What career options are there?

[LifeChangingMe]

I have decided I want to work with 3-7 year olds though not sure in what capacity. I have never worked, having raised my children for the past 21 years. I am educated to degree level (B.Sc- Hons). Apart from having my own children, I have no experience in this area YET. I am going to volunteer at my village pre-school and in the 3-5 yr olds room at a local montessori nursery. What career options are there for me to go into? And what training would be best for me to start off with, to aim towards? I am really excited and passionate about this choice in my life!! Any ideas would be most appreciated x

The most obvious career options would be either teacher or classroom assistant. If you have a specialised knowledge of something eg music, dance, sports etc there would be options of working in those capacities with the right qualifications, either within a school environment or privately.

It's a very specific age group you are looking to work with, which mostly rules out childminding etc although you could possibly look into offering wraparound care for working parents eg before and after school times.

What are you looking to achieve long term, are you hoping to build a career with good earning potential or do you want something to simply provide you with an income?

What about training as an Early Years Professional? Then you could work in nurseries, pre-schools, children's centres...If you train full-time it's a year-long course and you get a lot of financial support - your fees are paid for you, you get a bursary etc. However I've heard lots of nurseries can't afford to pay their EYPs a graduate salary so afterwards you may end up on not much more than a nursery nurse with a Level 3 childcare qualification. Also I read that there are plans to phase Early Years Professional Status out and replace it with a qualification that incorporates Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and allows you to work both as an infant school teacher and in pre-school settings. Get along to your local WHSmith and buy a copy of Nursery World, that'll get you up to speed on the latest developments and career opportunities in early years.