For job seekers

Childcare jobs in Australia: educator and early childhood roles

Childcare jobs in Australia range from certificate III educators to diploma-qualified room leaders and early childhood teachers in long day care, kindergarten, family day care and outside school hours care. Most roles ask for an approved qualification or evidence you are working towards one, a Working With Children Check for your state and national child safety training. Register with CrossNation and upload your CV to be considered as roles open. Listings are not job offers.

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By CrossNation Editorial Team. Sources checked 4 October 2026.

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Official data

Key facts from official sources

Health care and social assistance: job vacancies

54.3 thousand in August 2026, against 55.3 thousand in August 2025. Over the six quarters from May 2025 to August 2026 the low was 54.3 thousand (Aug 2026) and the high was 59.6 thousand (Nov 2025). 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 qualifications in centre-based services

At least 50% of the educators counted in the ratios must hold, or be actively working towards, an approved diploma level qualification or higher. All other educators must hold or be working towards an approved certificate III level qualification.

Source: ACECQA: Qualifications for centre-based services with children preschool age or under (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 in this sector

What you could apply for

Childcare educator with a certificate III, or working towards one
Diploma-qualified educator or room leader
Early childhood teacher
Outside school hours care educator
Assistant director or director, with experience

What job seekers ask

What to know before you start

What childcare jobs are there?

People searching for jobs in childcare usually mean one of four settings. Long day care centres look after babies, toddlers and preschoolers for most of the working day. Kindergartens and preschools run programs for children before they start school. Family day care is delivered by educators in approved homes. Outside school hours care looks after school-age children before and after school and in the holidays. The Children's Services Award lists all of these, and also occasional care, nurseries, vacation care and in-home care, as part of the children's services industry. Ask which room and age group the role covers, because babies, toddlers and preschoolers need different skills.

What qualifications do you need?

The usual entry point is a certificate III in early childhood education and care, which the award ties to the qualified educator level. A diploma leads to the advanced educator level and makes you one of the diploma-qualified educators that centres must have, because at least half the educators counted in the ratios must hold or be working towards a diploma. Many services hire people who are actively working towards a qualification, often as trainees. An early childhood teacher holds an approved teaching degree. ACECQA keeps the approved lists, so check your qualification there or in its Are you qualified tool before you apply, and see our qualifications guide for the state detail.

What checks and training will an employer ask for?

Every educator needs the working with children check for their state, and the name and process differ: the Working With Children Check in New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia, the blue card in Queensland, Registration to Work with Vulnerable People in Tasmania, Working with Vulnerable People registration in the ACT, and the Ochre Card in the Northern Territory. Victoria expects the clearance before you start in a regulated service and Queensland applies a no card, no start rule. Since 27 February 2026 everyone in NQF-regulated education and care must complete national child safety training, and services need staff with current first aid, anaphylaxis and asthma training on site at all times, so employers often ask for these certificates.

What is the pay?

Most childcare educators are covered by the Children's Services Award unless the provider has an enterprise agreement. From 1 March 2026 the award uses eight Children's Services Employee levels. The table above shows the level 3 qualified educator minimum, read from the award text. It is a minimum, not an average or an offer. Casual employees receive a 25% loading, weekend and public holiday work is paid at higher rates, and early childhood teachers are generally covered by a different award. Our childcare educator pay guide sets out the levels and the date the rates apply from. Check Fair Work for the latest rates and use the Pay Calculator with your real shifts.

Which city or state should you look at?

Each state and territory has its own regulator, ratios for some age groups, teacher registration rules and screening scheme. We have job guides for Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide, each with the local rules that matter, the fee for the working with children check where the official page published one and the Census numbers for children in the area. Pick your city, read what applies, then register your profile. If your city is not listed, the state rules in those guides still apply.

What if you trained overseas or are new to Australia?

Candidates from overseas need the right to work in Australia before they can start, and an employer may need to be approved to sponsor. ACECQA assesses overseas qualifications and publishes a target of 80 calendar days for a complete application, and says applications are currently taking longer. CrossNation cannot promise a job, a visa or an assessment outcome. If you are already in Australia, check what your current visa allows before you accept any role, including any limit on work hours.

Live jobs

Open roles in Childcare right now: 0

No matching roles are open right now. Create a candidate profile and upload your CV, and a recruiter reviews profiles against roles as employers brief us. A listing is not a job offer.

Create a profile and upload your CV

A recruiter reviews profiles against roles as employers brief us. Listings are not job offers.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can I work in childcare before I finish my certificate III?

Often yes. The National Quality Framework lets a person who is actively working towards an approved certificate III count towards staffing, so many services hire trainees. Ask the service how it treats your status.

Do I need a working with children check before I apply?

You usually apply after an offer or when the service asks, because the employer verifies it. In Victoria and Queensland you cannot start in a regulated service until the clearance or card is in place.

What is the difference between an educator and an early childhood teacher?

Educators hold a certificate III or diploma. Early childhood teachers hold an approved degree and lead the educational program where a service needs one, and some states require teacher registration or accreditation.

Are daycare jobs the same as childcare jobs?

Daycare jobs, childcare centre jobs and long day care jobs sit in the same sector, with roles from educator to room leader. Outside school hours care jobs are a separate service type for school-age children. Read the position description for the qualification and the Working With Children Check the employer asks for.

What hours do childcare educators work?

Under the Children's Services Award ordinary hours fall between 6.00 am and 6.30 pm and average 38 a week for full-time staff, so rosters usually include early or late shifts. Outside school hours care is before and after school.

How do I register with CrossNation?

Create a candidate profile and upload a CV that lists your qualification, your Working With Children Check or blue card details, your first aid certificate and the age groups and settings you have worked in. Recruiters look at profiles when a service briefs us.

Can I apply if I trained overseas?

You need the right to work in Australia, and ACECQA assesses overseas qualifications for educator and teacher roles. CrossNation cannot promise a job, a visa or an assessment outcome. This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.