casual childcare (educator).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.