Childcare careers involve taking care of young children and their needs. This important career field has many branching job paths. The 7 most popular childcare careers are:
- Early Childhood Educators (ECE)
- Childcare Worker (Daycare workers)
- Daycare Centre Manager
- Teacher’s Aide
- Au Pair
- Babysitter
- Nanny
Early Childhood Educators (ECE)
Early Childhood Educators work to create and implement different educational programs for young children. Their main goal is to identify children’s needs in all aspects of their development and ensure that these needs are met.
Role & Responsibilities
Most roles and responsibilities for this position will depend on the institution that you are working at. Some important roles of an Early Childhood Educare include:
- Creating stimulating lesson plans to aid the mental development of young children
- Leading children through daily activities to improve sociality, education, and motor development
- Monitoring the behaviour of children
- Encouraging good behaviour whilst addressing and discouraging negative behaviour
- Engaging with children to create positive bonds
- Make sure children enjoy learning new things
- Keeping classrooms hygienic and entertaining to ensure the safety of children whilst making sure they have fun in their environment
- Ensuring clear communication with parents
Will This Career Suit Me?
If you are interested in following this career path, having the following skills will make you a good candidate for this career:
- Communication skills: You must be able to effectively communicate with both children and adults. Children often express themselves in non-verbal ways, so you should be perceptive to how the child chooses to communicate as well
- Sensitivity and empathy: Children have many needs, and they often cannot tell you what they want because they are not sure of themselves. As an Early Childhood Educator, you must be prepared to spend time with the children and help them to determine what they need
- Stamina: Taking care of children involves lots of standing, running, bending, and even crawling. You must be able to keep up with their seemingly endless energy
- Patience: Working with children requires patience. They might throw tantrums, refuse to do certain tasks, or become scared easily – it takes patience to handle each of these situations to ensure a happy child
- Leadership skills: Within a group of young children, you must take on the role of a responsible leader. Children also learn by example, so it is important to demonstrate good leadership skills for them to learn from
Expected Salary
The average yearly pay for an Early Childhood Educator (ECE) is around R 72 000.
Childcare Worker (Daycare Workers)
Childcare Workers have to maintain a safe environment for young children that keeps them stimulated.
Role & Responsibilities
Some of the roles and responsibilities of a Childcare Worker include the following:
- Implementing creative and educational activities and environments
- Preparing meals and snacks for children
- Keeping play areas clean and tidy by sterilizing toys and environments
- Monitoring children’s (emotional and physical) health and development
- Communicating with parents to ensure that their children learn and maintain appropriate behaviour
- Keeping a record of children and their development, assessing which areas they need to improve upon, and determining how to do so
Will This Career Suit Me?
If you have the following personality traits will make you a good candidate for this career path:
- Communication skills: Talking to parents about potential concerns for their child’s health, behaviour, and development can be challenging. Childcare workers need to be excellent at discussing these aspects in a sensitive and educational manner
- Attentive: Children can have a complex way of expressing themselves. Changes in moods, temper, behaviour, and communication could indicate emotional or developmental issues. Paying attention to each child will make it easy to identify changes in behaviour
- Understanding childhood behaviour: This is a critical part of making sure that children are developing in line with their age group and promoting activities to combat developmental delays
- Cleanliness: Keeping toys and playing areas clean is essential for the health of young children. Children can be quite messy, and ensuring a clean environment will promote their physical health. Encouraging them to wash their hands regularly is an example of the practices you must help to implement as a Childcare worker
Expected Salary
As a Childcare worker, you can expect to earn an average monthly salary between R 23 000 and R 36 600.
Childcare Centre Manager
Child Care Centre Managers are expected to direct the staff within a childcare centre. They will also play a part in the coordination of staff and activities.
Role & Responsibilities
Roles and responsibilities of a Childcare Centre Manager can include the following:
- Supervising staff members and their daily activities
- Developing programmes that promote the physical, social, mental, and emotional development of young children
- Creating and implementing rules to promote good behaviour
- Ensuring the safety of children
- Bookkeeping and other administrative duties
- Handling Human Resources within the company
Will This Career Suit Me?
The following personality traits will be beneficial for someone who works as a Childcare Centre Manager:
- Flexibility: As a Childcare Centre Manager you will have to be ready to do many different duties within the environment. You will have to keep everything running smoothly which will often require you to take on a handful of different tasks
- Good management skills: Managing a daycare centre requires good planning, communication, problem-solving, and motivational skills
- An eye for improvement: Evaluating systems that are in place and doing the necessary research to implement improvements to these systems is a key trait in managing an institution
- A passion for working with children: Managing a childcare institution will only be ideal if you genuinely have a passion for working with children. Keeping their well-being your ultimate goal should be a given
Expected Salary
Childcare Centre Managers can earn anything from R 23 400 to around R 53 300 per month.
Teacher’s Aide
A Teacher’s Aide is not a qualified teacher but rather assists teachers within a classroom setting.
Role & Responsibilities
Some common roles and responsibilities of a Teacher’s Aide include:
- Supporting the teacher to keep the environment safe and stimulation for children
- Helping teachers to plan lessons
- Helping to create activity sheets and other handouts
- Helping teachers with storytelling
- Reinforcing learning concepts
- Provide extra supervision
Will This Career Suit Me?
The following personality traits are good for becoming a Teacher’s Aide:
- Communication skills: There are many times where a Teacher’s Aide will have to communicate with parents when teachers are busy. Alternatively, you will have to take care of children while the teacher is communicating with parents
- Creativity: This is an especially important trait for a Teacher’s Aide as they are expected to help with presenting lessons, keeping children engaged, and creating activity sheets
- Supportive: Not only should a Teacher’s Aid support the classroom teacher but they should also encourage learners – often on a more individual level
- Helpful: Being helpful as a Teacher’s Aide goes without saying. You will have to be prepared to assist a teacher in any aspect of the job they require
Expected Salary
The average yearly salary for a Teacher’s Aide ranges between R 48 470 and R 117 000.
Au Pair
The main responsibility of an Au Pair is to take care of children and play with them, usually while living with a host family.
Role & Responsibilities
Some basic duties of an Au Pair may include:
- Waking children up
- Getting children dressed
- Transporting the children to and from responsibilities
- Playing with the children
- Keeping rooms and play areas tidy
- Meal preparation
Will This Career Suit Me?
Some personality traits of a good Au Pair include:
- Communication skills: Communication with your host family is very important. The important thing to remember as an Au Pair is that if you are uncertain you can just ask the family. Honest and clear communication is key
- Taking initiative: Working when you have some free time, getting things ready for later, or simply doing tasks ahead of time will be beneficial. You and the host family will likely be kept busy, so doing things without being asked every time will be very helpful
- Attentive: If you notice any changes in a child’s behaviour, see that some household chores can be done more efficiently, or see clashes in schedules it can only help to communicate this. Similarly, you need to pay attention to how this new family does things and fit into their environment accordingly
Expected Salary
The average monthly salary for an Au Pair ranges between R 8 000 and R 12 000 depending on their host family, family benefits, and their expectations.
Babysitter Or Nanny
Babysitters or Nannies take care of children’s needs at times when their parents are unable to do so.
Role & Responsibilities
Some general roles and responsibilities of a Babysitter or Nanny include:
- Caring to children inside and outside the home
- Preparing meals and snacks
- Keeping children’s areas clean and tidy
- Dressing children
- Playing with children
Will This Career Suit Me?
As a Babysitter, you should have the following personality traits:
- Playful: A good imagination is always good when you are working with children. Being playful will make it easy to keep children entertained and have fun with them
- Dependable: Parents will look for a Babysitter because they need someone to take care of their children responsibly. Being dependable makes you trustworthy and an excellent candidate for babysitting children
- Flexibility: You will often be expected to help out with random tasks at random times. They might request that you work early mornings, late at night, or even on weekends
Expected Salary
As a Babysitter, you could earn a monthly salary of R 13 600 to R 21 700.
Childcare Courses
Bellview Institute of Distance Learning offers the following Educare courses:
- Educare: NATED N4 National Certificate (NQF Level 5) – SAQA ID number: 66883
- Educare: NATED N5 National Certificate (NQF Level 5) – SAQA ID number: 66971
- Educare: NATED N6 National Certificate (NQF Level 5) – SAQA ID number: 67007
- Educare: NATED N6 National Diploma (NQF Level 6) – SAQA ID number: 67007
Educare: NATED N4 National Certificate
Entry Requirements
To start your Educare: NATED N4 National Certificate course, you simply need a matric certificate (NSC).
Subjects You Will Cover
This course covers the following main subjects:
- Educare Didactics N4
- Child Health N4
- Education N4
- Day Care Personnel Development N4
How Long Does This Course Take?
This course takes 12 months to complete.
Which Award Type Will I Get?
National Certificate: N4 Educare (NQF Level 5).
Educare: NATED N5 National Certificate
Entry Requirements
You will need an Educare: NATED N4 National Certificate to apply for the Educare: NATED N5 National Certificate course.
Subjects You Will Cover
This course covers the following main subjects:
- Educare Didactics N5
- Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship N5
- Educational Psychology N5
- Daycare Communication N5
How Long Does This Course Take?
This course takes 12 months to complete.
Which Award Type Will I Get?
National Certificate: N5 Educare (NQF Level 5).
Educare: NATED N6 National Certificate
Entry Requirements
You will need an Educare: NATED N5 National Certificate to apply for the Educare: NATED N6 National Certificate course.
Subjects You Will Cover
This course covers the following main subjects:
- Educare Didactics N6
- Daycare Management N6
- Educational Psychology N6
- Daycare Communication N6
How Long Does This Course Take?
This course takes 12 months to complete.
Which Award Type Will I Get?
National Certificate: N6 Educare (NQF level 5).
Educare: NATED N6 National Diploma
Entry Requirements
You will need an Educare: NATED N6 National Certificate to complete the Educare: NATED N6 National Diploma course.
Subjects You Will Cover
This course will consist of practical work experience only.
How Long Does This Course Take?
You will need to complete 18 months of practical work experience during this course.
Which Award Type Will I Get?
National Diploma: N6 Educare (NQF Level 6).
Why Should I Study A Childcare Course?
If you enjoy working with children, a Childcare course is a great option for you. Bellview Institute of Distance Learning offers the NATED Educare programme.
- Distance Learning offers the following benefits:
- Work from anywhere you want to
- Set your own study pace
- Work while you complete your studies
- No extra transportation costs
- Learn skills that can help you in your current job
- No in-person classes
- Bellview Institute offers the following benefits that are unique to studying with us:
- Support from course experts within 24 hours
- Study materials delivered within 5 to 7 days
- Receive marks and feedback within 24 hours
- Year-round registration
- Access to Together We Pass study groups
- Easy application
Required Skills Needed To Become A Childcare Worker
Once you have completed a childcare course such as the NATED Educare programme, you will have the following necessary childcare skills:
- Educare Didactics (child education)
- Child Healthcare
- Daycare Personnel Development
- Basic Child Psychology
- Small Business Management
- Entrepreneurship
- Daycare Communication
These skills are essential in childcare and will allow you to follow related career paths or even start your own childcare business.
Childcare Jobs Where A Qualification Is Needed
In most cases, someone with a qualification in childcare will be chosen over candidates who do not have a qualification. This is because a childcare qualification shows seriousness about your career path and a capability to care for children.
Some childcare jobs require a qualification, for instance:
- Early Childhood Educator
- Childcare Worker
- Childcare Centre Manager
- Teacher’s Aide
The qualification you need will depend on the institution and your expected duties. Basic qualifications in first aid and general childcare are often mandatory.
Childcare Jobs Where A Qualification Is NOT Needed
Some Childcare jobs do not require a qualification. This is usually applicable to jobs where you learn through experience rather than theory. Qualifying will still benefit you in these jobs as you will more likely get the job.
Here are some childcare jobs that you could pursue without a qualification (or that you can do whilst you work towards getting a qualification):
- Au Pair
- Babysitter
- Nanny
Is Childcare A Good Career Path?
Childcare is a good career path for anyone who likes to work with children. If this is your passion, you will benefit from the wide range of career opportunities and fulfilling experiences this career path has to offer.
Demand For Childcare Workers
There will always be a need for those in the field of childcare.
These jobs cannot be taken over by Artificial Intelligence since a physical human bond between the child and caretaker is necessary. Even if AI evolves, only human caretakers will be able to accurately help children with their needs and have the empathy to do so.
With the world getting busier, parents often need someone to assist in taking care of their children when they cannot do so themselves. Whether this is in the form of hiring a babysitter or sending their child to a daycare, there will always be a need for the childcare industry.
Is Childcare A Stressful Job?
Like all jobs, childcare can become stressful. Looking after a child and making sure that their needs are met is a serious job that requires a lot of focus and patience. Between tantrums, crying, and refusing to do certain activities, this job can seem challenging.
However, if you are passionate about this field and are willing to learn as you continue, you will likely have much more fun than stress. Parents will most likely guide you in caring for their children and will only employ you if they trust you enough to do so.
5 Things To Keep In Mind When Choosing A Childcare Career
How You Can Become A Childcare Worker
Here are some factors you will have to get ready to work towards becoming a childcare worker:
Get Your Documents In Order
When you apply for a childcare job, there are some extra documents you might need to get ready. Some general documents you may need include:
- Proof of identification (such as an ID)
- Legal records (like police records)
- CV, resume, and or letter of recommendation
- Your Educare qualification and proof of training
- A valid driver’s license (Au Pairs)
- A first-aid certificate
Getting Qualified
If you are looking to become a childcare worker, you will need the right qualifications. Bellview offers the following Educare programme that will make you qualified for pursuing a career in childcare:
- National Certificate: N4 Educare (NQF level 5)
- National Certificate: N5 Educare (NQF level 5)
- National Certificate: N6 Educare (NQF level 5)
- National Diploma: N6 Educare (NQF level 6)
To get on a National Diploma level (NQF level 6), you will need to complete the three theoretical courses N4-N6 Educare with an added 18 months of practical work experience.
What Exactly Is A Childcare Worker?
Roles Of A Childcare Worker
Childcare Workers provide care and help with the development of young children. Some general roles and responsibilities of a childcare worker include:
- Providing general care for children aged 0-5
- Planning early educational material and teaching
- Organising games and fun activities
- Preparing food and snacks
- Handling children’s hygiene
- Helping children develop interpersonal skills
- Taking care of children’s health and safety
- Supervising children
Skills Of A Good Childcare Worker
Some skills that are essential for a good childcare worker to have in any role include the following:
- Good verbal communication skills
- Good at planning and managing activities
- Have an affinity and passion to work with children
- Good decision-making skills
- Genuine compassion for others
- Know how to evaluate and monitor children’s behaviour
- Good problem-solving skills
Does Childcare Suit You?
Childcare is a demanding job with very specific requirements. If you are thinking about going into a childcare career, you can ask yourself the following questions:
Can You Handle All Of The Aspects Of Children?
Working with children is usually fun and rewarding but there are times when it can become challenging or draining.
You can expect to deal with things like tantrums, denying mealtime, messiness, hyperactivity, and crying. Childcare workers need to be prepared to deal with the good and challenging parts of their job.
Are You Good At Communicating?
In general, good communication skills are very beneficial. As a childcare worker, you will need to rely on verbal and non-verbal communication skills to take care of children.
You will also need to know how to communicate with parents about their child’s needs. This includes any issues you might notice in their behaviour or even health that might need further professional attention.
Are You Dependable And Responsible?
The safety of a child should be the top priority of any childcare worker. Parents will trust you in caring for their child – this responsibility should not be taken lightly.
Children will also look up to you as their role model, so you should always behave appropriately and set an example for them.
How Important Is Your Salary?
Childcare careers might not always have the highest salaries. The wages are often low to middle-range, so having a passion for working with children is of great importance.
This is probably not the best career path for you if your salary is all that matters. The main aspect of a childcare job should be to find enjoyment and fulfillment.
Can You Handle The Workspace?
There are many different workspaces where you can be expected to work as a childcare worker. Some of these spaces can include:
- Childcare Centres
- Schools
- Offices
- Family houses
- Child Activity Centres
- Early Learning Centres and creches
What To Expect From Your First Childcare Job
Childcare is a big industry that many families make use of. Working parents often look for an extra hand to help care for their children when they are unable to.
You can expect to work with children daily, fluctuating work hours and completing general household tasks (whether you work in the family home or a different building).
It might take time for children to warm up to you and for you to get used to the new family, but this only makes the job more rewarding in the end.
Careers You Can Go Into With A Childcare Qualification
The field of Childcare is very expansive. If you qualify Childcare, you can choose from the following careers:
- Early Childhood Educator
- Childcare Assistant
- Preschool Teacher’s Assistant
- Outside School Hours Aide
- Childcare Centre Manager
- Daycare Worker
- Nanny
- Au Pair
- Daycare Owner
Where Can I Apply For A Childcare Job?
If you are looking to apply for a Childcare job, you can make use of the following websites:
Author: Karla Nortier
Editor: Sanel Van Staden