4 Reasons Why Early Years Jobs are Ideal for Your Next Career Move

If you’ve ever wanted a career in working with children, working in early years jobs could be for you. 

These rewarding career paths allow you to shape the lives of young people at one of the more important developmental stages, meaning that the care and education that you give will help to shape them into the people that they grow up to be.

With a wealth of opportunities to support you with embarking on a career where you can make a difference, here are four reasons why careers in childcare and the early years could be the best career move for you.

Working with the early years can open many doors to different career opportunities with experience and progression.

If you’re unsure which path you want to take, you can build on your experience slowly by taking roles that are relevant to your experience and building skills as you progress. This will enable you to work your way up the ladder quickly towards your dream job.

Working with the early years is also a hugely rewarding experience. The growth and development of children requires a high level of investment from learning environments, and can help prepare them adequately for moving up to the next stage in their schooling. 

You may wish to form a specialised interest in different areas of the early years, depending on your skill set. You could choose to focus on working with children with special educational needs and play a key role in supporting them and their families with transitionary periods and assessments. 

Government statistics have recently shown an increasing trend in the number of children with special educational needs to 1.49 million in 2022, meaning that the need for support is ever increasing.

One of the many advantages of undertaking a career in the early years sector is the numerous opportunities to expand your knowledge and work on your self-development. 

If you’re keen to progress your career to the next level, undertaking a qualification like the Early Years and Education FdA or Early Childhood Studies BA can help you expand your horizons further to reach that next step. These qualifications will equip you with the necessary skills and knowledge, and can help you bridge the gap towards a teaching qualification, if that is your eventual goal. 

The Early Years Education FdA is studied 100% online, meaning you can shape your learning experience around any existing work placements, family commitments or caring responsibilities. The Early Childhood Studies BA also contains 85 days of placement as part of your studies, which will enable you to hone your skills in a real-life setting, as well as helping you to understand how your studies fit into practical situations.

Recent reports have found that around 435,000 people are currently unemployed in the UK due to childcare responsibilities for children under 3 years old. With the cost of living crisis, rising energy prices and fuel duty, and an increased number of parents claiming universal credit, many parents have faced a limited ability to commit to paid work in the absence of affordable childcare.

However, in the spring budget 2023, childcare is one of the largest factors discussed to encourage parents back into work. To achieve this, the government is looking to fund 30 hours of free childcare for working parents of children aged between 9 months and 3 years from April 2024 so that parents can focus on returning to work with adequate childcare support. 

As a result of these changes, and a boost of new funding granted to the industry, the childcare sector will begin to see a huge influx of jobs as demand for childcare increases, and parents attempt to increase their hours of work during the day.

As well as being a rewarding career choice, early years jobs also provide flexibility. 

Many early years practitioners choose to work part-time hours, or may work in shift patterns, depending on your work environment. Many jobs in early years are most active during a working day or school day, leaving school holidays and weekends free for those who have families to look after. 

If you’re looking to start a career in the early years, there are so many ways you can achieve a fulfilling and rewarding experience. Whether you opt to start from an entry level position and work your way up gradually, or invest in your academic portfolio to boost your knowledge, the childcare and early years sector is set to become a well supported and heavily invested industry in the coming years.

If you want to learn more about our early years courses, apply today to start your journey with ARU.

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