male childcare workers - employment barriers?

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.

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?

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. :)

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!

:

---

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. :)