Childcareworkers in Oz .

LolaC

Anyone working in childcare or as a nanny from Australia here who could offer advice ?

I am a Montessori Teacher but i have worked with young children /babies also . I just wondered how easy or difficult it is to obtain childcare work in Oz and is there any paper work etc ..that they looked for that you had not prepared ?

Im thinking first aid certs and police checks and manual handling etc ...

Also how likely are the employers to take on a childworker on the WHV ? I would like to be sponsored but i know that is not my decision.

I have a friend working in Melbourne who is working in childcare and has been told they will be sponsoring her to stay on but im not sure how common that is or if she just got lucky or made a good impression etc .

I hope to move to Brisbane .

Thanks .

karl bracken

You should ask your mate what paper work she required i imagine its pretty similar in all states.

Maybe give a few creches a call over here i know there is a serious shortage and you have to get your kids name on the list a min of 6 months before there born and they cost between 100-130 a day so i imagine wages would be decent (Sydney prices)

Zambia

Not in Victoria ... booked my lad in a few months before he went in.

karl bracken

Babys due next week were on 4 waiting lists and no one can give me a straight answer if they will have a place!

LolaC

Karl , congrats on the new baby , i hope everything goes well . sorry to hear your having such problems with childcare .

I did read somewhere that there was/is a shortage of places and qualified staff.

I did ask my friend ( who works in Melbourne ) and she said she just has her childcare cert and that was it . She gets 25 dollars an hour which is a big difference from our wages in childcare back in Ireland ( 9 euro an hour ) i dont know after tax what her bring home pay is.

I plan on re doing my first aid before i head over and manual handling , i have a level 5 and 6 fetac cert in Special needs assisting and a Montessori qualification so im hoping i will get something .

christmas2012

Im thinking of going over to Oz myself as work here is still short,unless you count jobbridge free slave labour as a 'job'(job blocker)and after the referendum it will probably get worse dont know really hope it picks up but looks unlikely..

annacanna

would doing a four year early childhood care and education degree qualify me for pre-primary teacher does anyone know??

LolaC

christmas 2012 - i know the feeling , i kinda feel im being forced out as really i dont have an option anymore , i have just returned from working in childcare in Malta for 6 months but with low wages and high cost of living i could not afford to stay there anymore .

I wish some friends wanted to go to Oz aswell but they dont as they are either working or have partners .

Ana - pre primary meaning a pre school teacher ?...my friend in Melbourne is working as pre school teacher and she just completed the childcare course with Fetac .

annacanna

Early Childhood (Pre-Primary School) Teacher

(taken from the skilled occupation list)

i had a fetac level 5 in childcare and have applied for early childhood care and education degree as i think i read that an early childhood teacher requires a 4 year degree and its different from a childcare worker. is your friend on a whv?

im confused now!

LolaC

Im not sure what a pre primary school teacher is , i was assuming a pre school teacher with children aged 3-4 years who attend a creche and then go on to Montessori school before starting school aged 5 here in Ireland .

Yes she is on the WHV , maybe in Oz a pre primary teacher is something different like a kindergarten teacher in America .......

As far as i know a kindergarten teacher in America needs a degree so maybe it is the same in Australia .

annacanna

ya i think it must be. its difficult to find out if the degree im starting will qualify me for this role

ellaq

You can work in childcare centres as a pre-school teacher. Schooling is not compulsory here until Year 1 and many childcare centres offer an alternative to primary schools for the early years. However, you cannot usually use a childcare degree in early schooling to teach kindy or pre-primary in a primary school, that is normally a bachelor of education.

Pugins

You would need a working with children card as well I presume.

Lots of my friends have nannies/part time nannies who work in the child's home and earn $20-25 per hour.

annacanna

i just assumed i would be qualified to be an early chilhood teaher as im doing a degree in "early childhood care and education" oh well.....

actually another question for ye. to be sponsered does your job need to be on d sol list? e.g. can a nanny or childcare worker be sponsered by an employer even thought its not on the list?

claudscloe

hi i am planning on doing the same. i have level 6 in childcare and cannot get a job here, my boyfriend has been offered a job in sydney so were heading off. have you learned anymore about what childcare they recognise there? why would you need manual handeling? and do you think it is necessary for me to get that? any help would be greatful thanks