through a checklist

What kind of support work can you offer on Mable?

The services you can provide to clients on Mable depend on your qualifications and experience.

Are you a qualified support worker?

This means you are either:

  • A Registered or Enrolled Nurse
  • An allied health professional
  • A qualified personal care worker

In-demand services on Mable include nursing, personal care, psychology, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and physiotherapy. If you are qualified to provide any of these services and can supply the necessary documentation, you may be able to find work fast on the Mable platform.

Are you a support worker without any formal qualifications?

Without qualifications you can still provide support on Mable, but you are limited to providing support work for daily living, social and community activities. This includes tasks such as housework, transportation, gardening and meal preparation.

How to get approved to provide support on Mable

Every support worker must complete a sign-up and verification process before they can offer their services on Mable. This contributes to the safety of our community and helps support workers meet clients who are the best fit for them.

Mandatory for all services

As an independent support worker on Mable, you must add an ABN to your profile before you can be approved to apply for jobs posted by clients on the platform. You can get a free ABN from the Australian Business Register.

You must complete a police check (which includes ID verification) via the link in your profile. Our partner, Checked Australia, provides this for $44, a 31% discount on their standard rate of $64.

The police check is reviewed by Mable per our assessment criteria outlined in the Police Check Policy.

We do not accept existing police checks, even ones previously obtained from Checked Australia. This process ensures that all the police checks we receive are verified, validated and accurately represent the requirements of support work.

Mable does not make any commission from our partnership with Checked Australia.

Before you can be approved to work as a support worker on the Mable platform, you must watch a 30-minute Infection Control Training video, which is a part of your account setup.

You must provide at least 2 professional or character references in order to offer support services on Mable.

You must set up a profile. Upload a profile photo – a close-up, colour photograph of your own face. You will also need a short bio, which should include your key skills, interests, and things you enjoy – keep it light and conversational.

Mandatory in Tasmania or ACT

If you are offering services in Tasmania or the ACT, you must submit a Working With Vulnerable People check. This check is in place of a Working With Children Check but must be submitted regardless of whether you will work with children.

If you want to provide nursing, allied health or personal care services

If you want to offer nursing services on Mable, you must have a current nursing registration with AHPRA that has been active for a minimum of 12 months (as a Registered Nurse or Enrolled Nurse).

You must also provide two professional or character references.

If you want to offer physiotherapy, occupational therapy, or psychological services on Mable, you must have a current registration with AHPRA that has been active for a minimum of 12 months. You must also provide two professional or character references.

To provide speech pathology services on Mable, you must be registered with Speech Pathology Australia and provide two professional or character references.

If you want to offer Personal Care services on Mable, you must have either:

  • A Certificate III or IV in Aged Care or Disability Support

  • A similar qualification

  • A minimum of 2 years’ equivalent experience;

  • A nursing qualification attained in NZ, the Philippines, USA, Canada, the UK, EU member country, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the UAE (but not for nursing services or “assist with medication”).

You must provide 2 professional references from a supervisor or colleague who can verify that you have performed the personal care services you want to offer on Mable. The references must relate to experience within an aged care or disability organisation within the last 5 years.

If you want to work with children and teenagers
(under 18 years old)

If you want to offer services via the Mable platform and intend to work with children, you must submit a valid Working With Children Check number (or equivalent in their state) for verification.

In states and territories where cards are provided, you must carry the card with you when providing your services.

If you want to provide transport

A current and valid Australian driver’s licence must be submitted to Mable to provide this service. Provisional licenses are acceptable.

You are responsible for your own vehicle insurance.

If you want to provide transport but have disclosable traffic offences on your police check, this will be assessed by Mable in accordance with our Police Check Policy.

Physiotherapist supports older client’s arm and back as they lift light dumbbells above their head.
Physiotherapist supports older client’s arm and back as they lift light dumbbells above their head.

How to get work as a support worker on Mable

There are a range of ways you can maximise your opportunities and get started as a support worker on Mable. 

A young person and a disability support worker are looking at themselves in the mirror and smiling while applying make-up.

Learn more about how to find jobs on Mable.

Complete your profile

A completed profile helps you attract jobs that best match you. Add your availability, rates and locations. A complete profile performs better, so add your personal and additional details for stronger job leads.

Download the Mable app

This will help you find jobs and respond to messages from prospective clients.

Look at job posts

Review the job posts available each day. The more active you are, the more successful you are likely to be. Get in the routine of checking jobs and reply promptly to suitable job ads.

Meet-and-greets

Set up meet-and-greets with potential clients to learn more about each other. You can do this via phone, video, or in person. If you’d like to offer free meet-and-greets, you can let clients know by checking the box in your rates section.

Mable Last Minute

The fastest way to find jobs on Mable. Connect with clients who have jobs they need filled within a 4hr - 48hr time period.

Earning through independent support work on Mable

Before getting started as a support worker on Mable, it’s important to understand how you can expect to earn money on the platform.
A support worker helping their client take groceries in from the car.

How does payment work?

As an independent support worker on Mable, you earn money by providing support to clients. The client pays you an hourly rate, minus Mable’s fees.

The rates you set on Mable are flexible, so you can negotiate them with each client, within Mable’s $38 minimum hourly rate.

You will submit support hours after each session. Once your client has approved them, the payment process will begin.

How to set your rates

When setting your indicative rates on your Mable profile, you should consider your skills, qualifications and experience.

To get an idea of what other support workers are charging, check the average rates charged on Mable.

As an independent support worker, you are responsible for your own holiday pay, sick leave, taxes and superannuation contributions, so take that into account when setting your rates.

Understanding your role as an independent support worker on Mable

  • Support workers provide support to people in order to help them live their lives more independently. Support looks different from person to person, depending on their individual needs.
  • Some people may want help with everyday living, including cooking, cleaning, and laundry. Others may wish to participate in community events and hobbies, or they might need transport to appointments.
  • Qualifications aren’t required to provide social support and domestic assistance. However, to provide more complex care, such as nursing or personal care, you may need certain qualifications and experience.
Support worker hangs an orange towel on the Hills Hoist clothesline in the backyard.

FAQs

It depends on what services you plan to offer. You don’t need qualifications for social support and domestic assistance. Qualifications are required for personal care, nursing and allied health professional services.

Download the Mable mobile app. Search for jobs in your area. Apply for multiple jobs at one time. Sign up for email notifications and register for Mable Last Minute jobs.

Clients registered on Mable submit job posts on the platform seeking support. If you’re an approved independent support worker on Mable, all you have to do is log into your Mable account and click the ‘Search’ tab under ‘Jobs’ on your profile. Here, you can start off by choosing where you would like to work, what kind of support you want to provide and what days you are available.

To become an independent support worker on Mable, you will need:

* The criminal history check must be completed through the link provided by Mable. This ensures that the check covers the type of work that you will be conducting via the Mable platform.

Read this detailed guide on becoming a support worker on Mable. For more information, explore our frequently asked questions.

How much experience you need to be a support worker depends on the support service you want to provide. However, when you join Mable as an independent support worker, you can provide basic support services such as social support and domestic assistance that don’t require prior experience unless specifically asked for, by the client.

Support workers on Mable will get paid after they complete and submit their support hours for the support session. Clients approve their support hours and then Mable processes the payment. Payments are securely transferred to the support worker’s bank account. Support workers can track their earnings through their Mable dashboard.

To receive more guidance on how our payments work, refer to our guide on How payments work on Mable.

When you’re operating your small business on Mable as an independent support worker, you’ll have flexibility in the amount of hours you work in a day and how many clients you support. Workers can choose to work full time or part time hours, offering a range of services.

Support workers provide support to people with disabilities and can work in people’s homes, in specialised care settings or in hospitals on a full time, part time or casual basis, depending on the needs of the client. Aged care and disability support workers also provide support with implementing nursing, personal care, speech therapy, psychology, physiotherapy and occupational therapy services.

Learn more about what a disability support worker does.