Childcare inspectors
Childcare inspectors in England regulate all registered providers of daycare and judge the expectations appropriate for each of the five types of provision - childminders, full-daycare, sessional daycare, out-of-school care, and creches. Ofsted trains childcare inspectors, who, althoughhome-based, are typically members of a team of six to 10 managed by a senior childcare inspector. Potential inspectors need excellent organisational skills and be able to work under pressure without close supervision, meet deadlines and priorities; have good interpersonal skills; experience and understanding of dealing with sensitive issues and handling confidential information; good written and verbal communication skills; good IT skills; be able to analyse information, and present results clearly and concisely; and have experience of inspection work. Desirable criteria are experience of regulatory work in the early years sector and knowledge of the relevant legislation; and an appropriate professional qualification, such as from the fields of childcare, education, social work or health.
Nursery managers can and do become inspectors, but there is no specific requirement for candidates to have managed a nursery. Ofsted is not currently recruiting for childcare inspectors. Future vacancies will be advertised when they arise.
Contact the Registered Inspector Training Section, Inspection Quality Division, Ofsted, Alexandra House, 33 Kingsway, London WC2B 6SE (020 7421 5905, e-mail iqd1@ofsted.gov.uk,website www.ofsted.gov.uk).
In Wales, Estyn contracts out inspections for early years settings and schools to independent inspectors. To be accepted as an independent inspector, you need to complete a training course and perform successfully on a series of assessments to test your knowledge and relevant skills. From time to time Estyn holds training courses for people who wish to become early years and nursery registered inspectors, primary team inspectors, secondary team inspectors and lay inspectors. At present, applications are invited from people able to inspect and report through the medium of Welsh and from members of ethnic minority communities. Estyn also uses inspectors who work under contract with its own teams, usually on inspections of work-based training and further education.
Contact the Contracts Team, Estyn, Anchor Court, Keen Road, Cardiff CF24 5JW (029 2044 6446, fax 029 2044 6448, e-mail contracts@estyn.gsi.gov.uk,website www.estyn.gov.uk).
Health visitors' assistants
Health visitors' assistants are increasingly nursery nurses who work in primary healthcare teams alongside and under the supervision of health visitors, to agreed protocols. Their exact roles are being defined and new skills mixes introduced as the number of nursery nurses working in such positions grows, although policies vary in different health trusts.
Contact your local NHS Primary Care Trust. An alphabetical list of PCTs across England is on the website www.nhs.uk/root/localnhsservices/list.
Hospital play specialists
Hospital play specialists have a vital role for children and their families during a stay in hospital. They provide therapeutic play programmes for children of all ages, individually and in groups, in ward-based playrooms, outpatients clinics, accident and emergency departments and intensive care units. They work closely with other members of the professional team, using play to prepare children for hospital procedures, support families under stress, and contribute to clinical judgements through their play-based observations of sick children. Fifteen colleges run the Edexcel Professional Development Certificate in Hospital Play Specialism (HPS), though some hospitals employ nursery nurses as play assistants and will second them to HPS courses. Normally, a CACHE Diploma in Child Care and Education or equivalent is required for courses, but mature candidates will be considered on life experiences.
For more information about hospital play specialists and a list of colleges, write, enclosing a large SAE, to Jackie Ellis, Floodgate, Fortygreen, Beaconsfield, Bucks HP9 1XS, or visit the website www.nahps.org.uk.
Maternity nurse
Maternity nurses care for newborn babies and offer support to their mothers, carrying out duties such as bathing, changing and feeding, both during the day and night. Positions often occur in families with first babies or twins or triplets, and tend to be short-term - often for only three or four months, although the high pay reflects the long hours demanded. No extra qualifications are required beyond a CACHE Diploma in Child Care and Education or BTec Level 3 Diploma, but experience with newborns is essential. Note, however, that families often prefer to employ maternity nurses with medical nursing experience.
Many nanny agencies advertise these jobs. See advertisements in Nursery World for specific posts.
Montessori teacher
Montessori is a holistic approach that educates children physically, intellectually, socially and emotionally. A Montessori diploma opens doors to the many Montessori schools in the UK and thousands more overseas - particularly in Europe, the United States, Canada and the Far East, and many qualified teachers open their own schools. The Montessori approach to education is recognised by major UK educational bodies and several colleges offer courses. Students come from all over the world to study at the Maria Montessori Training Organisation, which is affiliated to the Association Montessori Internationale. It runs a one-year full-time course and a two-year part-time evening course. The minimum entry requirements is two A-levels or seven or eight GCSEs. Students that meet other criteria may be accepted without these paper qualifications following an interview, however. There is a minimum age of 18, but no maximum age.
Contact the Maria Montessori Training Organisation, 26 Lyndhurst Gardens, London NW3 5NW (020 7435 3646, fax 020 7431 8096, e-mail montessori@amiuk.fsnet.co.uk,website www.montessori-ami.org).
The Montessori Centre International runs courses including a one-year full-time or part-time Early Childhood course, which prepares graduates to work with children aged between two-and-a-half and six. All candidates are assessed for entry on individual merit and can begin the course in September or February. The syllabus includes Montessori philosophy, child development and observations, contemporary issues in early years safety, First Aid, and health and nutrition. Montessori early years curriculum subjects include education of the senses, practical life activities, numeracy and literacy, and cultural and creative studies. This course is designed to develop a high level of professional competence in students wishing to be Montessori teachers in the early years. The diploma is recognised internationally.
The course is also offered to postgraduates and people with the CACHE Diploma in Child Care and Education. The course content is the same, but the assessment is more challenging. It is available in September for full- or part-time entry and February for part-time entry only.
The Infant Toddler course, offered as part-time study starting in September, is open to graduates holding the Early Childhood certificate, and focuses on work with children from birth to the age of three. The syllabus includes Montessori philosophy, child development and observations, and developmentally-appropriate activities for babies and toddlers. It also gives an insight into school and classroom management.
The course has been designed for students who aspire to start their own nursery school and are interested in working with younger children.
Contact the Montessori Centre International, 18 Balderton Street, London W1K 6TG (020 7493 0165, fax 020 7629 7808, e-mail mci@montessori.ac.uk).
Nurse
Students studying either the degree or the diploma course require the same amount of practice and theory. The minimum entry requirement is five GCSE grades A to C or equivalents. Alternative qualifications include a kite-marked access course to Nursing, NVQ Level 3 in care or the CACHE Diploma in Child Care and Education or the BTec national diploma. The CACHE Diploma in Child Care and Education now allows entry on to nurse training courses. It can also be used for entry to midwifery training provided the candidate has GCSE grade C in English Language, and in mathematics or a science subject. More information about alternative qualifications is available from NHS Careers (see below). It is also possible to work with babies and children in a hospital setting without committing yourself to the intensive three-year, full-time course a nursing qualification requires. Children's hospitals, and paediatric and maternity units all recruit nursery nurses as support staff, though not in great numbers. You may also like to ask for information about a four-year degree that combines nursing training with social work related to learning disability support, at South Bank University, the University of Hertfordshire and the University of Teesside.
For further information contact NHS Careers, PO Box 376, BS99 3EY (0845 606 0655, fax 0845 850 8866, e-mail advice@nhscareers. nhs.uk, website www.nhs.uk/careers).
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) sets the minimum standard for the three-year pre-registration diploma in higher education. However, each higher education institution can set its own entry criteria above these minimum requirements.
For application information and a form, contact the Nursing and Midwifery Admissions Service (NMAS), Rosehill, New Barn Lane, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL52 3LZ (0870 1122206).
NVQ assessor
If you have reached the stage in your career when your knowledge and maturity could benefit others trying to gain qualifications, then an assessor's job could be for you. As an NVQ assessor you will observe candidates at work and look at their portfolios, matching their performance to the national standards required, and giving feedback as necessary. Your report will be read and countersigned by the internal verifier before each candidate successfully completes the units. To become an assessor, you need to achieve the NVQ Training and Development Units A1/A2 and V1 to be an internal verifier.
For more information contact your local NVQ centre. A list of CACHE NVQ centres is available from CACHE, 8 Chequer Street, St Albans, Herts AL1 3XZ (01727 847636, fax 01727 867609, website www.cache.org.uk).
Social worker
If you have a CACHE Diploma in Child Care and Education or its equivalent, plus at least one year's work experience, you are qualified to undertake the two-year full-time Diploma in Social Work. Social workers with a background in nursery training are particularly suited to jobs in child protection and work with families under stress.
Contact Information Services, The General Social Care Council, Goldings House, 2 Hays Lane, London SE1 2HB (020 7397 5800, e-mail info@gscc.org.uk,websites www.gscc.org.uk and www.socialworkcareers.co.uk).
Specialist teacher assistant
If you are already working with children in an educational setting, even in a voluntary capacity, a Specialist Teacher Assistant (STA) course can sharpen and formalise your skills. Successful completion of the course may count towards higher courses, depending upon the policy of the education institution. All STA courses prepare you to support children in numeracy and literacy at Key Stage 1 and some, including the CACHE award, also prepare assistants to work with children at Key Stage 2. STA courses may be run in conjunction with local education authorities or offered independently by further education colleges.
Contact the Council for Awards in Children's Care and Education (CACHE), 8 Chequer Street, St Albans, Herts AL1 3XZ (01727 847636, fax 01727 867609, website www.cache.org.uk),the Open University (01908 652309, website www.open.
ac.uk) or your local education authority.
Speech and language therapist/assistant
Training for a career as a speech and language therapist is by undergraduate or postgraduate degree courses offered at 15 higher education institutions in the UK. Undergraduate courses take three or four years and postgraduate courses two years. All courses are jointly accredited by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) and the Health Professions Council, and lead to eligibility for state registration. For a first degree course, the minimum entry qualifications are normally five GCSE and two A-level passes, or three Scottish highers, but most courses require three A-level passes or four highers. Students with GCSE passes in English Language, a second language, mathematics and a science are often at an advantage. Some courses require specific GCSE and A-levels such as English or biology. Applications from suitably qualified mature students are welcome. Evidence of recent study may be required. Opportunities also exist to work as a speech and language therapist's assistant. An N/SVQ in Care at Level 3 is available, but is not a condition of entry.
Contact the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, 2 White Hart Yard, London SE1 1NX (020 7378 1200, e-mail postmaster@rcslt.org,website www.rcslt.org). Send an SAE for a career information pack.
Teacher
To become a teacher you need the right combination of qualifications and personal qualities. To enter an Initial Teacher Training (ITT) programme, you must have at least a Grade C GCSE in English Language and Mathematics or equivalents. If you were born on or after 1 September 1979 and want to teach primary pupils you will also need at least a GCSE Grade C (or equivalent) in a science subject. Whether you wish to train as a primary or secondary teacher, you will need to show how your previous education has given you the foundation to teach the subject you intend to specialise in. There are no statutory requirements for subject qualifications. ITT providers set their own requirements when looking at your A-levels, degree or other educational qualifications to decide if it would be appropriate for them to train you to teach your chosen subject. You can train to teach any of the subjects included in the National Curriculum - English, Mathematics, Science, Welsh (in Wales only), Design and Technology, Information Technology, History, Geography, Music, Art, Physical Education, and Modern Foreign Languages.
You can also train to teach Religious Education which, though not part of the National Curriculum, is taught to all pupils.
At primary level, you will need to be able to teach English, Mathematics and Science, as well as specialising in at least one National Curriculum subject, or in early years teaching, covering three- to eight-year-olds. In both primary and secondary, you will also be trained to use Information Communications Technology (ICT) in your teaching. Courses are available across the different age ranges. They are:
* Three to eight, which includes specialist training for nursery and reception, and instead of specialising in a National Curriculum subject you have the option of taking advanced early years studies. Your training will equip you to teach the full primary curriculum up to age eight. Note that you cannot qualify as a teacher of under-fives only.
* Three or five to 11, enabling you to teach across the primary range.
* Seven to 11, enabling you to teach at the upper end of a primary school.
* Seven to 14, enabling you to teach in both the upper end of a primary school and the lower end of a secondary school.
* Eleven to 16 or 18, so you can teach in secondary schools and also 14- to 19-year-olds.
The undergraduate route to becoming a teacher combines your degree studies with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). The course at a university or college will lead to a degree, usually BEd, BA or BSc, and to QTS. There are more than 50 providers of undergraduate ITT programmes in England and Wales alone. Most of these are for primary teaching.
Applications for undergraduate courses are made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). The deadline is from 1 September 2003 to 15 January 2004, but apply early as primary courses fill up quickly.
Contact UCAS, Rosehill, New Barn Lane, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL52 3LZ (for application materials 0870 1122200, general enquiries for BEd courses 0870 1122211, website www.ucas.com)or the Open University's Information Line on 0870 600 0991.
To follow the postgraduate route, you need a degree or equivalent that gives the necessary foundation for the subject and age-range you want to teach. For primary and secondary teaching, this generally means a degree relevant to your main subject. You will also need Grade C GCSE in English Language, Mathematics (or equivalents) and a similar qualification in a science subject if you were born on or after 1 September 1979. Most postgraduate courses are for one full-time academic year and on a primary course you will spend at least 18 weeks in school. There are more than 100 postgraduate courses on offer, almost all of which lead to the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and to QTS.
Contact the Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR), Rosehill, New Barn Lane, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL52 3LZ (General enquiries 0870 1122205). For an information pack on teacher training, contact the Teacher Training Agency, Communication Centre, PO Box 3210, Chelmsford CM3 3WA (teaching information line 0845 600 0991, e-mail teaching@ttainfo.demon.co.uk,website www.canteach.gov.uk).
