what is a casual childcare educator?
As a casual childcare educator, you assist children with their daily routines at a childcare centre. Your job is to provide a clean and healthy environment for children to learn and play. You supervise children as they play or learn at the childcare centre. Unlike full-time children educators, you enjoy flexible work hours since you only work on demand. As a casual childcare educator, you have no guaranteed work hours, and you can end the employment without notice unless you sign an agreement that requires notice.
Despite the perks associated with flexibility, working as a casual childcare educator has limitations, like the lack of paid leave days and irregular work hours. However, you can work regular hours if you want. As a casual childcare educator, your employment terms are stipulated by the Children’s Services Award 2010, which details the work hours and the conditions attached to your employment. The Childcare Wages in Australia stipulate your casual wages.
Working as a casual childcare educator requires a passion for working with children. You need to be patient and show interest and enthusiasm to connect with children and build trusted relationships.
view jobsaverage casual childcare educator salary
As a casual childcare educator, you are paid for your hours, and the employer pays weekly or hourly. You earn the same salary as a full-time childcare educator since you perform the same duties. The average remuneration package in the role is $65,000 per year. However, your earnings fluctuate based on various factors. In an entry-level role, you start with a salary of $60,000 annually; with experience, you take home a salary of $70,000 annually.
what factors affect the salary of a casual childcare educator?
As a casual childcare educator, your earnings mainly depend on work hours since you have a flexible work arrangement. You can work a minimum of two hours a day to a maximum of eight hours and enjoy overtime pay if you work over eight hours. Working more hours improves your remuneration prospects.
The size of the childcare centre and your responsibilities also affect your earnings. When you work in a small childcare centre, you have minimal responsibilities since you care for a few kids. In a large childcare centre, you take care of many kids and have more responsibilities. Hence, your earnings increase due to the complexity of your duties.
Want to know what you will earn as a casual childcare (educator)? Check out what you are worth with our salary checker.
types of casual childcare educators
Casual childcare educators work in diverse settings, from childcare centres to schools and kindergartens. In a centre-based daycare, you are likely to work the whole day taking care of children whose parents are at work. You also provide occasional care depending on the child centre program. Some casual childcare educators work in preschools or provide before and after-school care to children in kindergartens.
working as a casual childcare educator
Interested in working as a casual childcare educator? Let’s explore the duties, work environments and work schedules of casual childcare educators.
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casual childcare educator job description
Some of the duties and responsibilities of casual childcare educators include:
- assisting with setting up educational activities: as a casual childcare educator, you prepare the learning environment for children. You set up the necessary materials like paints, worksheets, pencils and paper. Your job is to create a conducive environment for learning that facilitates development. You hang materials like numeracy and literacy resources on the walls and prepare visual displays to keep children engaged.
- engaging and supervising children: as a casual childcare educator, the safety and care of children are in your hands when they arrive at the childcare centre. You keep them engaged in fun activities and allocate time to finish their homework or engage in learning activities. You supervise the children to ensure they don't hurt themselves and remove any dangerous items that could cause injuries.
- assisting children with daily routines: as a casual childcare educator, you tailor the activities to the kids’ needs. Some children have a daily routine, and it is important to ensure they adhere to it. For instance, when it is time for snacks, you prepare the snacks and also ensure kids take their naps on time.
- maintaining a safe environment for children: as a casual childcare educator, you may perform other duties like cleaning the playrooms. You also collect toys from the playrooms and ensure the play areas are safe.
- communicating with parents: when the childcare educator is busy with another parent, you update the parents on the children's progress. If you notice any behaviour change, you notify the parents or the senior childcare educator at the centre.
- building trust with children: as a childcare educator, you build a good relationship with kids. Developing trusting relationships supports the emotional development of the children and encourages open communication.
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work environment
As a casual childcare educator, you work in crèches, daycare centres and childcare centres. You can land a job in preschools and kindergartens that offer before or after-school care to children. Some casual childcare educators work in community childcare centres catering to the needs of specific groups. For instance, mining communities may have daycare centres for kids.
Casual childcare educators work indoors to assist children with learning activities. They also work outdoors if the daycare centre has an outdoor play area.
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who are your colleagues?
Depending on your employer and the industry you work in, your colleagues might include early childhood teachers, care workers and primary school teachers. You might also be working in close proximity to after-school-care educators and special education teachers, as well as other specialists that could include, but not be limited to, social workers, case managers and childcare educators.
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work schedule
Casual childcare educator roles have flexible work arrangements since you don’t work for the same employer for a fixed period. You can work regular work schedules from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm or work irregular schedules whenever you are available. Casual childcare educators work a minimum of two hours for an employer. You work up to 40 hours weekly when you have a regular schedule and sometimes work overtime.
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job outlook
Becoming a casual childcare educator is the ideal role for those interested in working in childcare. With the skills you gain as a casual childcare educator, you can become a full-time childcare educator. Some childcare educators specialise in providing before and after-school care to children or becoming the after-school program coordinator or director. Some casual educators become early childhood educators or primary school teachers.
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advantages of finding an casual childcare educator job through randstad
Finding your casual childcare educator 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 a casual childcare educator 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
Despite being a casual role, most employers expect childcare educators to have relevant educational qualifications. If you are interested in joining the role, complete a qualification in early childhood education to gain the relevant skills. Find certificate or diploma courses in early childhood education and care or a course approved by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).
If you are a primary school teacher interested in working as a childcare educator during holidays, you don’t require any qualifications provided you have a teacher registration in Australia. Primary and secondary school teachers with ACECQA certification are equivalent to early childhood teachers in Australia. While casual childcare educator is an entry-level position, having some experience working with kids improves your competitive advantage.
casual childcare educator skills and competencies
Some of the qualities and soft skills of casual childcare educators include:
- communication skills: as a casual childcare educator, you require exceptional communication skills to communicate with parents, children and your colleagues. You explain the children's progress to parents and also communicate expectations and rules to children.
- organisation skills: as a childcare educator, you supervise multiple children at the same time. It is important to be organised to keep track of the children's activities and prepare the learning materials on time. Organisation skills also help you arrange the classrooms and keep them clean and safe for kids.
- positive attitude: as a casual childcare educator, you maintain a positive attitude to encourage children to learn and grow. Children are energetic, and you require tact to handle them. You also need patience to maintain a calm demeanour.
- empathy: as a casual childcare educator, you require empathy to interact with children. You can connect with children and build a trusting relationship if you have empathy and are compassionate. Empathy also helps you provide emotional support to kids.
FAQs about working as a casual childcare educator
Here, you will find the answers to the most frequently asked questions about the profession of a casual childcare educator.
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what is the role of a casual educator?
As a casual childcare educator, you take care of children in childcare centres and crèches. Your duties include helping educators prepare learning materials. You also set up the play areas and ensure they are clean to avoid accidents. You perform the same duties as childcare educators but have a flexible work arrangement.
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how much does a casual childcare educator make in Australia?
Your earnings as a childcare educator fluctuate based on experience and working hours. The salary range for casual childcare educators in Australia is $30 to $35 per hour or between $60,000 and $70,000 per year. Most employers also pay higher rates for working more than eight hours daily.
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what is the difference between a casual childcare educator and an early childhood educator?
As a casual childcare educator, you work with kids for a few hours weekly. Hence, you focus on providing social, mental and emotional development through play and learning activities. Early childhood educators also work in childcare centres, but they focus on teaching numeracy and literacy skills to children.
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why do many educators prefer casual childcare jobs?
Many childcare educators prefer casual roles due to their flexibility. You can choose the shifts you want to work based on your availability. You also gain valuable experience and exposure working in different crèches and childcare centres.
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is casual childcare educator a good role?
A casual childcare educator job is the first step into your career in childcare or teaching. You learn and build your teaching skills, which prepares you for various roles.
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how do I apply for a casual childcare (educator) vacancy?
Applying for a casual childcare (educator) job 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.