It’s never too late – become a kindergarten teacher

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Over the next decade, the Victorian Government is investing almost $5 billion to deliver 15 hours of funded Three-Year-Old Kindergarten a week for 40 weeks of the year. This means the creation of more than 4,000 new early childhood teacher roles and 2,000 new educator roles across the state.

Every early childhood career has one thing in common – the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children and their families. As a growing, dynamic sector, early childhood education offers plenty of chances to take your career in lots of different directions.

Depending on where you are in your educational journey, there are a number of ways to achieve your goal of becoming an early childhood teacher.

If you are a secondary school student or have never studied before, you can complete an undergraduate early childhood qualification.

To enrol in an undergraduate early childhood qualification, such as a Bachelor in Early Childhood Education, you usually need a Secondary Certificate of Education. In Victoria, this is your Victorian Certificate of Education or VCE. Most undergraduate courses take four years of full-time study to complete.

You can apply through the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) or direct to a university. Most universities offer both February and mid-year intake.

If you hold a Certificate III or Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care, you may be able to gain credit towards your undergraduate early childhood qualification.

Universities may recognise this as prior learning when you enrol, reducing the number of subjects you’ll need to study and how long your degree will take to complete. Contact your local university for more information.

If you are a primary school teacher or hold a bachelor degree in another field, you can complete a postgraduate early childhood qualification.

Perhaps you’ve finished an undergraduate degree and decided you want to become an early childhood teacher, or you’re considering a career change. If you’ve completed a bachelor qualification in any field, you can apply for a postgraduate qualification in early childhood teaching (such as a Master of Teaching [Early Childhood] or Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Teaching). This can take up to two years of full-time study to complete.

Different universities have different enrolment requirements and study options, so contact your local university to find out more.

There are flexible study options available so you can study on-campus or online to suit your needs. To find a University near you, explore the early childhood education study map.

Once you’ve completed your qualification in early childhood education, you’ll need to register with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT). To find out more, visit the Victorian Institute of Teaching website.

Whether you’re starting your study, considering upskilling or changing careers, or already studying your undergraduate early childhood qualification, there are a range of financial support packages available. You can apply online at education.vic.gov.au at any time of the year.

Employment incentives are also available to attract bachelor-qualified teachers to work in the local government areas where Three-Year-Old Kindergarten is rolling out in 2020. These include the shires of Buloke, Hindmarsh, Northern Grampians, South Gippsland, Strathbogie and Yarriambiack.

The locations where incentives will be available will change each year as Three-Year-Old Kindergarten rolls out across the state. For further information on early childhood teacher incentives and how to apply go to the Victorian Department of Education and Training website.

There’s never been a better time to become an early childhood teacher and help change lives for the better.