Childcare and early years practitioner careers
Becoming an Early Years Teacher
Become a specialist in early childhood and prepare yourself for diverse and exciting career opportunities. The first five years of life are pivotal in a child’s development. High quality early years provision can help children achieve their potential and support parents and families.
Early Years Teachers are key to raising the quality of early years provision. To become an Early Years Teacher, you need to gain Early Years Initial Teacher Status (EYITT). Early Years Teacher Status is not a qualification, but a status given at degree level that is achieved by evidencing you meet a set of standards. Early Years Teacher Status allows you to lead in early years settings on delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), to improve and provide the best outcomes for children aged 0–5 years.
What would I do?
As an Early Years Teacher, you would lead practice across the EYFS, support and mentor other practitioners in the setting and model the skills and behaviours that safeguard and support children. You would be leading colleagues who have various levels of qualifications and experience within your childcare setting. The Early Years Teacher role is one that challenges thinking, suggests improvements, and manages change to meet the EYFS and achieve the best Ofsted inspection results.
What skills and experience do I need?
- enjoy working with young children
- work effectively in a team
- have effective leadership skills
- effectively communicate and work in partnership with families, carers and other professionals
- establish fair, respectful, trusting, supportive and constructive relationships with children
- inspire and motivate colleagues to improve their practice
- plan and provide safe and appropriate activities and play opportunities which enable children to develop and learn
- be passionate about improving outcomes for all children
- have up-to-date knowledge and understanding of Early Years practice with children aged 0–5 years
What qualifications do I need?
To become an Early Years Teacher, you need to gain Early Years Teacher Status, which is a graduate level status. To achieve this status, you will need to undertake a training pathway. The pathway for you will depend on your current experience and qualifications and the training provider will help you decide which is the most suitable pathway of study for you. All candidates will need to have GCSE Mathematics, English and Science at grade 4/C or above, and a full degree.