Are you searching for a fulfilling childcare job in Australia? Look no further than The Sector Jobs, the exclusive job board for the early learning and child care sector.
Connect with a diverse range of opportunities in long day care, outside school hours care, family day care, kindergartens, and pre-schools.
Working in the childcare sector is becoming an increasingly sought after career as recognition of the essential service childcare jobs provide to the community continues to rise.
Childcare professionals play a vital role in nurturing and supporting children’s growth, ensuring their safety, and fostering their development in an environment filled with joy, learning, and exploration.
Demand for childcare jobs, both teachers and educators, is strong with excellent prospects for early learning and childcare professionals.
Long day care, also known as LDC, is the leading employee for childcare jobs in Australia with over 8,500 centres currently operating. LDC’s can be run independently or by large groups. They cater for children as young as 3 months old in some cases up to the year before school. Teachers and educators are responsible for the education and childcare of the children. They often cater for trainees and work experience too.
In family day care, children are cared for in the homes of registered and qualified educators, providing a more home-like environment. It offers flexible and personalised care options, making it popular among parents. This form of childcare job allows professionals to make a significant impact on children’s development while enjoying the benefits of a home-based work environment.
Outside school hours care, also known as OSHC, is a form of childcare that caters to the needs of school-aged children outside regular school hours. It includes before-school care, after-school care, and vacation care programs. Working in OSHC allows individuals to contribute to the educational and recreational needs of children, making a positive impact on their lives and supporting working families.
Preschool, also referred to as kindergarten, is an early childhood education setting designed for children before they enter formal schooling. Their curriculum focuses on school readiness and is usually led by early childhood teachers and supported by educators. They have open and close times aligned with school systems, and unlike LDC and FDC, have holidays that are the same as schools too.
The Certificate III is the entry level qualification for childcare jobs providing foundational knowledge and skills for working in the childcare sector. It covers topics like child development, health and safety, supporting children’s play and learning, and working in a team. Certificate III holders usually work as assistant educators under the supervision of higher-level professionals.
The Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care is a more advanced qualification for childcare jobs. It builds upon the knowledge gained in the Certificate III and delves deeper into early childhood development, curriculum planning, assessment, and leadership in early childhood settings. Diploma holders are qualified to work as lead educators or room leaders.
A Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) is a comprehensive undergraduate degree program that focuses specifically on early childhood. It equips individuals with the ability to create developmentally appropriate learning experiences, design curriculum, implement effective teaching strategies, assess children’s progress, and support overall growth and development.
The most common qualification for OSHC is the Certificate IV in School Age Education and Care. It focuses on the needs and developmental stages of school-aged children. It covers topics such as child development, programming and planning, behaviour management, health and safety, and supporting children’s social and emotional well-being in the OSHC context.
Pay rates for childcare jobs are determined by Fair Work in the Modern Award, although in some cases providers do offer above award wages.
Based on the Modern Award a Certificate III qualified educator could receive between $21 to $26 per hour and a Diploma qualified educator between $27 to $36 depending on their experience.
Additional allowances, such as the education leader allowance, are available for educators performing higher duties.
Qualified teachers can expect to receive salaries between $35 to $45 an hour, sometimes more in remote regions where demand is strong.
There are a handful of childcare jobs dedicated websites that provide job seekers with a high quality platform and access to the best employers in the sector. An example of this is The Sector Jobs which is part of the childcare sector’s most popular and visited news website The Sector – Early Education News.
If you are looking for work in the early childhood education and childcare sector a great place to start is looking around your local community. There will always be long day care centres, preschools and kindergartens as well as family day care and OSHC services on your doorstep. Don’t be afraid to knock and see if they are looking for new team members.
Your TAFE, RTO or University will be well positioned to give you a list of contacts to secure childcare jobs placements and potentially more permanent roles too at an early childhood education and childcare service near where you live. Don’t underestimate the importance of their reach, they can really help.
Your own networks of friends and families – We all know someone who knows someone who works in the ECEC space. Use your networks to reach out to people who have childcare jobs and may be able to get you an introduction to a centre or group with childcare jobs vacancies looking for top quality educators.
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