Adult Pay rate for Trainee Childcare position

[chichi]

Hi,

I wanted to ask what are the pay rate for childcare trainee? If I'm an adult over 30 years of age?

I got offered a job in childcare centre for $15.80 per hour, is that right?

I completed TAFE diploma in community service welfare few years ago and recently wish to change career. The centre offer that if I studying myself and pay my own fees with tafe for certificate 3 then they will hire me as a Childcare educator with approximately $17 per hour. Will this be accurate pay rate?

I'm not sure what to do. If I enroll the course myself will the fee covered by HECS and how long will the course last for?

hope to get some advice around this thanks.

[chichi]

Hi,

I had an interview with a new childcare center that are about to open soon.
I had completed a bachelor of social work and diploma in community service welfare previously and at the moment I'm thinking of changing my path to childcare because I really enjoy working with children.

The director told me that I could do a certificate 3 trainee with them work 38hours full time while studying through the centre, as a trainee payment would be $15.80 per hour is that right? (Does the center cover all the cost for the course or do I have to pay some of it?)


The center also said another option is to do the certificate myself through TAFE and I will start as a child educator with them for $17.60 is that right pay?

Which option are more better? I'm new to this industry would really appreciated for some help please.

[Lorina]

Hi,

Welcome to Aussie Childcare Network!

Since you are wanting to work in early childhood your wages fall under the "Children's Services Award 2010". As a adult trainee, you are paid the highest minimum trainee wage which is $600.40 per week/full time, which equals to about $15.80/ per hour (before tax).

Once you have received your cert 3 qualification, according to the award you will be on Level 3.1 (as a childcare assistant) and minimum hourly rate is $20.13 per hour/full time (before tax).

It depends where you want to study. TAFE is usually the most nationally recognised and it takes a maximum of 2 years full time to complete the Cert 3 course. If you are doing it part time... May take longer and if you do it online through correspondence you can probably complete it within a year.

With a traineeship you work and you study. You get hands on experience and you also have your fellow educators to ask question to if you need help with questions, lots of resources are available at the centre and you can put into practice what you are learning through theory. The centre will pay the cost of the qualification, although you may need to pay student fees (I'm not too sure and it depends on the centre so best to check with them).

I think completing a traineeship is a good option because you gain experience and knowledge at the same time while working through your studies. Once you are qualified your wages will increase anyway...

Hope this helps,

Let me know if you have any more questions,

,
Lorina

[Lorina]

This will also give you information on how a traineeship works:

Starting A Traineeship In Childcare

,
Lorina

[chichi]

Hi Lorina,

Thank you that is really helpful information.

What is a student fee? Approximately what will that cost?

If after I finish with the certificate 3 and I wish to complete a diploma will there be any exception through TAFE?

[Lorina]

I'm not too sure how much the student fee is... Best to confirm with the centre offering the traineeship and as I mentioned it depends on the centre.

If you're wanting to complete your Diploma in the future, you can just do the Diploma qualification now itself. You don't need to have done a cert 3 previously. You can just enrol in a Diploma course directly.

So your choice is 1) a cert 3 traineeship or 2) a Diploma qualification through TAFE

This will also give you more info:

Cert 3 In EC

,
Lorina

[Lorina]

Not to confuse anymore... but you can also do a Diploma traineeship. From what I understand your hourly wage will be the same $15.80 and you get a higher qualification...

Diploma Trainee Jobs In Sydney

I mean if you are wanting to do a traineeship and would like to do the Diploma in the future you can put the two together and just complete a Diploma traineeship...

,
Lorina

[chichi]

That's interesting I didn't know that there is diploma traineeship too.

Would that i will have to enroll through TAFE myself?
or
Would I be asking the center if they offer diploma traineeship

[Lorina]

You would be asking the centre about a Diploma traineeship.... If that centre doesn't offer it, then you find another one that does then you will have to apply for it like a job...

,
Lorina

[chichi]

Thank you Lorina

I was wondering have you had any experience of studying Diploma Childcare Course online or any one else may have?

I'm thinking about Seekelearning course. Or would you recommend other online courses?

Thanks

[chichi]

Hi again Lorina,

Wanted to ask for your advise.

I'm unsure about which path to take.

Whether to take the traineeship
or take the educator role and enroll a course myself.

What do you recommend?

[Lorina]

Just clarifying, can you take the educator role now... or when you start/complete the course?

Have you thought about the Diploma traineeship?

,
Lorina

[chichi]

from my understanding I can start now as an educator and study myself but I will clarify that with the center to make sure thats the case.

For some reason they don’t allow diploma traineeships...

[chichi]

Hi,

I just checked with the center they said I could start working as an educator if I enroll myself to a diploma course myself.

What would your advise around this should I take the Traineeship or enroll the diploma myself?

[Lorina]

Since they are not offering the Diploma traineeship only the cert 3 qualification, it's probably better to enrol in the diploma yourself. A Diploma will give you a higher qualification then a cert 3 and since you can just do the diploma without having to complete the cert 3 qualification first then I'd say go for it. Do the diploma instead...

,
Lorina

[chichi]

Hi

Thank you.
I'm thinking of taking an online chilcare diploma course from seeklearning.com I was wondering is this course legitimate? Do you know of anyone had done through seeklearning?

[chichi]

This is the course I'm thinking of Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care (CHC50113)
http://m.seeklearning.com.au/tafe/diplo ... n-and-care


Or

another online one from Open College. CHC50113 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care
http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/courses/ ... n-and-care

Are they the same as TAFE? Are they legitimate course to enroll in??

[Lorina]

From what I can see they are both legitimate... They are not TAFE but they offer the TAFE Diploma.

You just need to contact both of them and find out which one suits you... You can ask questions like:

Do you have to find your own work placement or do they organise it?
What happens if you fail a unit?
Can you complete the course quicker if you do more study hours during the week? (E,g, can you complete the course within a year instead of 2)
Are you able to contact the trainer if you need further clarification on a assignment?
Do they have online study groups?
Do you need to purchase textbooks for the course? (you don't usually...)
Due to circumstances, if you miss a due date for an assignment what happens?
Can you ask for extensions for assignments? How many? How long?

These are some questions you can ask to get a better idea of what they are offering...

Hope this helps,

,
Lorina

[chichi]

Thank you!! You are awesome. I will find out from the trainer.

[Lorina]

Happy to help!

,
Lorina