Healthcare · Career Atlas · Ireland

You're a carer. Here's where you could be in five years.

Ireland's home and community care sector employs over 35,000 people, delivers 26.7 million home support hours, and is about to be transformed by mandatory HIQA registration under the Health (Amendment) (Home Support Providers) Bill 2025. The progression routes have never been clearer. Diamond Bridge maps every role above you — what it pays, who's hiring, and how to get there.

TIER ii.

Care Coordinator

€32k – €48k
Most under-supplied role in Irish care.
TIER iv.

Registered Manager

€55k – €80k
HIQA-named statutory leader.
TIER vi.

Care Business Owner

€80k – €200k+
Owner draw at scale.
The Irish care sector — at a glance
35,000+
People employed
26.7m
Home support hours · 2026
8,000+
Unfilled care roles
6
Career tiers · 24 roles
The Healthcare Career Atlas

Six tiers. Twenty-four roles. Every step mapped.

Most carers never see what's above them. The sector is opaque from the inside — you know your shift, your clients, your coordinator. You don't know what a Quality Officer earns, who a Registered Manager reports to, or how someone goes from HCA to running their own service. This atlas changes that.

Who's hiring

Four employer types. Every one of them is recruiting.

The Irish care sector has four distinct employer categories, each with different pay structures, governance models, and progression cultures. The same coordinator role can pay very differently depending on which type employs you. Diamond Bridge helps you read the market.

i.

National private chains

  • Home Instead
  • Comfort Keepers
  • Bluebird Care
  • Caremark Ireland
  • Servisource
Strongest internal promotion structures and trainee coordinator programmes.
ii.

HSE direct services

  • HSE Home Support teams across six health regions
  • Community Nursing Units
  • HSE-run residential settings
  • Community Hospitals
Recruited via Public Appointments Service (publicjobs.ie). Strong pay scales, pension-secure.
iii.

Section 39 voluntary

  • ALONE
  • Western Care Association
  • Cheshire Ireland
  • Regional voluntary providers
Section 39 Pay Restoration Agreement — 8% restoration across two phases through 2024–2025.
iv.

Nursing home groups

  • BeeCare
  • FirstCare
  • Mowlam Healthcare
  • Brindley Healthcare
  • Virtue Group
Strongest progression routes for HCAs into supervisory and Person in Charge roles.
1:1 Mentor matching

A mentor who's already at the next tier.

Every learner is matched with a working Irish care coordinator, Registered Manager, or care business owner. Many of them came to Ireland the way you did. They've sat in the interview you're about to sit. They know which providers actually promote from within — and which ones don't.

Mentor relationships continue beyond the eight weeks. The bridge isn't a single crossing — it's a network you keep.

A MENTOR
"I came from Manila in 2019 as a carer. I'm a Registered Manager now. I'll show you the three biggest mistakes I made — so you don't make them."
— Maria, Registered Manager, Dublin
A MENTOR
"My family business started with two clients. Today we have forty-three. HIQA registration is coming — let's get you ready to either join one or start your own."
— Chioma, Care Business Owner, Cork
A MENTOR
"I went from HCA to Service Manager in four years. The employer mindset shift is the part nobody teaches. I'll teach it."
— Patrick, Service Manager, Galway
How we get you there

The crossing is eight weeks long.

Diamond Bridge runs an eight-week guided programme that takes you from carer to coordinator-ready. Each week is one hour of live class, one practical task, and one piece of evidence you add to your portfolio. The Guide tier extends a further four weeks with the opportunity for real work experience.

The programme is the vehicle. The opportunities above are the destination.

Apply for the first crossing →
Live classes
8 weeks · 1 hour each
Mentor matching
1:1, named, ongoing
Cohort size
12 – 25 learners
Certification
Mapped to QQI Level 6
Apply for the first crossing

Your next tier is closer than you think.

Three steps. Fifteen minutes. We respond within 48 hours with your cohort options, route, mentor match, and any subsidy you qualify for.

i.

Tell us about your current role

Your employer, time in care, current QQI level, and which tier you'd most like to reach.

ii.

We match you to a cohort and a mentor

Mentor matched to your background and your destination tier — never generic.

iii.

Begin Week 1

Onboarding, mentor introduction, and the sector self-audit that anchors the crossing.

Start your application

We'll be in touch within 48 hours.

By submitting, you agree to be contacted by Diamond Bridge about your application. We never share your details.

Thank you

Your application has been received. We'll be in touch within 48 hours with your cohort options and mentor match.