How to become an Early Childhood Teacher in Australia

In 2021, the Victorian Government announced that it is investing almost $5 billion over the decade to deliver Three-Year-Old Kindergarten. This investment will create an additional 6,000 teaching jobs across Victoria. In partnership with the Department of Education and Training, the Victorian Government now has defined the Workforce Skills Pathway to accept applications from eligible early childhood teachers for Victorian nominated skilled visas. In other words, even though Early Childhood (Pre-primary) Teacher is not within the target sector, the eligible applicants can still be selected to apply for state nomination 190 visa and 491 visa.

Therefore, early childhood education is starting to gain popularity among people who want to migrate to Australia. If you already have an early childhood education degree, you may click here and learn how to migrate to Australia as an early childhood teacher. If you are considering coming to Australia to study early childhood education, or you are already in Australia studying but want to change your career path, this article is for you. In this article, we will explain how you can become an early childhood teacher in Australia.

Become an Early Childhood Teacher

It is believed that early childhood education plays a vital role in a person’s life as it is the pivotal point in terms of the children’s future learning success, social and emotional well-being, and employment opportunities. From 2022, Victorian children will have access to 2 years of kinder before starting primary school. This will provide children the opportunities to enjoy the benefits that come with early childhood education. If you are looking for a rewarding career, early childhood education might be the best choice for you.

Difference between Early Childhood Teacher and Educator

Are you confused with these two terms? Worry not! We will tell you what is the difference between early childhood teacher and educator.

Early Childhood Educator

Formerly known as kindergarten assistants, child care workers, or child care assistants, early childhood educators are certificate or diploma qualified. They support the social, emotional, physical, and educational development of infants and young children while working with teachers in kindergarten programs.

There is a range of VET qualifications you can undertake in TAFE or Registered Training Organisation (RTO), which are:

• • Cert III in Early Childhood Education and Care
  • Cert IV in School Age Education and Care
  • Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care
  • Diploma of School Age Education and Care
  • Cert IV in Training and Assessment

The Cert III Early Childhood Education and Care, Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care, and Cert IV in Training and Assessment are now available tuition fee-free through Free TAFE.

If you are already an early childhood educator and interested in becoming a teacher, you can upskill and become a qualified early childhood teacher.

Early Childhood Teacher

Early childhood teachers are degree qualified. They lead the planning and delivery of programs while working with other educators to promote children’s learning and develop their sense of identity, wellbeing, sense of their place in the community, and communication skills.

The most common qualification is an undergraduate early childhood qualification, for instance, Bachelor in Early Childhood Education. If you study full-time, it usually takes 4 years to complete. If you already have a bachelor’s degree in other fields but would like to become an early childhood teacher, you can enrol into a graduate diploma or Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education which will take 1 to 2 years full time. If you are currently studying or have completed a VET qualification in early childhood education, for instance, Cert III in Early Childhood Education and Care, universities may recognise this as prior learning when you enrol.

The following are the most common tertiary qualifications related to Early Childhood Education:

• • Bachelor of Education – Early Childhood
  • Bachelor of Education – Early Childhood Education
  • Bachelor degree in a related area, accompanied by a postgraduate qualification in education, specialising in Early Childhood Education
  • Bachelor of Early Childhood – Education and Care (for people who have a 2-year diploma of Children’s Services or equivalent)
  • Bachelor of Early Childhood Studies (for people who have a 2-year diploma of Children’s Services or equivalent)
  • Graduate Certificate in Education (Early Childhood)
  • Graduate Diploma in Education (Early Childhood)
  • Masters of Teaching (Early Childhood)

During the study, you will attend class on campus (or study online) and undertake placements in various early childhood settings, gaining real-life experience at the same time. Qualified teachers will monitor your performance during placements. You will also be working alongside educators, learning how to apply the theory you learnt in school into practice.

Ausdirect Migration for Early Childhood Education

For International Students:

If you are an international student with a passion to work in the Early Childhood Education sector in Australia, we highly recommend you get in touch with us to arrange your enrolment in the most suitable courses and prepare for your skilled migration journey.

For Registered Early Childhood Teachers in Australia:

If you are already working as a registered Early Childhood Teacher in Australia and wish to apply for a permanent for Australia, Ausdirect Migration can assist you in navigating every step of the process during the journey.

For International Early Childhood Teachers overseas:

If you are an international Early Childhood Teacher and wish to come to Australia for work or apply for immigration, please contact our specialist team today and we assist with your immigration and also link to the employers that we work with in Australia.