an Observation

[dulciean]

hello! I don't want this post to sound like 'sour grapes' - am just putting it out there and hoping one of you might have some insight.
i am currently seeking a position as a Certificate III CCW. I have over 8 years' experience in the field, excellent references, experience across all ages and areas , have been a GL and an assistant. I"m smiley, friendly, and extremely articulate. However, i went to 10 interviews before being offered a position( and -as I have explained in another thread!) THAT turned out to be a big disaster. I got to thinking it might be my age- i am 40 years young next year- but I'm still pretty switched on and youthful(or so I'm told!)
Then i was speaking to a friend/collegue with same quals, and about 6 years' experience. She's around 23 years old-and is also going to many interviews without even hearing back.
I see many CCW's without the passion and experience i know i have- Why is this happening? where are all the jobs?
i am targeting the NFP sector now- will hold out until i make it through to being offered employment with one of them. i have a couple of interview lined up over the coming weeks.
Would love to hear any thoughts/input on this quandary!

[Miss_Annette]

Hey,
Its not your age i work with a lady who has just celebrated her 50th
I dont know whats happening. its like everyone's worried about the cost. all they want is cheap lil 17 year olds straight our of highschool. good luck!!

[patty]

Even though im only 19 i agree with the above comment, centres are only interested in hiring young, inexperienced, uneducated youths because they can pay them terrible and they wont say anything. Centres just dont seem to want to pay for the experienced educators who are actually good at their jobs!! Its frustrating!

[dulciean]

Thanks for that- Of course I hadn't even thought of the cost-cutting aspect. Seems i'm right in looking at the Not for Profit sector, then.
Incidentally- how badly paid are we talking about re junior staff? what's the average rate/
i get about $20 an hour- and don't think that's particularly fantastic. The CC Award seems to be open to interpretation- i can't quite figure out the pay scale.
It seems the Industry is in pretty bad shape all round.

[Miss_Annette]

Some of the 18 year olds i have worked with are on like 9-10 $ an hr

[Miss_Annette]

When I was 18 i was on $10.56 p/hr
just doesnt seem right

[patty]

As an 18 year old without a cert 3 I was on $12.38 per hour. When I got my cert 3 at 18 it went up to $18.06 per hour which I am still on and I'm room leading!! So unfair.

[Miss_Annette]

This is my 3rd year room leading and im 23 this year studying diploma cert 3 qualified and only im $19.06 an hr

[Angellhart]

We have alot of older staff in my centre but it is still full of people who don't give a damn about the job. Not meaning to be racists but the majority of our staff are non australians and while alot of them are good at english there are some who just can not understand or who we can not understand. Then we have people who think they rule the roost because they have been there longer or have better qualifications yet they are ALWAYS breaking the rules such as eating in the room or sitting on the tables and then they blame the people who 'dobbed' them in! *rolls eyes* I actually worked with better people at Big W and that is the most passion-less job I have ever had! I am surprised by the staff in childcare. I too thought I would be with people like me who were passionate not just there as a job!

[patty]

It seems there are at of people in childcare who are there for the wrong reasons, some are lazy and think they can just hang out with kids all day, some think it's easy to get in too and easy to get your cert 3 for and don't care about educating the kids. It's very upsetting when you come across these people! I am 100% there for the kids, I just wish everyone else was too!!

[dulciean]

wow- this thread has certainly raised some valid, varied and interesting points. i must say i have experienced many of these issues with staff myself. it does feel like ECCE has become an 'easy' job choice- and many seem to perceive it as child-minding or babysitting. Which it ISN'T !!
i can see where a lot of the problems stem from- but i can't see the solutions!
let's hope the government listens to our union in focusing on the overhaul our industry direly needs!

[Lorina]

Just wanted to add to this thread about what I believe is happening in the early childhood industry. All the comments that have already been made in this thread are true to what we are seeing… A lot of “youngsters” are given priority to work in a childcare setting and yes you’re right due to that they are cheaper to employ rather than someone who has experience.

Now with all these changes coming into effect from the government, making early childhood a priority it calls for a more lucrative deal in trying to get people to join the early childhood workforce. The government is offering free traineeships and diploma’s as well as funding degrees in order to get more people qualified in this industry. But from my own experience just because you studied for a year or 2 doesn’t make you qualified to teach children. I have heard from colleagues of mine (who are currently studying uni) that more than half the people completing their childhood degree have never worked with children before and some of them are under the assumption that it is just like babysitting where you “look after” kids for the day. This makes me really angry because there are some of us who are working so hard every day in this industry, developed our own knowledge and had years working in childcare and someone younger comes along and takes it all away from us!!

I would also like to point out that just because some people have a qualification it doesn’t make them more knowledgeable in this field. I know a lot of people who haven’t had the opportunity to study who know far more about early childhood than those who hold the qualification themselves. A big part of this industry should allow you to be paid upon your experiences and your knowledge not because of your qualification. Argh! So frustrating!!

Also just wanted to comment about the “non Australians” working in childcare. Can I just say from what I experienced that these people have to work pretty damn hard to be where they are at plain and simply. From what I have observed employers can pay minimal wages to non – Australians and they will get more hard work out of them then those Australians who are in a higher position. Fair enough, english may not be as good but you can’t hold that against them… They put their head down and they do the work without complaints, without issues without problems. Sorry to say but I see a big difference in work ethics between Australians and non – Australians. I’m not saying it’s everyone but I’m saying that there is a difference there. I’m an Aussie myself and even I can notice this!

Anyways, just wanted to add my 2 cents worth…lol…

L.A

[Angellhart]

I should have been more specific and clarified myself a bit better. Its not just the english barrier these people at my work DO NOT work very hard. I often walk into the babies unit while the babies are all sleeping and find 3 of them sitting on their bums doing nothing and yes they have been pulled up on this before.Ssome of them do work very hard but most of them don't, having said that alot of the Australians do not work very hard either. And there are people who are here just as a stepping stone paying their way through uni and dont give a damn either.

[Miss_Annette]

this is the wrong industry to be in if you dont consider it a career - if you just want a job - go work at aldi or something. frustrates me and makes me sad when people arent there for the 'right' reasons

[smith76]

That has been the most frustrating thing at my centre trying to find hard working educators who want to be there to provide high quality care .I have been with the same company for quite a long time now and i find my centre i am at now there are a couple of girls that have been with us for six months that don't want to do their job and think that they will just sit around everyday while everyone else picks up the slack. They showed so much promise when they started but now they don't give a toss. We have also had lots of relief staff lately at our centre that English is not their first language which can be really hard at times to understand but i do find that when i have the relief staff in im getting more done in my room as they are so will to work and do their job and show some initiative.

we are finding that though if we have too many staff at times instead of keeping staff on to get stuff done in the centre or catching up with programming or journals etc they will send staff home early before their shift to save money. Even sending our early staff home at 2 instead of 3 or 3.30 when there is time to put artwork up or clean out something that needs to be done all to save wages then the closing staff are the ones who stay back to clean it all up.

[Angellhart]

At least in my centre they don't usually send people home early we use the time to catch up on things or do other jobs

[fchaudari76]

I have worked in several places that employed older staff, I myself am 36 so not young compared to the 20 somethings that most places seem to employ...and yes it is cheaper to employer younger staff sometimes with minimal quals and train them up, however saying that I have also worked with people who are qualified and know nothing!
I think it is a personal thing, some people enter childcare thinking it is easy, its just a job that pays and they have no passion...be them white/non-white aussies or non aussies. I am not an Aussie nor am I white, however I work d*mn hard because this is what I do, I love children and teaching and passing what I know on to others.
I will say the best centre I worked in had most of the work force who were non aussies or non-white aussies ... go figure, its a personal thing, people who are hard working and love what they do will do it wherever, ppl who arent wont...simple

[babayaga]

It all comes down to the centre having a wise and aware director who recognises the skills and life experience an older employee will bring. I have seen and been to many places - those that are excellent value the wisdom of their staff and share a common goal of excellence in childcare.
I am struggling with my own workplace at the moment and hoping for better times ahead.

[babayaga]

I also wanted to add that let's all please be careful about making generalisations: Aussie or non-Aussie, we are all individual with our own individual talents and flaws. It makes me cringe to hear :
"those people".
Come on folks, empathy should extend to grown-ups too!

[Misse84]

Okay I am trying not to sound like a b*tch , but a lot of workers are sent from centrelink . Aged care and childcare ( and nursing ) are the main jobs for people to go to who are with centrelink .

My TAFE teacher even agreed . At my job I am lucky because we all feel passionate about it . But in my class there were some scary girls , foul language and they didn't even like kids .