Early years careers
Are you a school leaver, graduate or perhaps looking for a career change or returning to work after a break? There are jobs and training available to suit all levels, start your new career today.
Use the dropdown menu below to find information about starting your career, returning to work, qualifications, training and more.
Working in early years and childcare
Download your guide to ‘Working in early years and childcare’; find out how you can make a real difference, the career options, qualifications needed, work-based training and progression available.
Download 'Your guide to working in early years and childcare' (232kb)-
Starting out
Arranging work experience in a local early years setting will provide you with valuable skills and knowledge. You will find out what it’s like to work in a nursery or pre-school and also find out if it’s the right career choice for you. To make contact with an early years setting near you please visit Pinpoint where you can search for childcare providers in Devon.
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Training and qualifications
It is really important to have the right skills and knowledge to do your job properly. Different qualifications are needed to perform certain roles in early years and childcare. Some qualifications are essential for the job role; they are needed to comply with Ofsted and EYFS regulations and standards. Work-based training is also important if you want to further your skills and progress to a higher level.
There is a range of qualifications and short courses suitable for every stage of your career to support your continued professional development.
Visit our training pages to view the types of qualifications that are available and where you can access training.
Once you are working in an early years setting, you can sign up for a DEL training account on the DEL Digital training website.
Find out more about creating a DEL account and how to use the DEL training website.
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Looking for jobs
All the latest job vacancies in early years and childcare and wider roles can be found on the Devon Jobs website.
You will find a wide range of careers from Assistant to Supervisor posts, full-time, part-time and term time vacancies. You can sign up to receive email alerts so that you are notified as soon as a job comes up that matches your search criteria.
You will also find a wide range of jobs on the Direct Gov website using their ‘Find a Job’ service.
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Support for job seekers
The National Careers Service provide job seekers with free support, including practical support such as writing applications.
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Do you live in Torbay or Plymouth?
If you choose to work within the Torbay or Plymouth areas you will need to visit your local Family Information Service for information and advice about working in early years as these are run by separate local authorities and do not fall under the remit of Devon County Council’s support and funding arrangements.
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Contact the Early Years & Childcare Service
We hope that this information provides answers to some of the questions you may have about working in early years, however, if you have further questions about what steps to take, please get in touch.
Early Years and Childcare Service
R155, County Hall
Topsham Road
Exeter
EX2 4QDEmail: eywd@devon.gov.uk