male childcare workers - employment barriers?

[widdly]

I would LOVE it if DS had a male teacher at his kindy, his Dad isnt overly involved with him so for him to have a great positive caring male in his life would be wonderful

[meow]

Thank you for your encouraging post, meow.

I'm glad to hear that men are "snapped up" and "gloated about". I'm a tad skeptical about the extent to which that's true, as I've been to one interview for a CC traineeship about a month and a half ago, and I think I interviewed very well (but at that point I had only been volunteering at the primary school for 2 weeks), but I didn't get the job. I suppose there just must've been someone better, but your post makes it sound like they'll hire any male who walks in the door and doesn't reek of pedophile.

Anyway, thanks again for the encouraging words. I suppose we'll see exactly how true they are in due time. Is there anything I should know when I go to interview? I know the basic body language and behaviour etc. that you should have for all job interviews, but I'm wondering if there's any extra advice relating to childcare.

For example, should I wear a suit? I don't have one, and it seems like the kind of job where it wouldn't really matter.

Also, what should I say if they ask about changing nappies? I thought about it a lot and I came up with something like "Obviously it wouldn't be my first choice of job, but someone's gotta do it, and I'm prepared to learn". How does that sound?

What else should I know?

No, I wouldn't wear a suit. Smart casual is good for an interview- pants and a shirt/nice top. No jeans or t-shirts.

Be yourself. Show why you want to want to work with children. Think about what it is that has drawn you to this career (hint: a desire to work with children and advocate for their rights is preferable to wanting to play all day or avoid working with adults ).

If I was asked how I felt about changing nappies I would reply something like "I want to work with and care for children so nappy changes would just be part of the job. Changing nappies doesn't bother me at all". Which is true for me- really, they are no big deal at all. Plenty of industries deal with body fluids, at least you deal with less than nursing. But cleaning up poo, vomit and blood can come with the job and you need to be prepared for that. Honestly, starting by saying its not your first choice of job would perhaps ring some alarm bells as to how committed to you are to caring for children- or are you looking for a job where you can play all day? Because child care is NOT that. It's really busy and a great dealof time is spent on catering to children's basic needs.

I hope I haven't scared you off- just trying to help you reflect on the job and how you see it working for you so you can be prepared for future interviews.

The last centre I worked at was setting up from scratch and only 3 males were interviewed (for a large number of positions). They were all hired. They all had their merits and wouldn't have been hired had they not of course but I know the director made some concessions for lack of experience and hired them on personality, desire to work in the profession and because they were male. So I felt they were 'snapped up' in that sense but other females with no experience were hired based on similar criteria. The director could see the benefit of having extra males in the centre though so I would say she was swayed a little by their gender. Hiring to fill one position could be harder as they need to think about how you will match the current team. Have you looked into doing casual child care work? That can help as it is different to school aged care- where most men seem to end up.

[Dukonnaire]

No, I wouldn't wear a suit. Smart casual is good for an interview- pants and a shirt/nice top. No jeans or t-shirts.

Be yourself. Show why you want to want to work with children. Think about what it is that has drawn you to this career (hint: a desire to work with children and advocate for their rights is preferable to wanting to play all day or avoid working with adults ).

If I was asked how I felt about changing nappies I would reply something like "I want to work with and care for children so nappy changes would just be part of the job. Changing nappies doesn't bother me at all". Which is true for me- really, they are no big deal at all. Plenty of industries deal with body fluids, at least you deal with less than nursing. But cleaning up poo, vomit and blood can come with the job and you need to be prepared for that. Honestly, starting by saying its not your first choice of job would perhaps ring some alarm bells as to how committed to you are to caring for children- or are you looking for a job where you can play all day? Because child care is NOT that. It's really busy and a great dealof time is spent on catering to children's basic needs.

I hope I haven't scared you off- just trying to help you reflect on the job and how you see it working for you so you can be prepared for future interviews.

The last centre I worked at was setting up from scratch and only 3 males were interviewed (for a large number of positions). They were all hired. They all had their merits and wouldn't have been hired had they not of course but I know the director made some concessions for lack of experience and hired them on personality, desire to work in the profession and because they were male. So I felt they were 'snapped up' in that sense but other females with no experience were hired based on similar criteria. The director could see the benefit of having extra males in the centre though so I would say she was swayed a little by their gender. Hiring to fill one position could be harder as they need to think about how you will match the current team. Have you looked into doing casual child care work? That can help as it is different to school aged care- where most men seem to end up.

Okay, thanks for the clothing tip. That shouldn't be a problem.

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "advocate their rights". I don't think the government will be willing to let 4 year olds vote or marry any time soon.

You make it sound like nappies is probably not likely to arrise in coversation, but if it does, I'll know what to say and what NOT to say. Thank you.

About the "casual child care work": I don't know if the situation here is the same as where you live, but I don't think that untrained people can be employed on a casual basis in child care centres. There is a chance I could be accepted as a volunteer at my local preschool, but I haven't seen any indication that there's an alternative form of entry into the field other than a traineeship working towards the award of a Certificate III in Children's Services, or by attaining that qualification through more intensive formal training.

Thanks for your thoughtful reply; you've left me hanging off your words.

[Dukonnaire]

I would LOVE it if DS had a male teacher at his kindy, his Dad isnt overly involved with him so for him to have a great positive caring male in his life would be wonderful

Thanks for your reply. It's encouraging to know that there are many parents who would be happy for someone like me (male) to be caring for their kids.

[meow]

Advocating for children's rights is about more than allowing them to vote. Consider their rights to play, to be heard, to contribute to their community, to make choices relating to their relationships, daily routine etc. Becoming an early childhood professional entails becoming an advocate for children as you are in a position to empower them and allow them to be heard- by first remembering to listen to them yourself.

I started my career in Sydney working as an untrained assistant. I know the new legislation will be requiring all assistants to at least have a cert III so maybe that is alreay the case in NSW? It hasn't actually come into effect in Vic yet. You could try chatting to some recruitment agents- I found they were always really friendly and helpful. I loved Select Education when I was in Sydney but when I went to see them in Melbourne they were only dealing with ABC so I don't know if its the same in Sydney now too.

[Dukonnaire]

Thanks again for all your support, guys.

I've received my "Certificate III in Children's Services" package, which I'm doing by correspondence, and have started work on it. I've surprised myself by how committed I am to study and learning - I had huge troubles with motivation in high school, but I suppose that it's different when you're learning about something you're really passionate about.

I haven't received a call back from Leonay Preschool, and I've been telling myself that it's because I haven't actually had any experience in that exact setting, since the closest I'd ever had was early primary.

Another hypothesis I have, relating to my gender, would be that traineeships specifically would be difficult for males to get, because the general consensus I've read is that males don't last long in childcare, and that we males need to prove that we are committed to a career in childcare by actually going out and getting our qualifications independently.

Also, I'm thinking of applying to volunteer at Lapstone Preschool (a little more local than the one I previously applied for), and I might wave around my Cert III student's guide, which says that I should have 100 hours experience (which I suppose equates to about a fairly solid month)

Any thoughts on my various conclusions?

[Dukonnaire]

Just found these posts after googling myself this evening. I re-read them all and thought some of you might be interested in where I'm at 3 years later.

Thanks for all your support back in '10. I ended up applying for uni after learning of the STAT test as a means of entry. I'm now in my 3rd year of a 4 year Bachelor of Education (0-12 years) at Macquarie and even got a scholarship provided for people entering that degree with volunteer experience, offered for the first time in my first year. A perfect fit!

I often worry that I'll not be good enough, but as long as I can get a job, I'm pretty certain I'll develop rapidly into an adequate teacher. With any luck, I'll interview well enough to get that job and then hopefully they bare with me as I gain my bearings. I hope what was said about men being "snapped up" and "gloated about" is an actual possibility. But that's a while off yet; I've been forced to repeat a couple of subjects due to the consequences of lifelong problems with procrastination and motivation. It goes along with that condition called "intellectual giftedness" but which has been just as much of a curse for me. Long story, not for here. The point is I'm a fast learner in the real world; hopefully the gaps in my knowledge due to simply not doing work will be patched up quickly in the field.

Thanks again for your support 3 years ago. Hope all your dreams are coming true.

[JLeigh29]

So glad to hear that you decided to pursue teaching. We need more good male teachers for our precious children, and I'm certain that you'll fit that category. Don't worry that you still find study and motivation hard - teaching is a very different kettle of fish. I too found study difficult but once I got out there, seeing the difference I could make on a day to day basis was all the motivation I needed.
Take advantage of any mentoring experiences in your prac and once you start work as the best learning happens on the job. I found that if I asked, people would bend over backwards to help (including admin willing to help you with extra resources and time). If you can continue working in the class or school outside your prac times, you'll greatly improve our skills and employability too.
Good luck!

[Dukonnaire]

So glad to hear that you decided to pursue teaching. We need more good male teachers for our precious children, and I'm certain that you'll fit that category. Don't worry that you still find study and motivation hard - teaching is a very different kettle of fish. I too found study difficult but once I got out there, seeing the difference I could make on a day to day basis was all the motivation I needed.
Take advantage of any mentoring experiences in your prac and once you start work as the best learning happens on the job. I found that if I asked, people would bend over backwards to help (including admin willing to help you with extra resources and time). If you can continue working in the class or school outside your prac times, you'll greatly improve our skills and employability too.
Good luck!

Thanks for your encouraging words. If I can get the centre I do prac at to like me enough I'll surely ask to volunteer if they don't offer me a job.