Considering a career in Childcare in Australia

[divyagupta]

Hello,

Have been going through a lot of topics here and am inspired by all the information and optimism.

I have been working in the Media and had done a Post Graduate Diploma Course from India in Early Childhood Care and Development.

I will be moving to Australia(we have our PR). My husband will be moving to Australia first (Sydney/Melbourne) find a job and then I will join him.

I have been looking into the Certificate III course details, to start off with, it being a necessary qualification by Australia. My questions:

Q a). I am looking at a bunch of courses offered by TAFE and private companies. From the forums I learnt about Liv Early Childhood care also..Now I want to start studying..so online course is ideal but to understand the Australian culture..and work on ground I would need suggestion to enroll into a course that helps me with the practical training/placement/training. A school that has good affiliation with the schools so I will have better chances of getting an internship and also maybe a job in the future.

Q b) Any suggestions or thoughts if pursuing Certificate III and Diploma together would be an ideal choice? If so how does internship come into play?


Q c) Will the school evaluate my previous education or they would need it to be assessed by some external agency?


Thanks again!

[Lorina]

First off Welcome Soon To Australia...

There is no need to compete a cert 3 course then a diploma as the new diploma available has units from the cert 3 course linked in it as well... Previously before doing the diploma you would have needed to complete the cert 3 course but this has recently been changed. So, now you just need to complete the diploma qualification....

Through your course you will be required to do practical placement. This means you will need to go to a childcare centre as a student and work there for a set of required hours. Not so much work but having hands on experiences with the children, learning from other staff, completing tasks required from your assignments etc. You will not be paid for this... Some courses you will need to find your own centre and make your own arrangements when it comes to practical placement while others set if up for you... Not too sure about LiV...

Most childcare centres are privately or council led and may not have affiliation with schools. They may have contact with schools in the surrounding areas for preschool children but that's it. With your diploma qualification you can only work in a childcare centre with children from birth to 5 years. If you want to work in a proper school then you need a degree... I understand in india they have pre- kg, lkg and ukg from 3 years or so but in Australia children don't begin formal schooling until they are 5 / 6 years old. In the meantime they have an option of going to daycare/ crèche and in some states ( Queensland only) kindergarten before formal schooling. In all centres they do have a preschool program put into place to support children going into formal schooling the following year....

You can contact act the Australian regulatory Authority to have your current Indian qualification assessed where they would determine if you are legible to work as a qualified worker without having to do the diploma qualification. You can probably do this first and if it's not acceptable then you can continue onto a diploma course.

Here is more info: http://www.acecqa.gov.au/educators-and- ... ApplyQuals


If you got any more questions feel free to let me know and I more than happy to help you out,

Hopefully I've answered your questions,

,
L.A

[divyagupta]

Hi Lorina,


Thanks for the detailed reply. I am indeed looking forward to coming to Australia.
Will get my qualifications checked to start off with.

Also, I was specifically looking for suggestions for good institutions for the placements (volunteer also fine) for the practical part at schools. Since I do not have a network as such ...I was thinking that getting through an institution might be of big help.

Thanks.
Divya

Thanks.

[Lorina]

No worries Divya!

Each institute has a different policy in regards to practical placement. When you're searching for a course you're just going to have to enquire about it and they will be able to let you know the details... You won't be able to work in a school even if the institute is organising it. They will be affiliated with local childcare centres within their area where you will be able to do your placement at....

,
L.A

[fchaudari76]

I agree, before doing any study contact ACECQA and get your qualifications assessed .... I know many people who have come from overseas and their qualifications have been recognised or they have had to do minimal study in order to bring it up to Australian standards.

Good luck let us know how it goes