You might be considering different options for your future career or be on the verge of changing your career completely. It is, of course, not an easy decision to make. Many factors need to be considered before you make your final decision.
Let’s talk about some of the benefits or find out what it is like to be a child care worker and gain a little bit of insight into the childcare industry.
You might not be aware that the government is heavily invested in this sector to support families to look after their young ones. As a result, employment in this sector has rapidly increased. This growth only means that there is going to be a greater need for more child care centres and most especially, more child care workers in the coming few years. The future is looking bright for all those who are planning to enter the child care workforce with the rise of job opportunities.
The child care industry is undeniably calling out to all those with a caring nature and who are interested in a child care career. Are you one of them?
If you are contemplating taking a career that is related to early education and/or taking care of small children, then you are on the right path! Being a child care worker offers endless possibilities to discover various roles based on your skills and qualifications. Are you aware of the rewards you can reap should you decide to follow this career path?
1. Job Availability On The Rise
The number of jobs currently available in the market will surprise you! Jobs available for graduates with a childcare certification has risen very strongly within the last five years and are continually expected to grow even more until November 2020. According to the Job Outlook website, it is reported that over the next five years to November 2019, the number of job openings for childcare workers is expected to be high (greater than 50,000). If you check the Job Outlook website and other job boards like Seek, GumTree, diyarbakır escort, Indeed, and LinkedIn, they will all show you a significant number of current job vacancies demanding childcare professionals. The opportunity to be employed and the chance to be part of this very important sector is now available for you to grab and take advantage of.
Source: Joboutlook.gov.au
2. Work Life Balance
If you are the kind of person who desires to have a great work life balance, then a childcare profession is the perfect option. Child care centres are usually open from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm on weekdays; some centres may open longer each day or operate during weekends. You will find child care workers typically do not need to work odd hours, late at night or even work in shifts. As you don’t need to think about working over weekends, you will still have the time to take your kids to weekend activities. Most importantly, you can have dinner with your family every night: most shift workers in other professions might need to skip one or two nights a week because of work.
Source: Joboutlook.gov.au
3. Salary Trends
Now here comes the most important question – “How much do child care workers in Australia earn?” According to PayScale, the national average income of child care workers is at $43,000 AUD per annum and the national hourly rate may range from $17 AUD to $25 AUD. Your pay may be higher or lower than these rates depending on the level of qualification you hold. If you hold a Certificate III in childcare, then you start from the lower bracket of wage. If you hold a Diploma in childcare, you may have a base wage a litter higher- depending on the level of the job role.
4. Career Growth
There are a lot of opportunities present within the child care sector: it only depends on how fast can you learn, train, and develop yourself into becoming someone who is capable of taking on a much bigger role.
Just some general child care roles are:
Float
Assistant
Room / group leader
Educational leader
Certified supervisor
Nominated supervisor
Family day care educator
Family day care coordinator
Outside school hours care (OSHC) coordinator
Assistant director
Director
Experienced professionals can also train to be in management level roles, like child care coordinators, centre managers, and even directors. Depending on the qualification you hold you will align which level role you can assume:
Certificate III level educator*
*The introduction of the Education and Care Services National Law (National Law) in 2012 brought in changes to qualification requirements for educators. Under the National Law, there are three classes of qualified staff – Certificate III level educators, Diploma level educators and early childhood teachers. These classes may not directly correlate with existing job titles and position descriptions in the sector.
In general, group leaders are likely to be Diploma level educators under the National Law, while assistants are likely to be Certificate III level educators. There are no direct equivalents for Directors who may hold any of the three classes of qualification or none, depending on their role within the service. Most are likely to be Diploma level educators.
The opportunities are endless and it is up to you on how far you will take your career in this extremely rewarding profession.
Depending on your employer, other benefits may include special discounts should you wish to enrol your child at their centre, bonuses and other pay schemes discussed with them. But the real reward of being a child care worker is actually knowing that you are able to play a very important role in caring for the well-being of a child and being a part of the most crucial part of their life. It is the chance to make a difference in a child’s life that makes this job so rewarding.
So now, are you ready to become a Child Care worker?
We hope that this blog provided some inspiration for you today. If you want to know more about how you can jumpstart your career in child care then you can easily log on to www.queensford.edu.au or call 1300 236 364 to speak to a career advisor.