Which roles hire people with no experience?
Most people start as an assistant: property management assistant, leasing assistant, sales assistant or receptionist at a busy office. These jobs cover the routine work, such as booking inspections, keying in maintenance requests, preparing leases, updating listings and answering the phones. You learn the trust account software, the tenancy forms and how the office runs. After 12 to 24 months, a capable assistant usually moves up to their own rent roll or into a sales associate seat.
Before you apply, ask whether the role needs a registration in your state. In NSW, anyone working as an assistant agent in real estate, strata or stock and station needs a certificate of registration. In Victoria and Queensland, salespeople and property managers who are not fully licensed work under an agent's representative or salesperson registration. Agencies hire people who already hold it more quickly, because they can start doing useful work on day one.
Applying: the cover note and the interview
Keep the cover note to half a page. Say which role you want, that you have finished (or enrolled in) the entry course, and give one concrete example of handling people under pressure. Hospitality, retail and call-centre work all count. Name the suburb and show you know the office's listings or rent roll size. Principals read dozens of these, so a note written for their agency stands out.
At interview, expect questions on how you would handle an angry tenant, a late rent payment or a landlord who wants a repair ignored. Answer calmly and procedurally: listen, document, follow the agreement and escalate to your supervisor. Ask who will supervise you, which software they use, how quickly new staff get their own portfolio and whether they pay for your next qualification. Their answers tell you a lot about the agency.
What a good first agency looks like
A good first employer pays you a proper wage, gives you a named licensed supervisor and has a written plan for your training. In NSW this matters more, because a certificate of registration lasts four years and cannot be renewed. You need an agency that will help you finish the qualifications for a Class 2 licence within that time. Look for low staff turnover, a manageable portfolio size for each property manager and clear procedures for trust money.
Mid-sized offices are often the best place to learn. They are big enough to have systems and a senior property manager to learn from, and small enough that you see the whole business. Franchise groups usually run structured induction programs. A one-person office can still work out, but only if the principal genuinely has time to supervise you.
Warning signs: unpaid work and commission-only offers
Under Fair Work rules, a short unpaid trial is lawful only to demonstrate job-relevant skills, under direct supervision, and for no longer than that takes. If you are asked to work a week for free, do real work or show your commitment without pay, you are likely an employee and must be paid. An unpaid internship is lawful only if it is a vocational placement required as part of a recognised course, or if there is no employment relationship. That usually means you are mostly observing rather than doing productive work, and the main benefit goes to you.
A commission-only offer to a beginner is a red flag. Under the Real Estate Industry Award, commission-only pay is limited to sales or commercial leasing staff at Level 2 or above. It cannot apply to casuals, part-timers or juniors. The employee must also have earned at least 125% of their award rate over 12 consecutive months within the previous three years. Someone with no track record cannot meet that test, so they are entitled to at least the award wage.
Pay
AUD a year, before tax. Award rows are the official full-time adult minimums in the Real Estate Industry Award 2020 from 1 July 2026. Junior rates are 60% of the adult rate under 19, 70% at 19 and 80% at 20. The typical figures are based on ABS Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, indexed to 2026. State figures are modelled. Refer to the Property Administration & Support salary guide for figures from live adverts.
What you need
- Entry registration courseComplete the state-prescribed units through a registered training organisation. In NSW the REINSW assistant agent course covers five units and is the first part of the Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice (CPP41419).
- Minimum ageYou must be at least 16 for a NSW certificate of registration and at least 18 to be a Victorian agent's representative or a Queensland salesperson.
- Fit and proper, or suitable, personSome fraud, dishonesty or violence convictions, and insolvency, can make you ineligible. Victoria's Business Licensing Authority can grant permission in some cases.
- Police check (Victoria)You must give your employer a police check. If the check is more than six months old, you also need a statutory declaration.
- Employment under a licenseeIn NSW, an assistant agent must be employed by a licence holder and supervised by a Class 1 licensee in charge. In Queensland, a registered salesperson can only work as an employee, not as a contractor.
- IdentificationHave certified ID and your training statement of attainment ready to attach to your application or to give your employer.
State by state
| New South Wales | You need a certificate of registration from NSW Fair Trading to work as an assistant agent. You must be 16 or older. The certificate lasts four years and cannot be renewed, so you must progress to a Class 2 licence within that time. |
|---|---|
| Victoria | A first-time agent's representative must be 18 or older and must have completed 18 units of the Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice (CPP41419) within the last five years. From 25 November 2026 you must register with the Business Licensing Authority and pay a fee, and annual CPD applies from 1 April 2027. |
| Queensland | You must be 18 or older, be a suitable person and complete the required CPP41419 units to register as a real estate salesperson. You can only work as an employee, and you must complete two approved CPD sessions each CPD year. |
How to get there
- Week 1Pick a laneDecide whether you want property management, leasing, sales or strata. Property management usually offers the steadiest salaried start.
- Weeks 1-8Complete the entry courseEnrol with a registered training organisation in your state and finish the units the regulator prescribes for your first registration.
- Month 2-3RegisterIn NSW, apply for your certificate of registration through Service NSW. In Victoria, from 25 November 2026 you apply for your own agent's representative registration with the Business Licensing Authority through a myCAV account and pay the registration fee. Your employer must be a licensed estate agent who supervises you. In Queensland, apply using Form 3-1.
- Month 2-4Land a paid assistant roleApply for property management, leasing or sales assistant jobs. Insist on at least the award wage and a named supervisor.
- Year 1-2Take on your own workMove to your own portfolio or a sales associate seat once you know the systems and the legislation.
- Year 1-4Upgrade your qualificationFinish the full Certificate IV units. In NSW, step up to a Class 2 licence before your four-year certificate expires.
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Questions people ask
Can I work in real estate before I finish any course?
Some reception and general admin jobs may not need a registration, but any role doing agency work does. In NSW you need a certificate of registration to work as an assistant agent. In Victoria and Queensland you need the prescribed Certificate IV units before you can work as an agent's representative or salesperson.
Is an unpaid trial week legal?
Usually not. Fair Work allows a short unpaid trial only while it shows job-relevant skills under direct supervision. Once you are doing real work or the trial runs longer than needed, you should be paid at least the minimum rate.
Can an agency hire me as a beginner on commission only?
No, not lawfully under the award. Commission-only pay needs a written agreement, Level 2 classification or higher, full-time status, and past earnings of at least 125% of the award rate over 12 consecutive months in the previous three years.
How much does the entry course cost?
It depends on the provider. In NSW, REINSW lists its online assistant agent course at $330 and its classroom or Zoom version at $390. Compare what each provider includes, such as trainer support and how long you have to finish.
Do I need to be 18 to start?
In NSW, you can hold a certificate of registration from 16. Victoria requires agent's representatives to be 18 or older, and Queensland requires the same for salespeople.
Is the NSW certificate of registration a long-term option?
No. It lasts four years and cannot be renewed. If you have not moved up to a Class 2 licence by then, you must stop working as an assistant agent and wait 12 months before you can apply for a new certificate.
Sources
- NSW Fair Trading: assistant agent certificate of registration
- Consumer Affairs Victoria: agents' representatives
- Consumer Affairs Victoria: myCAV and registration requirements for agents' representatives
- Consumer Affairs Victoria: new education rules for agents and agents' representatives
- Queensland Government: register as a real estate salesperson
- Business.gov.au ABLIS: real estate salesperson registration, Queensland
- Fair Work Ombudsman: unpaid work
- Fair Work Ombudsman: unpaid work fact sheet
- Fair Work Ombudsman: Real Estate Industry Award 2020 (MA000106)
- REINSW: certificate of registration courses
