[bearmum]

Hi all

I have been thinking about making a life change and retraining for a new career. One idea that has taken hold in my mind is getting a postgraduate qualification in teaching specialising in early childhood and then teaching kindergarten.

Not knowing anyone who works in that area I have some questions and thought maybe EB would be able to help me out!

Basically I would love any information/insight about working as a kindergarten teacher that you might like to share - the good bits, the bad bits etc. Anything would be interesting for me.

In particular though I have wondered whether it is possible to get part-time work in that area. I work part-time at the moment and don't really want to be working fulltime until my children are older. Is it hard to get a job like this as a graduate teacher? Is the job in any way family friendly? How do the non-contact hours work - does it mean that the days at work are very long or can you do some of the preparation time etc from home? What is a normal day/week like etc?

Any information, suggestions, advice or insight that would help me understand this all better would be very gratefully received. It would be a big move for me to change careers completely but I am very ready for a change!

Thanks in advance

[Wyn99]

Hi I don't know about kindergarten but there are part-time teachers at my son's preschool (3-5 year olds). However I don't know how you could have a kindy class and work part-time? Would you have to job-share with another kindy teacher? Would that be unsettling for the children?

[Grey]

To be honest with you, if you are looking to retrain as a kindergarten teacher only because you see the profession as being family friendly and are looking for the flexibility of part-time employment, then teaching probably isn't the career for you.

You really need to be passionate about teaching and want to be there for the kids.

[howdo]

Kindergarten pre school, or kindergarten FYOS?

Is it hard to get a job like this as a graduate teacher? Is the job in any way family friendly? How do the non-contact hours work - does it mean that the days at work are very long or can you do some of the preparation time etc from home? What is a normal day/week like etc?

Yes it is hard to get a job like this as a graduate teacher - you might have to teach casually as a relief teacher or teach another year level.

The job is no more family friendly than nay other job during term time, in fact it is probably less family friendly. You do not have to rely on vacation care much if at all however. The hours are inflexible during term time as a general rule.

Non contact hours are a set amount of time when other teachers take the children so you can do administrivia and planning. It is not sufficient time to do all your prep etc and you will have to do some of it from home.

A normal day/week with FYOS of pre school children is exhausting, 40+ hours and you end up with sore feet.

Part time work in contract teaching relies on the availability of days left over from other teachers or specialist teacher options. It's not all that common IME.

[baking101]

Your definition of kindergarten is important here.

If you mean pre-school, from my understanding, part time work is an option.

If you mean first year of school, you need to consider that the training you would need to do in order to qualify for this role actually qualifies you from 0-8 years (early childhood) or Kinder-Year 6 (primary). The chances of you getting work in a kindergarten classroom is relatively low. I am K-6 trained and have taught upper primary the whole of my career thus far.

Hope this helps!

[peach*face]

I don't think you can just chose what stage to teach iykwim. Also it is very difficult getting a job as a primary teacher if you are in NSW. The average wait for contract is 7 years. Some degrees combine early childhood with primary but I'm not sure how this works post grad.
My parents are both teachers and I can tell you it is not family friendly as the perception seems to be.

This post has been edited by peach*face: 21/11/2012, 07:42 PM

[Elizabethandfrie...]

If you mean kindergarten in the Victorian sense, you can definitely do the job part-time. Most community based kinders only have part-time work as the 4 year old teachers do 15 hours teaching plus prep and the 3 year old teachers do around 4-8 hours teaching plus preparation.

Childcare centres also struggle to find qualified kinder teachers so I imagine job-share options would be out there.

[mum2jp]

In the school system it is not easy to get part time work as a graduate. You will need to do some casual work, get into a school and hopefully get a contract for a year so it is more stable. It is an option to work part time after returning from mat leave when are a permanent employee. I share my class with another teacher, 2 days/3days.

In terms of having school holidays at home with your own children i guess it is somewhat family friendly (but there is prep work to be done in the holidays and most teachers go into school for at least a few days). During school terms it is really no more family friendly than your average job. I am at school by 8 and leave usually between 430-530 so when DS does go to school he will still need B&A care. Once DS is in bed at least a couple of nights a week i am doing paperwork or following up on emails for work. So there is the extra work you will do at home, working part time this is even more so because you are constantly communicating with your job share teacher.

All that said. It is a wonderful rewarding job. You really are invested in the children and share such a large part of their life. You engage them in the wonderful journey of learning new things and developing confidence in their abilities. Of course not all children are this responsive to learning and you will come across your fair share of challenging children, but those are the ones that by the end of the year have often come so far. It is a job that is hard to do when you are not feeling 100% (like lack of sleep dealing with your own little ones, stressed, upset about something). Its face to face all day and you have to be very good at putting on your teachers hat so to say and getting on with the day. Hope that helps

[Elemenopee]

. I am K-6 trained and have taught upper primary the whole of my career thus far.

I am the opposite, I am primary trained and yet always seem to end up working Early Childhood, including a stint as a director of a centre. But obviously it depends a lot on where you are, I am rural SA and always can find work/get offered contracts. Plenty of work around here.

OP, I just wanted to add that if you are thinking of relief teaching, that is not family friendly as you often only get rung at 7am to work that day - it makes organising childcare etc tricky.

I wouldn't want to dissuade you though OP, I love it (atm I relief teach at 2 different centres).

[beakie]

Hi. I work as a Kindergaten assistant (diploma qualified) and looking to start my degree next year to become a teacher. In my area in Central Vic, it is easy to work part time, as there is a huge shortage of qualified EC staff. I work in a council kinder where all the groups are sessional, so it really is quite conducive to part time or job share arrangements. With the shift to 15 hrs next year there is tonnes of work around ATM, but you'd probably have to start off as a casual.

Teaching pre-school is rewarding and fun, but also bloody hard work. In fact teachers are leaving the sector in droves due to newer and higher demands coming from the Early Years Framework. Anyway, it's worth a thought, but not something I'd undertake just for the school holidays. Goodluck!