Childcare is currently one of the largest and fastest growing industries in Australia. Why, you may ask? Because more and more mothers and fathers are both having to go to work to support their families and meet the demands of an expensive society. This has caused the childcare industry to skyrocket and created a high-demand for trained and qualified childcare workers. However, a childcare profession is obviously not built for everybody. A career in childcare requires a specific kind of personality. You may be wondering, ‘does my friendly nature make me the perfect childcare worker?’ A friendly nature is great; however, you also need other personal attributes. See if you havethe other key skills and qualities required for a career in childcare.
Patience is a virtue, that’s for sure–and it’s vital to have when dealing with children. Working with children can beproblematic and stressful and sometimes downright chaotic. Working with children can test your patience and you must be able to rely on your ability to stop, stay calm and handlethe situation professionally and responsibly. Professional childcare workers naturally have a lot of patience and a cool head, with the ability to remain cool, calm and collected, even when presented with tantrums, tears and chaos.
Even if you have a friendly nature, it’s also very important to possess good communication skills. There are threetypes of communication that childcare workers have to consider: communicating with the children under their care and supervision, communicating with the children’s parents and guardians and communicating with their colleagues. Childcare workers must be able to communicate with children in a way they can comprehend, listen and respond and also be able to communicate with their parents/guardians. Most parentstypically want to know how their child is behaving, performing, learning and doing in general. That’s why if something goes wrong or you’re concerned about the child under your care, it’s your responsibility to this to the parents in a timely and efficient manner.
Another important attribute childcare workers should possessis a nurturing attitude. Simply supervising the children is not enough, the best childcare professionals also know how to nurture children whilst simultaneously helping them learn, develop and grow into the best person they can be. Sure, this is a skill that can be learned, however, it’s also one that many successful childcare workers naturally possess. Having a nurturing attitude is especially important for childcare workerswho are also responsible for educating the children that they care for and supervise.
If you believe you have the other skills and personal attributes
required for a career in childcare, as well as a friendly and warm
nature, get in touch with KAL Training. KAL Training offer a range
of courses, such as the
Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care, that can help you achieve your childcare career goals.
Call us today at 1800-244-438 for more information.