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Childcare recruitment agency and early childhood recruitment agency: hire childcare educators

Send a hiring brief

CrossNation is a childcare recruitment agency and an early childhood recruitment agency for long day care, kindergarten, outside school hours care and family day care providers in every state and territory. Use us to hire childcare educators, diploma-qualified room leaders and early childhood teachers, from candidates based in Australia and sponsorship-ready overseas candidates. We send a shortlist and you decide who to interview and offer. The fee is 12% for roles under $50k, 15% for $50k–$90k, 18% above $90k, 20% executive, charged on first-year remuneration (salary plus super), plus GST, and only on a successful placement, with a 90-day replacement guarantee (replacement, not refund), subject to our agreement.

Updated . See our terms

All sectors

By CrossNation Editorial Team. Sources checked 4 October 2026.

Need staff without sponsorship? Hire people already in Australia. For this sector: Childcare educators: hire in Australia

1,200+
Successful Placements
92%
Placement Success Rate
10+
Years of Recruitment Experience
80+
Employer Partners

  • 12% for roles under $50k, 15% for $50k–$90k, 18% above $90k, 20% executive.

    Fees are charged on first-year remuneration (salary plus super), plus GST. Charged only when a placement succeeds. No placement, no fee.

    Christmas offer: sign our agreement by 11:59pm AEDT, Friday 27 November 2026 and pay 12% on every role. See offer terms.

  • 90-day replacement guarantee (replacement, not refund), subject to our agreement

    See our terms.

Official data

Key facts from official sources

Health care and social assistance: job vacancies

Hiring demand in this industry group: 54.3 thousand vacancies were advertised in August 2026, and 55.3 thousand a year earlier. Across the six quarters to August 2026 the count ranged between 54.3 thousand (Aug 2026) and 59.6 thousand (Nov 2025), so expect competition for staff to move with the season. This ABS industry group covers health care and social assistance, which includes child care services alongside hospitals, aged care and disability support.

Source: ABS: Job Vacancies, Australia, August 2026 (job vacancies by industry, original series) (retrieved 4 October 2026)

Award minimum: Children's Services Employee level 3, qualified educator

Children's Services Employee level 3 (Qualified Educator), which the award ties to an approved Certificate III-level qualification: $1,233.90 a week ($32.47 an hour) (Children's Services Award 2010, clause 14.1(b), pay period commencing 1 July 2026). This is the award minimum, not an average or a going rate. Check Fair Work for the latest rates.

Source: Fair Work Ombudsman: Children's Services Award 2010 [MA000120] (retrieved 4 October 2026)

Educator to child ratios

Birth to 24 months is 1:4 everywhere, and 24 to 36 months is 1:5 except in Victoria, where it is 1:4. From 36 months to preschool age the ratio is 1:10 in NSW, WA and Tasmania and 1:11 in ACT, NT, Queensland, SA and Victoria.

Source: ACECQA: Educator to child ratios (retrieved 4 October 2026)

First aid, anaphylaxis and asthma training

A centre-based service must have at least one staff member or nominated supervisor on site at all times who holds current approved first aid, anaphylaxis management and emergency asthma management training (regulation 136).

Source: ACECQA: First aid qualifications and training (retrieved 4 October 2026)

National child safety training

From 27 February 2026 everyone involved in providing NQF-regulated education and care must complete mandatory national child safety training, and staff must complete child protection training that each state or territory specifies.

Source: ACECQA: Child safety and child protection training requirements (retrieved 4 October 2026)

Roles we recruit

What we recruit

  • Childcare educators holding or working towards a certificate III
  • Diploma-qualified educators and room leaders
  • Early childhood teachers with an approved teaching degree
  • Outside school hours care educators and coordinators
  • Assistant directors and directors, where the candidate's experience fits
What employers ask

What to know before you start

What do childcare providers usually brief us on?

A childcare brief is clearest when it names the room and age group first, because a baby room, a toddler room, a preschool room and an outside school hours care program need different skills. Then say which qualification level the position needs, whether you want a certificate III educator, a diploma-qualified educator or an early childhood teacher, and the roster. Under the Children's Services Award, ordinary hours fall between 6.00 am and 6.30 pm, so most briefs describe an opening, middle or closing pattern. Add the service type, the number of approved places and whether the educator will act as a room leader or educational leader. Send the brief through the enquiry form and choose childcare as the sector.

What must you check before an educator starts?

Confirm the qualification against the ACECQA approved lists, or that the person is actively working towards one, and record what you sighted. At least half of the educators counted in the ratios must be diploma qualified or working towards it, so your mix of certificate III and diploma hires matters. Every educator needs the check for your state, and rules differ: in Victoria a person working in a service regulated under the Education and Care Services National Law (Victoria) must not work while their application is being assessed, and Queensland applies a no card, no start rule to the blue card. Since 27 February 2026 every person involved in NQF-regulated education and care must also complete national child safety training. A centre-based service needs a staff member on site with current first aid, anaphylaxis and asthma training at all times. CrossNation records what candidates hold against your list, and does not issue or verify checks.

What will the wages cost?

Wages are separate from our recruitment fee. Most educators are covered by the Children's Services Award 2010 [MA000120], which from 1 March 2026 uses eight Children's Services Employee levels. From 1 July 2026 the award sets level 3, the qualified educator level tied to a certificate III, at $1,233.90 a week ($32.47 an hour) and level 6, room leader, at $1,453.50 a week ($38.25 an hour) for full-time employees (clause 14.1(b)). Casual employees receive a 25% loading, part-time employees are rostered for at least two consecutive hours, and the award sets non-contact time of two hours a week for an educator responsible for programming. Early childhood teachers are generally covered by a different award, and many providers use an enterprise agreement. Superannuation is paid on top at 12%. The figures were re-read on the Fair Work award pages on 27 October 2026; use the Fair Work Pay Calculator or our award rate calculator to price a roster before you set a salary.

Childcare recruitment agencies in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide

Providers who search for childcare agencies or recruitment agencies for childcare often start in their own city, and the rules they plan around do change between states. If you are comparing childcare recruitment agencies in Melbourne, remember that Victoria is the only jurisdiction with a one to four ratio for children over 24 months and under 36 months, and that its early childhood teachers must be registered with the Victorian Institute of Teaching. In New South Wales teachers must be accredited with the NSW Education Standards Authority, in Western Australia and South Australia they must be registered, and in Queensland the College of Teachers does not require registration for teachers in NQF settings. We recruit for services across every state and territory and have city guides for educators in each capital.

What happens after you send a childcare brief?

Tell us the service type, room, qualification level, roster and start date. A recruiter searches registered candidates against your list, talks through their experience and the checks they hold, and sends you a shortlist. The interviews and the offer are yours. Our fee is 12% for roles under $50k, 15% for $50k–$90k, 18% above $90k, 20% executive, charged on first-year remuneration (salary plus super), plus GST, and only on a successful placement, and the placement carries a 90-day replacement guarantee (replacement, not refund), subject to our agreement. The employment contract, the award coverage and your own child safety obligations stay between you and the educator.

Can you find overseas educators?

Yes, alongside educators who are already here. An overseas candidate needs work rights before starting, and the employer, not CrossNation, holds or obtains any sponsorship approval. ACECQA assesses overseas qualifications, publishes a target timeframe of 80 calendar days for a complete application and says applications are currently taking longer than usual, so plan for a wait. If an educator is based in Australia with the right to work and a qualification ACECQA already recognises, the search is faster. CrossNation cannot promise a visa, an approval, an assessment outcome or a candidate for a given date.

Tell us the role, location and start date

The fee is 12% for roles under $50k, 15% for $50k–$90k, 18% above $90k, 20% executive, charged on first-year remuneration (salary plus super), plus GST, charged only when a placement succeeds.

Send a hiring brief

How to choose a childcare recruitment agency in Australia

These checks work for any agency. Each one is something you can ask for or verify before you send a brief.

  1. Fee basis in writing

    Ask for the percentage, what it is charged on and the event that makes the fee payable, in writing, before you send a brief.

    CrossNation: CrossNation's fee is 12% for roles under $50k, 15% for $50k–$90k, 18% above $90k, 20% executive, charged on first-year remuneration (salary plus super), plus GST, and only when a placement succeeds.

  2. Guarantee terms in writing

    Ask for the guarantee period and how it applies in the agreement you sign, not only on the agency's website.

    CrossNation: CrossNation placements carry a 90-day replacement guarantee (replacement, not refund), subject to our agreement. See our terms.

  3. How candidates are screened

    Ask what the agency checks before it shortlists a candidate, and what record it keeps, such as qualifications, registration or licence status and work rights, so you can verify each one yourself.

    CrossNation: CrossNation records each candidate's qualifications, registration or licence status and work rights so employers can verify them.

  4. Migration agent involvement

    If you are considering an overseas hire, ask who gives visa advice. Only a registered migration agent can give migration advice, and the register of migration agents is public (https://www.mara.gov.au/). This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.

    CrossNation: CrossNation is a recruitment agency, not a registered migration agent. The employer holds or obtains its own approval.

  5. References

    Ask for referee details for a candidate you are shortlisting, call the referees yourself, and ask the agency how it checks references and what it passes on to you.

  6. Qualification evidence you can check

    Ask which qualification the agency records for each educator and check it against the ACECQA approved lists, or confirm the person is actively working towards one.

    CrossNation: CrossNation records each candidate's qualification so you can check it against the ACECQA lists.

  7. Working with Children Check or blue card status

    Ask how the agency records each candidate's Working with Children Check or blue card, and confirm it with the state or territory screening body before the first shift, because the scheme and its name differ by state.

    CrossNation: CrossNation records what candidates tell us they hold against your list. It does not issue or verify checks.

Frequently asked questions

Is CrossNation one of the recruitment agencies for childcare?

CrossNation is a recruitment agency that recruits childcare educators and other early childhood staff for employers across Australia. We are registered in Mildura, Victoria (VIC 3500), and we do not run a centre office near you. You send a brief, and our fee is 12% for roles under $50k, 15% for $50k–$90k, 18% above $90k, 20% executive, charged on first-year remuneration (salary plus super), plus GST, and only when a placement succeeds, with a 90-day replacement guarantee (replacement, not refund), subject to our agreement.

What qualifications must childcare educators hold?

In centre-based services for children preschool age or under, at least half the educators counted must hold or be working towards an approved diploma, and all others an approved certificate III. Services with enough children also need an early childhood teacher. Outside school hours care follows state-specific rules in some states.

Which award covers childcare educators?

In most cases the Children's Services Award 2010 [MA000120] covers childcare educators, unless an enterprise agreement applies. From 1 July 2026 it sets at least $1,233.90 a week ($32.47 an hour) for a level 3 qualified educator and $1,453.50 a week ($38.25 an hour) for a level 6 room leader, for full-time employees. Early childhood teachers are generally covered by the Educational Services (Teachers) Award instead. Check which instrument covers your service.

Are you an early childhood recruitment agency, and do you recruit early childhood teachers?

Yes. CrossNation is an early childhood recruitment agency as well as a childcare recruitment agency. Teachers hold an approved degree, and some states require registration or accreditation, which we list on the city pages for educators and on our early childhood teacher hiring guide. Tell us the state and the service type.

Can you recruit for outside school hours care?

Yes. ACECQA says there are no national qualification requirements for outside school hours care but lists state-specific rules in the ACT, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, so give us the state.

Does a working with children check from another state count?

Checks are issued by each state or territory and the scheme has a different name in each. Confirm which check the service needs where it operates, and ask candidates for the number early.

What do childcare recruitment agencies charge?

Our fee is 12% for roles under $50k, 15% for $50k–$90k, 18% above $90k, 20% executive, charged on first-year remuneration (salary plus super), plus GST, and applies only if a placement succeeds, and each placement carries a 90-day replacement guarantee (replacement, not refund), subject to our agreement. Wages, superannuation, working with children check costs you reimburse, and first aid or child safety training for new educators are separate costs that stay with you.

How long does it take to recruit childcare educators through CrossNation?

It depends on the candidate and on bodies CrossNation does not control, such as registration boards, licensing regulators and the Department of Home Affairs, so CrossNation does not give a timeline. For childcare, those steps can include qualification assessment by ACECQA. Many employers ask for both onshore and overseas candidates so an urgent vacancy is not held up.

What are an employer's responsibilities when sponsoring overseas childcare educators?

The Department of Home Affairs says a standard business sponsor has obligations to meet while it sponsors someone. They include telling the department in writing when certain events occur, such as the sponsored person ceasing employment or a change in their duties, making sure the person works only in the occupation nominated, giving terms and conditions of employment that are not less favourable than those of an equivalent Australian worker, keeping records, and cooperating with inspectors. The sponsor must also pay the costs of the recruitment process itself, including recruitment agent fees, and must not charge them to the sponsored worker. A sponsor that does not meet its obligations can face sanctions. The employer is the sponsor. CrossNation is a recruitment agency, does not sponsor and cannot promise a visa or an approval. This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.

What happens if a childcare educator placed through CrossNation leaves?

Placements carry a 90-day replacement guarantee (replacement, not refund), subject to our agreement. How it applies is set out in the agreement between CrossNation and the employer, so ask for the guarantee terms in writing before you sign. See our terms at https://crossnation.com.au/terms. The guarantee is not a promise of any offer, visa or migration outcome.

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Childcare recruitment by city and state

Related

Sources (accessed 4 October 2026)