Overseas Qualifications

[Jacks75]

Hi all, I moved here from the USA about 8 month ago. I have been a childcare teacher for 10 years. Currently I am working as a nanny. I'm having a hard time figuring out if I'm qualified to work in QLD as a preschool teacher. I completed what I needed in the states to let you work with children and I'm just not sure what it matches here in Australia. I tried getting my qualifications assessed, but they said I was missing documents. I only have the documents I gave them. In the US you need 12 or more early childhood units which I have completed 12. They do not give you a certificate for completing it, just have to show your center director your class transcripts. I'm just unsure as to what those are equivalent to here (Cert 3)? I'm pretty positive I'm qualified but no clue what it would be called when I apply to schools! Any help would be amazing as I'm not getting the answers from anywhere else! It's hard knowing I was a childcare teacher for 10 years and I'm having the hardest time trying to figure this out! Any insight would be amazing! Thanks

[Lorina]

Hi There,

Alright so the first thing you need to do is have your qualification assessed. You mentioned that you have tried however you are missing documents. You won't be able to work in early childhood unless you either get the documents needed mailed to you here in Australia for qualification assessment or you do a Cert 3 or Diploma course here in Australia itself. I know it completely sucks especially since you have worked in the industry for 10 years. If you have to complete the course again since you have already gained so much experience and knowledge you may be able to RPL quite a few units within the course itself so you should be able to finish it off quicker.

Assessment Of Qualifications

As for working as a preschool teacher, recent regulations permit early childhood teachers (degree qualified educators) to work as the room leader within a preschool. If your qualification is equivalent to a cert 3 you will be assisting within a room, a diploma qualified running the room, ect's running the preschool room or director role. As a diploma qualified you still may be able to run the preschool room but it will be as a job share between you and the ECT. However, in the baby and toddler room, a diploma is required as a room leader.

I'm sorry I can be of any more help but your kinda of stuck between two options. Like I said get the documents needed or study again...

,
L.A

[Jacks75]

Thank you so much for getting back to me. Ok so it sounds like I'm going to just have to take a cert 3 class. Do I sign up for it and apply for a job after it's completed or can I still find a preschool job while doing the cert 3? I don't mind being an aid or assistant to the lead, I just want to be in a preschool again! Also, do preschools let you just walk in and ask for an application? Some schools that I call just tell me to go on thier website even if they are nearby to my home lol Thanks again for you help

[Lorina]

Now that you have decided to do a certificate 3 you have a few options available... You can either complete the course online, through correspondence, or attend classes with the course provider you choose. You also have an option of doing a traineeship where you can work and complete your studies at the same time. You will be employed at a centre where you will complete your traineeship which will take 12 months.... It's probably a good idea to decide how you want to study and look into course providers and begin your course before you start working. All educators within the childcare industry need to either be cert 3 qualified or be working towards the qualification so you may have a better chance of gaining employment if you have already started studying...

So, next step is to work out is how you want to complete your qualification....

,
L.A

[Lorina]

For Educators that have Overseas Qualifications and would like to work in childcare, they need to get it assessed by ACECQA.

The following lists the process and the steps:

Overseas Qualifications For Working In An Early Childhood Service In Australia

,
Lorina