Caretaker
A caretaker keeps a building and its grounds clean, safe and in working order, handling the small repairs, security checks and upkeep a property needs each day.
- Median salary
- $71,900
4.1%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 6,100
0.0%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +3.9%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Low
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 41/wk
+1h vs all jobs
- Shortage status*
- Not in shortage
national
Caretakers work in schools, apartment blocks, hotels, hospitals and caravan parks, and their duties sit between cleaning, grounds work and building maintenance. Unlike a cleaner, a caretaker usually holds the keys and alarm codes, watches over the whole site and calls in trades when a repair is beyond their scope. Residential roles sometimes include a flat on site and a requirement to be available after hours.
How much do caretakers earn?
The median full-time salary for a caretaker is $71,900 per annum, before tax, up $15,100 since 2018.
Pay moves with the employer and the agreement that covers the job. Caretakers in schools, hospitals and government buildings are often on enterprise agreements with set increments, while commercial and residential roles are negotiated individually, so two jobs with the same title can pay differently. Live-in roles may add accommodation or an on-call allowance, which is worth weighing against the hours the arrangement asks for.
What does a caretaker do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Opening up: unlocking gates, disarming alarms and walking the site after hours
- Cleaning common areas, bin rooms, toilets and shared kitchens
- Handling minor repairs such as tap washers, door handles, light fittings and locks
- Mowing, weeding and watering grounds, and clearing leaves and rubbish
- Logging faults and coordinating tradespeople for work outside their scope
What skills do caretakers need?
Employers look for cleaning and grounds maintenance, hand and power tool work, backed by Hand tools fluency and strong attention to detail.
Specialist skills
- Cleaning and grounds maintenance
- Hand and power tool work
Software and tools
- Hand tools
- Power tools
- Cleaning equipment
- Security monitoring systems
- CMMS software
General skills
- Attention to detail
- Safety and compliance awareness
- Problem solving
- Customer service
- Written communication
Is the job growing?
About 6,100 people work as caretakers in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 3.9% over the decade to 2035. That's modest growth: demand is steady rather than booming.
How do you become a caretaker?
Here's the path most caretakers take, step by step.
- 1Finish Year 12 or an equivalent
Many caretakers hold a Year 12 qualification or below, but schools, hospitals and larger property employers usually ask for completed secondary schooling along with a police check.
- 2Start in cleaning, grounds or maintenance work
A first job as a cleaner, gardener or maintenance assistant builds the tool skills and site routines that caretaking draws on, and it is the most common way into the role.
- 3Add a certificate in cleaning, horticulture or property maintenance
A Certificate III in cleaning operations (CPP30321) or horticulture is a recognised qualification for the hands-on side of the job, and TAFE and private providers offer it part time while you work.
- 4Gather the checks and licences employers ask for
Expect a national police check, a first aid certificate and a driver's licence, plus a Working with Children Check for school and childcare sites, which is issued by state and territory authorities. A White Card is needed where the site is an active construction or renovation zone.
- 5Move into a live-in or specialised role
With experience, caretakers take on residential buildings, caravan parks or campuses, where on-site accommodation and after-hours duties are common.
Ready to apply as a caretaker?
Whether you're working toward becoming a caretaker or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a caretaker move to?
Moving into Maintenance Planner typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $27,900 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maintenance Planner A caretaker with maintenance coordination experience becomes a maintenance planner, requiring reskilling in planning and scheduling systems.Known move | +$27,900 | 12% | reskill |
| Handyman A caretaker moves into handyman work, applying repair and maintenance skills, with reskilling for trade-level tasks and business operations.Known move | +$8,100 | 29% | reskill |
| Caravan Park Manager A caretaker's property upkeep and security skills suit caravan park management, needing reskilling in hospitality operations.Known move | +$7,100 | 21% | reskill |
| Greenkeeper A caretaker with grounds upkeep experience moves into greenkeeping, but must complete an apprenticeship or certificate to meet registration.Known move | +$4,400 | 38% | requalify |
| Cleaner A caretaker brings cleaning and minor maintenance skills to cleaning roles, needing only a short course for specialised equipment.Known move | −$2,100 | 58% | short course |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a caretaker?
The typical caretaker is 51 years old; 74% are men, 63% work full-time, and full-timers average 41 hours a week.
- 51
- Median age
- 26%
- Female share
- 63%
- Full-time
- +1h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a caretaker?
The shape of the day follows the building. Caretakers usually start before everyone else, opening up, checking what broke overnight and clearing entrances, then work through a round of cleaning, grounds and repairs that a leak, an alarm or a broken lock can interrupt. It suits someone who is comfortable working through a physical list on their own and switching tasks when something more urgent turns up.
What people like
- You can see what you finished. A mown lawn, a clean foyer and a door that closes properly are results you can point to, and most days end with a list of jobs actually done.
- The whole site is yours to look after. The work moves between indoors and outdoors, between tools and people, so the day rarely sits in one place.
- Quiet autonomy. Many caretakers set their own order of work, reporting to a supervisor or building manager at the end of the day.
- Living where you work. Some roles come with on-site accommodation, which cuts the commute and suits someone who would rather not travel to work.
What people find hard
- On-call hours. Alarms, leaks and breakages do not keep office hours, so a live-in or on-call role can interrupt evenings and weekends.
- Physical, weather-dependent work. Mowing, lifting, ladder work and clearing gutters happen in heat, cold and rain.
- Cleaning up after other people. Vandalism, overflowing bins and mess left in shared areas are part of the job, and the same damage can reappear the following week.
- Easily overlooked until something goes wrong. A well-kept building attracts little comment, while an uncollected bin or a blocked toilet is noticed within the hour.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ caretakers?
Education and Training employs the largest share of caretakers, followed by Accommodation and Food Services.
Top employing industries
- 1Education and Training
- 2Accommodation and Food Services
- 3Health Care and Social Assistance
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Year 12 or below | 39.3% | |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate III/IV | 35.5% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 9.5% | |
| Bachelor degree | 7.5% | |
| Postgraduate | 2.8% |
Will AI replace caretakers?
Caretaking has low exposure to AI because almost all of the work needs a person standing in the building: mopping, mowing, changing a lock and checking a fence line. Maintenance and building management software already handles the administration, logging jobs and flagging faults that keep coming back, and voice tools can turn a spoken note into a work order. What changes is the paperwork around the job, not the job itself.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Cleaning and grounds upkeepMopping a foyer, edging a path and emptying bins are done by hand, and no sensor mows around a set of playground equipment.40%low
- Minor repairs and hand tool workReplacing a tap washer or easing a sticking door needs someone to diagnose the fault on the spot and work with the tools they carry.25%low
- Talking to tenants, staff and visitorsTaking a delivery, calming a complaint about noise or explaining why a repair is delayed is a conversation with someone standing in front of you.20%low
- Logging jobs and ordering suppliesMaintenance systems can raise a work order, message a contractor and prompt a reorder of cleaning supplies before the store cupboard empties.15%high
Common questions about becoming a caretaker
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do caretakers earn in Australia?
$71,900 per annum, before tax, is the median for full-time caretakers. Rates move with the employer and any enterprise agreement covering the site, and live-in roles may add accommodation or an on-call allowance.
How do you become a caretaker?
Most caretakers start in cleaning, grounds or maintenance work and move across once they know how a building runs. A Certificate III in cleaning operations (CPP30321) or horticulture helps, and the checks employers want, such as a police check and a Working with Children Check for school sites, take a few weeks to arrange.
Are caretakers in demand in Australia?
Caretakers are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 3.9% over the decade to 2035 over the decade to 2035, with around 6,100 people in the role. Openings tend to be local and tied to individual schools, apartment blocks, parks and hotels, so opportunities depend on what is being built and maintained near you.
Will AI replace caretakers?
Caretaking has low exposure to AI because the work happens in a physical place that has to be cleaned, repaired and locked each day. Maintenance systems already log jobs and track recurring faults, and AI assistants can raise work orders or reorder supplies, but someone still has to mow, fix and deal with the people on site. The administrative side of the job is where the change is felt most.
What jobs can a caretaker move into?
Caretaking sits closest to cleaning and grounds work. Cleaners move across with a short course covering building duties, and the pay gap is $2,100 less, while gardeners bring grounds and plant knowledge the other way, with a gap of $12,100 more. Further out, maintenance planning and caravan park management need real retraining, in scheduling systems or in hospitality operations.
Do caretakers have to live on site?
Some do, particularly in apartment blocks and caravan parks, where a flat or unit on the property usually comes with a lower rent and a duty to answer after-hours calls. Other employers roster caretakers onto day or split shifts, so you can ask about on-site expectations before you accept a role.
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