My Career: Scoring goals for work-life balance
InLife assistant Rick Trezise ran his own indoors sports centre for many years before becoming a disability support worker.
As a small business owner, Rick Trezise was never able to switch off, but a career change to support work helped him achieve some work-life balance.
Rick had worked in the indoor sports industry for more than 30 years and ran his own centre for 20 of those years.
He loved sports and also took up coaching an indoor cricket team for people with an intellectual disability about 10 years ago.
“That got me interested (in the sector) and I ended up with a couple of mates with an intellectual disability,” he said.
Rick felt that after such a long period of time working in the same industry he was ready for a change.
“I sold my business and I started doing a (disability) course one day a week,” he said.
On the side, Rick was driving Ubers and was transporting a woman who suggested he join the support service she accessed.
“I started working while doing the course and moved across straight-away,” he said.
After adding the role of Santa to his CV (he had suited-up up for family events for years but made it official for a season), Rick joined InLife at the start of 2021.
He has since been able to juggle shifts with his outside interests.
“I think it allows you to have a life outside of work, I have been able to pick and choose shifts and pick when I can work,” he said.
“I coach a women’s baseball team and my grandson's basketball team.
“It’s (support work) come along at the right time, it gives me that flexibility.”
As for the job itself, Rick describes himself as “really lucky” to have been matched with a client he gets on with so well.
“To me it’s like hanging out as a couple of mates,” he said.
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