Turned down at 55+? Your life experience is worth $60–$74 an hour as your own boss

Fifty-eight and overlooked by every employer? Own the business instead of applying for the job.

If that's you, here it is straight: what the work actually involves, what it pays, what it costs to set up, and how to start — from someone running the same business, part-time, in regional Tasmania.

1. Age is the asset here

Older participants and their families often prefer a mature, grounded carer over a young stranger.

2. Stop sending résumés

Work directly for local clients instead of through a hiring process that's already decided.

3. Physically sustainable if you choose well

Company, driving, meals, light household help — everyday support, not clinical or heavy care.

4. You decide the radius and the hours

Your clients, your week, your limits.

5. Built in a small town already

How Cathy built this on Tasmania's east coast with no corporate backing.

Where to go next

Being straight with you. The hourly figures on this page are the billing rates from the official NDIS Pricing Schedule — the most that can be charged for that support. They're gross revenue, not take-home. Insurance, tax, super, travel and your own time all come out of it. And the income examples are Cathy's real numbers, not a promise about yours.

The free training is below — the honest version of how this works, in plain language. It's free, and it stays free.