Carer Grades and Rates in Mauritius: How Pay Works and How to Earn More
Homebird now shares what families pay for care. That means carers can see it too. So rather than let anyone guess what those numbers mean, we want to explain the whole thing plainly: why different carers earn different rates, why the same carer earns different amounts for different jobs, and how you can train up and earn more.
In this line of work, no one ever explains this. Most carers have worked on a spoken agreement, with nothing in writing, and no clear idea of how their rate was decided. That is not fair, and it leads to a lot of confusion. This article is here to clear it up.
The four carer grades
Care work is not one job. There are different levels, and each one needs different skills, training and responsibility. We call these grades. The higher the grade, the more you can do, and the more you are paid. Here are the four.
1. Companion Carer
You keep someone company. You talk with them, help with meals, remind them to take their medicine, and help with small errands. This is real, important work. Loneliness harms older people, and a good companion changes a person's whole week.
What you need: no formal qualification. But every Homebird carer must pass background checks, hold basic first aid, and complete Homebird training before any placement.
2. Trained Carer
Everything a companion does, plus hands-on personal care. Helping someone bathe, dress and use the toilet. Helping them move safely, and lifting or transferring them the right way so no one gets hurt.
What you need: a carer licence, because this is personal, physical care that must be done safely and with dignity.
3. Health Care Assistant
Everything above, plus more clinical care. Looking after a catheter or a stoma, caring for pressure areas on someone who is bedridden, helping with feeding, and watching for changes in a person's health.
What you need: a formal Health Care Assistant qualification.
4. Registered Nurse
Skilled medical care at home. Wound care, injections, drips, checking a patient properly, and signing off a care plan.
What you need: a nursing qualification and registration with the Nursing Council of Mauritius.
The simplest way to think about it: each grade can safely do more than the one below it. That is the difference, and it is why the pay is different.
Companion Carer
For company through the day and the small routines that keep a home feeling like home.
- Companionship and conversation
- Meal preparation
- Medication reminders
- Light errands and household help
Trained Carer
Everything above, plus help with the personal parts of the day, given gently and with respect.
- Bathing and grooming
- Dressing and toileting
- Mobility and safe transfers
- Holds a carer licence
Health Care Assistant
A qualified assistant, for people who need closer clinical attention day to day.
- Catheter and stoma care
- Pressure area care
- Feeding support
- Watching for changes that need a doctor
Registered Nurse
Registered with the Nursing Council of Mauritius, for care that needs a nurse.
- Wound care and dressings
- Injections and drips
- Clinical assessment
- Care plan sign-off
What Homebird pays
Pay goes up with each grade, because each grade brings more skill and more responsibility. The figures below are pay bands, meaning a range from lower to higher. Where you sit in the band depends on your experience, your training, and the type of job.
Companion Carer
About Rs 130 to Rs 180 per hour
A full month of day work, about Rs 14,000 to Rs 19,000
Trained Carer
About Rs 180 to Rs 280 per hour
A live-in placement, about Rs 30,000 to Rs 45,000 per month
Health Care Assistant
About Rs 250 to Rs 400 per hour
A full month, about Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000
Registered Nurse
Paid at nursing rates, usually per visit for tasks like wound care or injections
Please note: the exact rate for any job is always agreed with you in writing before you start. The bands here are a guide so you can see how the grades compare.
Hourly work or a monthly placement?
This is a choice most carers are never told about, and it matters a lot.
Hourly work pays more for each hour, but the hours are not guaranteed. Some weeks are busy, some are quiet.
A monthly placement pays a little less per hour, but you know exactly what you will earn each month. Steady, reliable income.
Here is a simple example. Say you could earn Rs 200 an hour doing visits here and there, but the work comes and goes. Or you could take a monthly placement that works out closer to Rs 160 an hour, but pays you the same amount every single month, on the same date. Neither is "better". It depends on what you need. If you have bills to pay on a fixed day, steady money is often worth more than a higher hourly rate you cannot rely on.
About live-in placements
Live-in does not mean moving in forever. At Homebird, live-in placements work on a rota, with carers taking turns so no one is away from their own family for long stretches. You do your time, then another carer takes over so you can go home and rest properly, and there is always cover in place.
You are paid for the job, not only your grade
This one matters, so here it is plainly. Your pay follows the job, not just the grade you hold.
Sometimes a family only needs a companion carer, but the carer free that day is a trained carer, or higher. The family still only needs companion care, and it would not be fair to charge them for a grade they do not need. So that job is paid at the companion rate, whoever does it.
If you are a higher grade, you are always free to take that job at the lower rate, or to say no and wait for work that matches your grade. The choice is yours, and there is no problem either way. It simply means we never ask a family to pay for more than they need, and you always know why a job pays what it pays.
How to move up a grade, and earn more
This is the most important part. You are not stuck at one grade. If you train up, you move up, and you earn more. Here is how the steps work in Mauritius.
From Companion Carer to Trained Carer
You gain a carer licence so you can do hands-on personal care safely. Homebird can point you toward the right training.
From Trained Carer to Health Care Assistant
If you want to work professionally as a home carer, formal training is a worthwhile next step. Mauritius has several options, from short introductory courses to full National Certificate qualifications.
JSS Academy in Vacoas offers a Caregiving of the Elderly and Disabled course, covering the basics of personal care, safe handling, nutrition, first aid and supporting older people. It is a good starting point if you are new to caregiving.
For more substantial training, Quatre Bornes Professional Training Centre (QBPTC) offers a Basic Health Care Assistant course, combining classroom learning with practical experience. This is where our own Keeshan completed his training.
There are also nationally recognised qualifications. MITD offers a National Certificate Level 3 in Care of Elderly & Disabled, while Polytechnics Mauritius offers a National Certificate Level 4 in Health Care Assisting at its Pamplemousses campus.
The right choice depends on where you are starting and where you want to go. A short course can give you the basic skills to begin working as a home carer, while a National Certificate provides a more comprehensive healthcare qualification and a stronger foundation for career progression.
Look for MQA-approved programmes and always check the latest course details, entry requirements and fees directly with the training provider before enrolling.
From Health Care Assistant to Registered Nurse
This is a bigger step. It means a full nursing qualification, a diploma or degree, and then registering with the Nursing Council of Mauritius. It takes longer, but it is the highest grade and the highest pay. Polytechnics Mauritius runs nursing courses too, if this is your goal.
Talk to us before you spend money on a course. We can tell you which qualifications we recognise, what work it would open up for you, and how it would change your rate. It is better to know that before you pay, not after.
Why the client pays more than the carer receives
This is the honest part, and we would rather explain it than have you wonder. When a family pays Homebird for care, the carer does not receive the whole amount. There is a gap between what the client pays and what the carer is paid. Here is exactly what that gap pays for.
A replacement carer when you are ill, so the family is covered and you do not lose the placement
Insurance that protects you while you work
Finding the client in the first place, which we explain below
Checking the client and the household are safe before we ever send you there
Doing the invoicing, chasing the payment, and paying you on the agreed date, even if the client has not paid us yet
Scheduling, care plans and written records
Someone you can call when something goes wrong in the house
Travel and the gaps between jobs that nobody else pays for
The cost of running a registered, licensed company: banking, accounting, and staying legal
The part people notice least is finding the client. Families do not appear on their own. Homebird runs a website, social media pages, and a whole guide to caring for an ageing parent in Mauritius, all kept up to date. That work brings families to us who would not have known where to start. It also raises the standard of care information on the island for everyone, even people who never become our clients. That takes real time and money, every week, whether or not anyone calls.
Now the other side, told fairly. A carer who works completely on their own keeps all of the money, but they also take on all of the work and all of the risk. They find their own clients. They chase their own payments. They cover their own quiet weeks. They carry their own insurance and their own problems. Some carers prefer that, and it is a real and honest choice. What Homebird offers is the other deal: you earn a little less per hour, and in return we carry all of that for you.
What to know when you work with any care agency
Care work in Mauritius is still young, and honestly, it can be messy. A lot happens on trust and spoken promises, and carers are not always told where they stand. Some carers have money taken off their pay for reasons that were never explained to them. That is not right, and the more carers know their rights, the better the whole industry becomes, for carers, for agencies, and most of all for the families we look after.
So whoever you work with, here are the things to check. Not just with us, with anyone.
Get it in writing before you start
Before your first day, you should know, in writing: your rate, how and when you will be paid, and anything that might be taken off your pay. A spoken promise is easy to forget or change later. Something written down protects you.
Know if you are an employee or a contractor
There are two ways to work. As an employee, or as a self-employed contractor. They are different, with different rules about pay, tax and protection. Neither one is wrong, but you should know which one you are, and what it means for you. If nobody has told you, ask.
No surprise deductions
This is an important one. If an agency is going to take any money off your pay, you should have agreed to it, in advance, and you should know exactly what it is for. If money appears missing from your pay and you never agreed to it, you have every right to ask for a clear explanation in writing. Do not feel you cannot question it. It is your money and your work.
Ask who covers you
Care work carries real risk. Ask whether you are insured while you work, and who is responsible if something goes wrong. You should not be left carrying that on your own without knowing it.
You should be paid on time
You should be paid on a clear, agreed date. Whether or not the client has paid the agency yet is the agency's problem to manage, not yours.
If you are unsure, ask for help
If you ever feel something is not fair and you cannot get a straight answer, you can seek guidance. The Ministry of Labour in Mauritius can advise you on your rights as a worker. Keeping your own simple notes of your hours and what was agreed also helps if there is ever a disagreement.
None of this is about one agency or another. It is about what fair looks like. We believe carers who understand their rights make the whole industry better and safer, and that is good for everyone, including the families who depend on us.
How we work with carers
Here is simply how it works at Homebird.
Every carer gets a written agreement. It says your rate, what is expected of you, and where you stand. Nothing is left to memory or guesswork.
You can say no to work you do not want to take.
You can keep your own clients, and you can work with other agencies too. We do not tie you down.
You are paid on an agreed date. You know when your money is coming.
Work with us
If you are a carer in the north, working or looking, we would like to hear from you. Whatever grade you are, and whatever you would like to train up to, get in touch and tell us a little about yourself.
WhatsApp or call: +230 5811 8335
Email: hello@homebird.mu
Care that feels like family. For the families we serve, and for the carers who make it possible.
This article is for general information. Pay bands are a guide, and the exact rate for any role is always agreed with you in writing beforehand. Training course fees and dates change, so please confirm the latest directly with each training centre. The guidance on working with an agency is general and is not legal advice. For your specific rights as a worker, you can contact the Ministry of Labour in Mauritius.