what is an outside school hours care?
As an outside school hours care (OSHC) worker or educator, you provide care to children when their parents are unavailable. You work in daycare centres, private and public schools, and before and after school care facilities. Your work day begins as early as 6 am to 9 am, and you finish in the evening between 3 pm and 6 pm, which means parents leave their kids at the childcare centre in the morning and pick them up later in the day. During pupil-free days and school holidays, you take care of the kids throughout the day.
Some of your duties as an OSHC worker include taking children to school in the morning and picking them up. At the childcare centre, you engage children in various activities, like reading and playing games. You prepare materials and equipment for recreational activities and keep kids entertained. During the activities, you manage children’s behaviours and improve their social development. Aside from supervising kids, you ensure the outside school hours care centre meets the National Quality Standard (NQS).
You will excel as an outside school hours care if you are patient and enjoy working with kids. Childcare is challenging and requires the ability to remain calm under pressure. Your creativity is also important for stimulating and engaging children.
view rolesaverage outside school hours care salary
The remuneration package of an outside school hours care worker depends on the hours they work and their qualifications. The average salary of an outside school hours care worker is $64,360 per year. In an entry-level position, you start with a remuneration package of $60,225 per year. The most experienced outside school hours care workers make up to $93,000 annually.
what factors affect the salary of an outside school hours care?
The main determinant of your remuneration package as an OSHC is your working hours. As an OSHC, you can work early mornings or evenings. If you work both morning and evening shifts, you are likely to earn more. When you work during school holidays, your working hours increase, so you take home a higher remuneration package.
Your qualifications and work experience also boost your earnings as an outside school hours care worker. For instance, having childcare qualifications improves your earnings since you can provide additional services, like tutoring.
The childcare centre you work for also influences your earnings. When you work in a small childcare centre that takes care of a few kids, your remuneration package is lower than OSHC providers working in large childcare centres.
Want to know what you will earn as an outside school hours care? Check out what you are worth with our salary checker.
types of outside school hours care
There are different types of outside school hours care roles available. For instance, you can provide outside school hours care before school. Your job is to take care of kids early in the morning before they go to school. Parents drop kids at the childcare centre in the morning before they head to work. Your job is to take the kids to school when it is in session.
After school care workers take care of children after school. You pick up the kids from school and stay with them until their parents pick them up in the evening. Your job is to organise entertainment activities for kids, prepare snacks and supervise play activities. Sometimes, you are expected to tutor children and assist kids with special educational needs.
working as an outside school hours care
Working as an outside school hours care worker is an interesting career with promising prospects. Let’s explore the duties, responsibilities and work environments of an outside school hours care provider.
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outside school hours care job description
The common tasks and duties of outside school hours care include:
- caring for children at the childcare centre: as an OSHC worker, your primary role is to take care of children in after-school care centres. You pick up kids from school or take them to school in the morning. You also ensure children are comfortable at the childcare centre.
- maintaining cleanliness: as an outside school hours care worker, you are expected to maintain cleanliness in childcare centres. You teach children the importance of cleaning up after themselves during snack time. Since children play with toys, you ensure they are collected from the playrooms and the floors are clean to avoid accidents.
- preparing play activities: as an OSHC, you prepare materials for playing and learning in childcare centres. You organise play activities to help children build their dance, music and sports skills. Aside from play activities, you prepare posters and items used to teach literacy and numeracy skills. You hang visual displays on walls to help children learn and improve their numeracy skills.
- reporting behavioural changes of kids: as an outside school care worker, you spend significant time with kids. Your job is to keep track of the behavioural changes of the children. Any changes in behaviour should be reported to their parents. You can discuss ways to assist children and provide parents with emotional support.
- assisting children with school work: as an outside school hours care worker, you can work as a tutor to help children with their school work. You guide children with their homework and provide outside classroom support to children who need additional guidance.
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work environment
As an outside school hours care worker, you work in before and after school care facilities or childcare centres. Some schools offer before and after work services, which means you can work in a school setting, taking care of children after classes. Communities may also provide after-school care services to take care of children while their parents work in the manufacturing and mining industries. Due to the work hours in various industries, after-school care centres give parents peace of mind, knowing their children will be well taken care of. Whether you work in a childcare centre or community centre, you spend most of the day indoors and organise outdoor play activities.
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who are your colleagues?
Depending on your employer and the industry you work in, your colleagues might include childcare workers, primary teachers and early childhood teachers. You might also be working in close proximity to care workers and special educational needs teachers, as well as other specialists that could include, but not be limited to, social workers, secondary teachers and case managers.
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work schedule
As an outside school hours care worker, you work a few hours weekly, depending on the opening and closing times of the childcare centre. Some before and after school centres open from 6:00 am to 6:30 pm. That means you work from 6:00 am to 9:00 am in the morning when children go to school and finish from 3:00 pm to 6:30 pm in the evening. In childcare centres that take care of kids who don't go to school, you work traditional business hours. Aside from full-time hours, you also have part-time opportunities.
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job outlook
Working as an outside school hours care worker is a promising career. You can progress to childcare worker roles or become an early childhood teacher. If you register with the relevant Teacher Registration Board (TRB) in your state or region, you can work as a tutor. For instance, you should register with TRBWA to work as a teacher in Western Australia.
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advantages of finding an outside school hours care job through randstad
Finding your outside school hours care job through Randstad provides important advantages such as:
- a wide variety of training and development opportunities
- an experienced contact person to provide help if needed
- a range of opportunities in your area
- get paid weekly or monthly, depending on the job
- temporary and permanent contracts
Want a permanent contract? A temporary job as an outside school hours care job is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Thousands of people earn a permanent contract every year with great employers thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too.
education and skills
While you can work as an outside school hours care worker without any educational qualifications, consider pursuing a Certificate III in early childhood education and care or a Certificate IV in school-age education and care. The qualifications provide knowledge of children's emotional and mental development.
Improve your qualifications with a diploma in early childhood education and care to work in senior roles. Some of the courses require 120 hours of work placement to improve your experience. You should also consider getting a first-aid certificate. Aside from qualifications, get the necessary clearance documents, such as a Working with Children Check and a Police Check.
outside school hours care skills and competencies
If you are planning to become an outside school hours care worker, here are some skills you need to excel:
- patience: as an outside school hours care worker, you require patience to work with children and remain calm under pressure. Working with kids can be challenging and frustrating at times, but patience helps you stay calm.
- creativity: as an OSHC, you need creativity to come up with engaging activities for kids. Your creativity helps you develop exciting activities for playtime, stimulate children and think on your feet.
- organisation skills: as an OSHC worker, you require organisation skills to plan and prepare activities. It is also important to keep track of the children in your care, which requires the organisation of activities at the childcare centre.
- communication skills: as an OSHC, you rely on communication to relate well with children, parents and other childcare workers. Your communication skills are also useful in tutoring kids.
FAQs about working as an outside school hours care
Here, you will find the answers to the most frequently asked questions about the profession of an outside school hours care
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what is outside school hours care in Australia?
Outside school hours care in Australia is available for school-going kids. Your job is to provide supervised recreation and leisure activities for school-aged children. You also care for children who haven't started school.
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what qualifications do I need to work as an outside school hours care provider in Australia?
While educational qualifications are not mandatory, they improve your career prospects. Consider pursuing a Certificate III in early childhood education and care. You also require a Police Check and a Working with Children Check.
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how many hours do outside school hours care providers work?
As an OSHC, you can work part-time or full-time. When you work full-time, you work up to 38 hours a week between 6:00 am and 6:30 pm. Part-time positions are also available if you want to work early mornings or evenings only.
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are OSHC childcare workers in demand in Australia?
Childcare workers are always in demand for parents going to work. You can work as an OSHC worker in childcare centres or schools that offer before and after-school care.
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is outside school hours care a good career?
OSHC is a great entry-level role in a childcare career. You can progress to childcare educator roles and early childhood teacher roles. You enjoy a good remuneration package and promising career opportunities.
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how do I apply for an outside school hours care vacancy?
Applying for an outside school hours care is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our job offers for vacancies in your area. Then send us your CV and cover letter. Need help with your application? Check out all our job search tips here.
