Any early childhood teachers out there?

[meow]

The salary is pretty poor but there are niggles to get ECTs paid the same as school teachers so surely in 8 years time...

Teaching you can pretty much work in a child care centre or kindergarten. If your degree covers 0-8 year olds you can also teach the first few years of primary school. Non-teaching there are jobs in early childhood management such as long day care directors or accreditation supervisors.

The industry is changing a lot with so many working families and sessional kindergartens may phase out in favour of long day care. Which I find utterly depressing but if you're happy to work in long day care then that's okay. Some teachers in long day (I've noticed in Melbourne) are able to negotiate the same work conditions as kindergarten teachers, so they have less contact teaching hours and school holidays off.

[Emma09]

Thanks so much ladies!
Through helpful google- I have found a bachelor of education (early childhood learning and primary school) - you can teach 0-12 years old. Perfect for me! But the link is broken

Thanks again!

[MrsFabuloso]

Teaching you can pretty much work in a child care centre or kindergarten. If your degree covers 0-8 year olds you can also teach the first few years of primary school. Non-teaching there are jobs in early childhood management such as long day care directors or accreditation supervisors.

That depends on the degree she is studying. My degree is only for teaching 0-5's.

You can also do an adult teaching course as extra and be a tafe/college teacher.

[Emma09]

:-( can't do the 0-12 years degree externally :-(
So disappointing!

I would LOVE to be a kindergarten teacher- but I fear there may not be many positions available for reasons some PP's have mentioned.
If that is the case, and I end up working in a childcare centre, not my first preference due to long hours and poor pay, then I may as well have just done a Diploma in children's services IYKWIM?

[meow]

You do get more pay and better conditions as a teacher compared to a diploma in long day care. Teachers are on a different award so you're entitled to more planning hours which is good... and like I said you can often negotiate extra holidays.

[KimmyF]

Emma09 as of next year (I think) all LDC centres in Vic have to employ someone with a Bachelor qualification for a minimum of 20 hours a week, now I know in regional Vic there will not be enough people with the qual to go around. Also from 2013 (if it all stays the same) all Vic kindergartens will have to offer 15hours of funded kindergarten a week for 4 year old kinder, this means that where one kinder teacher has taught two groups of children for kinder they wont be able to anymore as there will be too many preparation hours and contact hours for their working week. So my point is there will be heaps of work in the next few years for kinder teachers, and a lot of it may be part time. The 15 hours is necesarily definate at this stage but having a bachelor qualified person in all LDC centres is. Good luck

Edit - just wanted to clarify that all of the above only applies in Victoria

[MrsFabuloso]

:-( can't do the 0-12 years degree externally :-(
So disappointing!

I would LOVE to be a kindergarten teacher- but I fear there may not be many positions available for reasons some PP's have mentioned.
If that is the case, and I end up working in a childcare centre, not my first preference due to long hours and poor pay, then I may as well have just done a Diploma in children's services IYKWIM?

You can, but you have to do the 0-5yrs one first. I did and will be trying to get into the primary teaching one for next yr.

[Amaunet]

There are 0-8 quals around. B.Teach is offered by distance at UNE in NSW. If you are employed in a school (in NSW) you may find that while you are initially employed to teach infants (kinder to year 2) you are actually "allowed" to teach in the Primary classes. The earning potential in schools is much higher than in preschool/daycare setting and I honestly can't see it changing, as how will the centers afford it?

[Emma09]

You can, but you have to do the 0-5yrs one first. I did and will be trying to get into the primary teaching one for next yr.

Just on this- how many years extra study is it to add to your qualifications?

[snikkers1]

Wages for Early childhood Teachers in LDC etc can vary depending on whether it is private owned, community based or even council run as I know council run centres are under a different award so wages are higher (this is in NSW anyway, I am not sure about other states). Also with the changes coming in with the regulations ECT's will be in higher demand so you may find that wages etc may change as they may need to offer better incentives for people to stay in EC instead of moving to primary school.

Employment wise you can get positions at LDC centres on the floor with children or as a Director/manager of a centre, there are some other positions that you can obtain with this degree also such as co-ordinating for Family day care or positions with other agencies that involve work and contact with children.

Good luck with deciding what to study.

[MrsFabuloso]

A thought just occured to me that you have to have your Diploma to study the Bach Ed. 0-5's externally. Do you have that? I think I read that you didn't.....