Career in childcare

Below are 7 of the many reasons you should consider a career in childcare:

1. You’ll teach children skills they’ll use for life
2. It’s much more than just a job – it’s a very rewarding and satisfying career
3. Job security – parents will always need childcare and there is so much variety and excellent career progression opportunities 
4. No two days are ever the same, you’ll never be bored or stuck behind a desk
5. You’ll spend time outdoors on adventures with the children
6. You’ll have a positive impact on the children you work with, inspiring awe and wonder
7. You’ll get paid to play all day!

You also get the chance to #DoSomethingBig and work with small children:

Early Years Careers (GOV.UK) is a website where you can access lots of useful information, including:

• What it's like to work in early years
• Real stories
• Training and qualifications required

In England, less than 3% of the early years workforce is male (DFE Survey of Childcare and Early Years Providers 2018). 

Is your early years provision equipped and prepared to recruit and retain male practitioners? 

• How well do you support the men in your facility to ensure they are sufficiently protected to stay in their role? 
• When advertising for staff, does your advert and marketing material appeal to both genders? 
• Are staff attitudes to male practitioners ‘female-centric’ or gender neutral? 

Managers who are successfully recruiting and retaining male practitioners state that images of their male practitioners are prominently displayed in the setting. Parents are informed that at this setting we are very lucky to employ male practitioners who undertake all the same duties as female practitioners (including nappy changing and toileting).

These managers do not stereotype male practitioners into undertaking specific activities such as football, instead they deploy staff according to their skill set, as they would female practitioners. They are acutely aware of the importance of children seeing and experiencing both genders in all types of role; caring, nurturing and the outdoors. These managers support their male practitioners and confidently articulate to parents that staff duties cannot be assigned or limited due to the gender of staff, gender discrimination is not acceptable.

We are keen to have more men working in childcare across Leicestershire. Please watch our Men in Childcare video to see what a great contribution two men are making in their Leicestershire childcare careers.

Take a look at the sample advert below for an honest view on working in childcare:

There's many different types of childcare provision and some of these are shown in the document below:

Or are you considering opening your own childcare business in Leicestershire? Take a look at our information about Becoming a Childcare Provider.

Or are you considering Becoming a Childminder in Leicestershire?

Take a look at our Professional qualifications web page for information about the different qualifications and where you can access them.

Examples of typical roles undertaken by practitioners at varying qualification levels:

Becoming a volunteer is an excellent way to gain experience working with children and families and explore the role – it will also provide you with up to date experience of working with children for your CV.

You could contact your local setting directly to see if work experience is possible, or explore organisations within the Leicestershire area who are always looking for new volunteers to support their teams.

Family Hubs Leicestershire have a fantastic suite of resources which will support you to find the right volunteering opportunity for you!

If you're over 19 years of age and meet the eligibility criteria, skills bootcamps have been developed in a wide range of sectors to provide the opportunity to train in a new industry or progress your career. They help you develop the skills that employers are looking for, while being flexible  to you can work your learning around other commitments.

The 16 week course may include face to face or online teaching around the following areas: 

• enable you to understand what it is like to work in the childcare sector
• support the development of transferable skills such as effective communication and teamworking
• knowledge of Child Development and Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum
• how to observe and plan activities for children
• consider Health and Safety requirements including Basic First Aid
• promote Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
• safeguarding
• support you with a DBS application
• provide opportunity to upskill in English and Maths qualifications (if required)

At the end of the course you will have the opportunity to:

• gain real life work experience in a suitable setting
• receive an interview with an Early Years Provider

On successful completion of the course you'll then have the opportunity to:

• gain employment
• progress to a level 3 apprenticeship
• progress in your current job
• find a new business opportunity if you’re self employed

To find out more through Skills for Careers. 

You may also find the National Careers Service useful to find a course with a college or training provider local to you.

Within Leicestershire there are a number of providers actively offering Skills Bootcamps where you can begin your career in early years:

You could also undertake a Level 1 qualification: an introduction to Early Years Settings

It's vital that all practitioners working in the early years sector attain recognised qualifications and certified courses when working with children. This is to make sure that all children are provided with high levels of care and education which meets Ofsted requirements – see current career qualifications and information

If you're starting your childcare career journey – please make sure you view the list of universities, colleges and local training providers

You can explore education, teaching, and childcare apprenticeships and decide if this is the career journey for you. UCAS has a wealth of information including a dedicated section for child and early years practitioners. You can explore the transferable skills required and further career paths available once a Level 3 Apprenticeship is achieved.

If you're looking to return to the workforce, please make sure you review the Department for Education early years qualification list

For any help or support please email eytraining@leics.gov.uk

There's a wealth of training and continuous professional development opportunities provided through Leicestershire County Council. This is circulated by email to all Leicestershire providers, and is available to book on our Early years Eventbrite page. 

The most recent circulation can also be viewed below: