At school and thinking of starting a career in childcare? We’ve put together a list of qualities which would make you perfect for a childcare apprenticeship!
- You are a great babysitter –Are you the first person that friends or neighbours think of when they need someone to look after their children and you are more than happy to do it.
- You love being around young children – Enjoying spending time with young children is one of the single most important qualities a childcare apprentice can have!
- You don’t know what you want to do – Not many 16 year olds know exactly what they want to do with their lives – so don’t worry. Whilst you are trying to figure it all out, doing an apprenticeship will give you a rewarding career and the financial perks that come with it.
- You don’t want to stay at sixth form or college – There’s no denying it –some people just don’t want to sit in a classroom all day studying for exams! Apprenticeships allow you to earn whilst you learn, so even though you are gaining a recognised qualification, you are actively working.
- You want to save money for your big plans – Getting out into work early means that you can start to have more financial responsibility.
- Paint and glitter are your thing – Not everyone has a liking for arts and crafts – in fact, it is a real skill which would be put to great use in a childcare setting!
- You don’t mind getting covered in paint, mud or glue – Do you enjoy that feeling when you get glue on your hands, and let it dry, just so you can peel it off again? If so, you would be a perfect match for a childcare apprenticeship.
- You are a magnet for young children – Some people can feel uncomfortable around young children and try to avoid them. Other people always seem be get their hands tugged and arms pulled by eager children who want to play with them. If the latter sounds like you, childcare is your calling!
- Babies stop crying when you pick them up – As a childcare apprentice, you may find yourself working with babies as young as a few months old, so this is a magical talent to have. As an added bonus – you can have as many cuddles as you want!
- It’s very rare for you to lose your temper – If it takes a lot to wind you up, if you have the patience of a saint, and if you’ve rarely shouted at anyone – working with young children is definitely a vocation for you.
- You’re good at listening to other people’s problems – Are you ‘that friend’ who people always come too to chat through their problems? To work in childcare, you have to be sensitive to the needs of other people and pick up on cues (not necessarily verbal) to find out how a child is feeling.
- You look after a young child at home – This is not a deal breaker. If you don’t have a child at home you will not be refused an apprenticeship, but experience is always a good starting point. You will already know many of the things required to help children intuitively (which means you don’t need to be taught).
- You want to improve on the results you gained in school – Doing a childcare apprenticeship is a way of gaining sought after qualifications which make you more employable within the industry in the future. There may also be an opportunity for you to re-sit your maths, english or ICT if needed.
- You don’t want a desk job – An office job is not for everyone. If you worked as a childcare apprentice, you would be able to combine an exciting mix of training with work. No two days would be the same… in fact, you’d probably be so busy that time will fly by!
- You’re not afraid of hard work – You can’t get far in life without a little bit of hard graft. Let’s be honest – if you are doing something you really love and put all your passion and drive into it, it will barely feel like real “work” anyway!
You’d love a job with options for career progression – Apprenticeships typically last between 1 and 2 years – but even when you have completed your qualification, your career doesn’t stop. Aspire Training Team have worked with Nursery Managers and company directors that have started off as apprentices.
