Things like rostering staff, a deep understanding of regulations and ratios, balancing budgets and the dozen other jobs a director juggles -how to best gain these skill and knowledge?
Best qualification for employment as a Centre Director?
Best qualification for employment as a Centre Director?
My question- I have worked in the industry over 10+ years as a Certificate III educator. I've amassed a lot of experience, across the age groups. I will be finished my Diploma in a matter of weeks. I am thinking of doing the Bachelor of Teaching Early Childhood next. However- I think I am looking for some time off the floor so to speak- and want to try my hand at aiming at becoming a Director. I feel there are a lot of managerial , business and commerce skills involved with this position. Would it be better , more suitable to go on to the Advanced Diploma? Does this course cater more for those wanting to enter a Director role? And which qualification is held in higher regard when applying for Director positions?
Things like rostering staff, a deep understanding of regulations and ratios, balancing budgets and the dozen other jobs a director juggles -how to best gain these skill and knowledge?
Things like rostering staff, a deep understanding of regulations and ratios, balancing budgets and the dozen other jobs a director juggles -how to best gain these skill and knowledge?
Re: Best qualification for employment as a Centre Director?
In the regs it states that a centre director can be a diploma, advance diploma or ECT degree qualified. Usually you will find the most directors have an ECT degree. Although an advance diploma is more targeted at managing a centre as it's units focus more on the business side of things. An ECT degree doesn't actually have any units that focus on how to manage or run a Childcare centre, it goes into depth and extensive detail about teaching children and child development but that's it.
In actual fact to be a director in my opinion you would rather have an advance diploma than an ECT degree. I think most ECT become directors because for the company or owners it sounds better saying that the director holds a degree rather than just a diploma but they are 2 totally different types of qualification. An advance diploma is more qualified for the director position.
So, to answer your question if you want to become a centre director an advance diploma is all you need however I think now since the regs have changed about having a certain amount of ECT's within a centre based on numbers etc, an ECT degree would probably be held more favorable.
Check out the following for more information on the advance diploma course:
Advance Diploma of Children's Services
Removal of Tafe fees - Advance Diploma
,
L.A
In actual fact to be a director in my opinion you would rather have an advance diploma than an ECT degree. I think most ECT become directors because for the company or owners it sounds better saying that the director holds a degree rather than just a diploma but they are 2 totally different types of qualification. An advance diploma is more qualified for the director position.
So, to answer your question if you want to become a centre director an advance diploma is all you need however I think now since the regs have changed about having a certain amount of ECT's within a centre based on numbers etc, an ECT degree would probably be held more favorable.
Check out the following for more information on the advance diploma course:
Advance Diploma of Children's Services
Removal of Tafe fees - Advance Diploma
,L.A
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Re: Best qualification for employment as a Centre Director?
THANKYOU for the reply LA. I agree with you, was thinking the same thing. ie that the Advanced Diploma is more targeted at the management of a Centre, which one would think is more practicable when employed as a Director.
The regulations have changed things, it is assumed a Director will be an Educational Leader, qualified as an ECT to lead the staff in best practice etc. in my experience it seems Directors are usually entrenched in the office under a pile of admin and paperwork and parent enquiries and staffing issues et al. So not really available to consult as an educational leader.
The Advanced Diploma has an additional 13 units after I have done the Diploma. The ECT course I am looking into has 8 with the diploma as RPL. I am tired of studying at this point- juggling it with working full time, being a wife and a mother of 2!
I just wonder how I would gain the skills in management with the ECT degree? It's all food for thought anyhow!
The regulations have changed things, it is assumed a Director will be an Educational Leader, qualified as an ECT to lead the staff in best practice etc. in my experience it seems Directors are usually entrenched in the office under a pile of admin and paperwork and parent enquiries and staffing issues et al. So not really available to consult as an educational leader.
The Advanced Diploma has an additional 13 units after I have done the Diploma. The ECT course I am looking into has 8 with the diploma as RPL. I am tired of studying at this point- juggling it with working full time, being a wife and a mother of 2!
I just wonder how I would gain the skills in management with the ECT degree? It's all food for thought anyhow!
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fchaudari76
- Scholar
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Re: Best qualification for employment as a Centre Director?
I was in the same boat as you and when I completed my Diploma and said to my TAFE teacher I would start the Adv Dip the 1st question she asked me was if I planned to go to Uni, which I did so she said don't bother as the extra units you get off from the Diploma to Adv Diploma at Uni would not be worth the time and effort and to just enrol straight in Uni.
If you plan on definitely going to Uni then I would go straight into it.
I found a Director's position with no previous experience and have learnt the management side of things on the job and most of it is common sense anyway, as a GL in the room you are aware of policies and procedures etc and you can look those things up should you need detail.
Personally managing staff and problems and rosters etc is something you can study but again you will develop your own leadership style on the job. I have worked for enough good and bad leaders to know pretty much what I did and did not want to do when I was in a Director's position.
The degree I am doing I got 2 years off so went straight into my final year so I will have a degree in the same amount of time it probably would have taken me to get an Adv Diploma had I gone down that route + what with them constantly wanting everyone to upgrade qualifications I thought better get the degree now!
Ultimately you need to do what you feel is right for you though.
If you plan on definitely going to Uni then I would go straight into it.
I found a Director's position with no previous experience and have learnt the management side of things on the job and most of it is common sense anyway, as a GL in the room you are aware of policies and procedures etc and you can look those things up should you need detail.
Personally managing staff and problems and rosters etc is something you can study but again you will develop your own leadership style on the job. I have worked for enough good and bad leaders to know pretty much what I did and did not want to do when I was in a Director's position.
The degree I am doing I got 2 years off so went straight into my final year so I will have a degree in the same amount of time it probably would have taken me to get an Adv Diploma had I gone down that route + what with them constantly wanting everyone to upgrade qualifications I thought better get the degree now!
Ultimately you need to do what you feel is right for you though.
