Aussie Childcare Network Forum

Just interested to see peoples opinions on non-classroom duties.
What duties do you have to do at work that are not related to your classroom, kids etc
Have you ever been asked to perform some duties and said no?

Just was wondering as the other day we were asked to rake the entire outside area and then pick up all the leaves and get the bins and throw it out... needless to say there was a lot of "this isn't my job" "get a gardener" comments, so it left me wondering.

All the things you mentioned LA I consider part of my job description. I was just wondering about other duties people may have been asked to do that are not so much a part of their jobs.

In a previous job a while ago I had to answer phones, show parents around, take fees etc, none of which was MY job, I did it but it annoyed me in a long run as it got in the way of me doing my job as GL

One would assume in the 'spirit' of Good will that other duties as required that pertained to the wellbeing and hygiene of your place of work would be spread amongst the staff. Seems that community spirit has been lost.
Yeah in an ideal world Getting a cleaner/gardener/bookkeeper is ideal but sometimes everyone pitching in gives a sense of pride and ownership. I'm guessing I may be a silent minority on this one.
Fefe your staff are lucky to have staff to share the load with. Tell them to come do Family daycare where we/I have to do ALL the cleaning/gardening etc involved in the maintenance of our services.
Just my 5 cents worth.

Lindy I understand and I am always happy to pitch in, the only objection I had that we were told to do it while we had children outside, so staff were concentrating on the gardening rather than watching the children and since it was babies and toddlers we could not really make it an activity and get them to help, did try! ended up in leaves everywhere lol

Fefe,
I'm sorry I didn't mean to imply you didn't pitch in. Not at all my intention. please accept my apologies!

Supervision of the child is always the priority!

I'll send my 2-5yolds over today to 'help' you!! Cant g'tee the yard will look any better either lol

Speaking of supervision......... my lovelies are just arriving

Have a great day!!

I know you didn't imply I didn't pitch in
I just don't like doing duties when it means sacrificing caring & supervising for the children properly
Think raking, picking up leaves & moving bins etc is best done when there are no kids in the yard

We do the gardening and the mowing between us all that work here, we dont mind as we do take pride in how the preschool appears to parents and visitors who come in. This is really a job like no other and as much as these things arnt in our job description, i think going that extra mile and helping out makes a person feel pretty good about themselves:) It also makes it a more inviting place for the children to play too without the rubbish clittering up around the place.

At the centre i work as a full time assistant in the kindy room, and since it is a new centre we are still low on numbers on a friday in particular. Because of this, the owner has decided not to have a cook come in on a friday to save money (even though their shift is only a 4 hour one and they earn barely anything) and now one of the staff members have to be the cook for the day or a staff member has to give up working every friday. I myself feel EXTREMELY uncomfortable with the thought of myself being responsible for feeding all of the children in the centre when i have no experience working in a kitchen, I am a terrible cook and im 18 years old so dont have alot of experience cooking :/ plus being a cook was not in the job description! I feel very uncomfortable and havent done it yet and dont know how to or whether i should tell my boss I dont feel comfortable doing it yet dont want to give up working every friday since i need the money. any thoughts? thanks

I can understand you fears - the kitchen can be daunting especially for a young person without experience. You are right that you were not hired as a cook but a child care worker and these are two completely different roles. Do you have the courage to approach your director and tell her how uncomfortable this is for you as she will have no idea otherwise?

If she is insistent and you do agreee to this, you need to have support until you find your feet- you could mention that you need to have a food handling certificate (which you do) to be able to work there. Bring this as a concern of yours, (as opposed to an excuse that you can't) for the centre having unqualified stafff in the kitchen.

Having said all this the kitchen will offer you an added experience and you may find you enjoy it. If the menu is kept simple for you at first (eg sandwiches) it can be a little break from the children. I actually enjoy the kitchen but I do find it is physically tiring as you are always rushing and cleaning.

Another option I would definately look at if you haven't already is joinng a union. Then when you have any problems such as this you can ask for their advice and directors can't then get away with too much. I have had good experiences with help from unions and find the small amount we pay worthwhile. Hope this helps you.