Job opportunity: Become a RockPool rep

If you are selected to join Rockpool, we will work with you to build a weekly schedule that works for you, and then we’ll aim to find jobs within this timeframe.

The minimum commitment is 2 hours per week and there is no maximum. We just ask that whatever we agree on, you make yourself available on an ongoing weekly basis.

Overall think of the role as filling in for extended family. We provide support with everyday tasks that unlock independence. Your day to day will vary depending on the person we match you with. Tasks could involve helping out with cleaning, a trip to the supermarket, helping cleaning out a wardrobe, meal prep, gardening, helping to organise a plumber, a ride to the hairdresser, helping organise a zoom call with family or whatever will unlock a great day for our member. You will have the opportunity to share the types of activities you would like to engage in so that we can find the right fit for you.

It’s important to note that we are not a 'homecare' provider and do not provide formal medical support such as lifting, showering, toileting or administering medication.

The hourly rate is $30 (roles in the industry generally start at $22.70).

You will be a contractor and will be paid by the hour, not a salary. This means you will be responsible for paying tax and ACC levies as well as taking care of your own holiday, sick leave and Kiwisaver. To account for this (and make sure you’re set up for success) we have set our rate significantly higher than the industry standard.

As a contractor you can also claim back your work expenses in your tax returns for things like petrol use, phone use etc. If this is your first time working as a contractor we can help set you up with a HNRY account, which is amazing and handles all the tax stuff effortlessly.

Because we operate as a contracting service we pay only for the time performing the service, but since we are connecting people within their own communities we expect mileage to be minimal. As a contractor you can also claim back these expenses in your tax returns (we’ll show you how).

If a job involves providing a ride (like driving someone to the supermarket), we will compensate for mileage.

Nope, we pride ourselves on providing the option to bring kids but we absolutely don’t require it! Your kids might be in school or you might not have kids, you are still welcome!

We will inevitably have clients who prefer one-on-one time without kids so it’s just a matter of making the right matches.

Absolutely not. It’s all about finding the right fit. One Rockpool member may adore cooing over a wee bub, while another might love sharing stories with an older child. There’s no one-size-fits-all, it’s about finding the right fit for everyone involved.

We understand that accidents happen, especially with curious toddlers around.

We follow a pretty common sense approach and first focus on prevention. If you see something that looks fragile please move it out of the way for your visit. For extra peace of mind we offer rental lightweight playpens, front-packs or child carrier backpacks. Please contact RockPool HQ if this is of interest.

If something does break and the item is low cost we ask that you replace or reimburse our community member directly, just like you would with extended family. If the item is of high value we will follow up with our insurance provider and share the excess cost with you.

The current business model is that the client pays us privately just like they were paying for a cleaner or gardener. RockPool collects a service fee to cover our operating costs and the rest goes to you. Once we have proven the model and our impact we would like to find ways to make the service accessible to all with external funding from the government or other entities.

There are three stages to applying:

1. A brief written application telling us more about yourself, your interest in joining our community, and what you’d bring to the community. You are also welcome to submit this as a voice note or video if writing isn’t your thing. This shouldn’t be taxing, it’s really about getting to know you as a person.

2. We then look to have a quick on-line catch-up.

3. The next step is an in-person catch up. Kiddos welcome.

3. Finally, we ask for contact details so we can do two reference checks and also information for a police check.

After joining our community, we’ll sign you up and work with you to understand your availability and interests. We’ll then get to work to find and match you with jobs.

Please note that joining our community does not guarantee jobs / payment (just like listing your house on airbnb doesn’t guarantee bookings). We will work hard to manage supply and demand and will only bring people on when we see a good opportunity to find matches.