SA citizens encouraged to ‘take a shot’ at a career change and move to early learning

South Australians are being encouraged to move into a new career, and to take advantage of the jobs which will be created as a result of three year old preschool rolling out in 2025, In Daily has shared. 

 

Current South Australian residents studying an approved early childhood diploma or an early childhood birth to 5 bachelors or master’s degree may be eligible for financial support of up $25,000. 

 

They must be starting or have received an offer for their course and be an Australian or New Zealand citizen. Additional funding is available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to work in the sector and for eligible people living in regional and remote areas.

 

Julia Hainsworth is one of the many South Australians who have done just that, fulfilling her lifelong desire to study teaching. 

 

Despite holding this ambition since high school, her dream had proved elusive until now. 

 

“Obviously, life gets in the way – you have a family and need to pay the mortgage and that sort of thing – so it didn’t seem potentially like an option for me,” she said. 

 

“When I had my children, that really sparked my curiosity about being a teacher some more, because of their experiences at school. I can see how important those foundational years actually are for children, particularly in setting them up as learners.”

 

In July she enrolled in a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (B-5 years), after successfully applying for financial support through the state government, something she said was “a big motivator” in returning to study. 

 

The financial support will be paid each year during the course and for the first two years after as she launches her teaching career.

 

She is one of a new cohort of teachers and educators needed as the state government invests in 15 hours of preschool a week for all 3-year-olds, which will be rolled out in stages from 2026 to 2032.

 

“I think at 43 you have that one shot to make a good career change, to retrain, and I really wanted it to mean something,” she said.

 

Flexible study options

 

Amanda Holocek currently lives in the regional community of Pinnaroo in the state’s south-east and works in a local preschool. 

 

For the past four years, she has been studying part-time online at Charles Darwin University (CDU) and will complete her Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood Teaching in 2026.

 

Her husband Ben is a primary school teacher and works in South Australia’s public school system. While the pair were living in  Ceduna, she completed a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care and worked at the town’s Ngura Yadurirn Children and Family Centre.

 

“Once I started studying, I realised how important early childhood is and that the development in those early years is just so huge – it actually impacts your whole life,” she said.

 

Her colleagues, qualified teachers, encouraged her to take the next step and get her bachelors’ degree.

 

Studying online has given her flexibility to fit study in around parenting and work. It has also enabled her to have a seamless study experience when the couple moved for work to Pinnaroo, then to Cowell and back to Pinnaroo.

 

Having lived in small communities, she knows firsthand how hard it is to attract and retain quality teachers, and she is determined to be part of the solution.

 

“I have three kindies within half an hour of where I live and there’s never enough teachers to fill the positions,” she said.

 

She has ambitions to eventually take on a leadership role and possibly do further study, knowing the sector offers her a flexible career path.

 

“I don’t want to change careers, I do love this job,” she said.

 

“There are so many different areas of education, even in early childhood, such as inclusion and wellbeing, and there is so much that I would be really interested in learning more about.”

 

Having three neurodiverse children inspires her work, and has been a determining factor in choosing a career in ECEC.

 

“The more knowledge we develop around early childhood and the importance of those foundations, the more we can support neurodiverse children going into school,” she said.

 

She said she looks forward to being an impactful teacher and advocating for children’s early years.

 

Learn more about a career in early childhood education in SA here.

 

Julie and Amanda’s stories were shared in In Daily. Find them in their original format here.