Teaching Early Years: 10 Reasons to Become Early Years Teacher janets.org.uk/early-years-teacher 18 February 2021
Have you ever thought about a career in education and eager to learn where to start? Maybe you are always generous with children and your friends and family are surprised by how easy-going and friendly when you are around the children. If this is the case and you like to combine your passion for teaching with your love for spending time with children, there is no better career path to follow than to engage in early year teacher training to become an EYFS teaching assistant.
Who is an Early Years Teacher? Early years teachers work with children from birth to 5 years. The journey of a child’s education begins in preschool settings and the foundation stage of primary schools. This is the first time they are in an alien environment and socializing with strangers. As an early year teacher, your target is to inspire, excite and nurture children through a crucial stage of their brain development. Your goal is to motivate children and help them learn to use imaginative resources. You’ll give them a safe and secure environment to
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develop their social and communication skills. You will also have to keep observation records and summarise their achievements. Furthermore, you will be the first friend in their life and also teach and prepare them for primary school.
Salary of Early Years Teachers There is no fixed salary system in an early year teaching job. The salaries and work conditions are set by individual employers, so vary depending on the setting in which you work. When you start a job in early year teaching, the salary will be £16,000 to £18,000 in a year. Once you gain enough experience and expertise, you may be able to get £22,000 to £30,000 per year, however your job responsibility will be increased also.
10 Reasons to become Early Years Teacher You may wonder about why you want to pursue a career in becoming an EYFS teacher. Here are the 10 reasons why you should consider becoming an early years teacher.
1. To change the lives of young children
The journey of a child’s education begins in a pre-school. An early year’s teacher is the people who teach children at the preliminary stage of their education. You will set the bar for learning. Being an early year’s teacher means you have the ability to instil a love for school in young children. This is the first time they are in an alien environment and
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socializing outside their family, following a new routine, or rules and consequences on someone other than a parent. So, if you are not careful with them, you will foster feelings of negativity towards education. In an elementary school, children will be introduced to various new subjects, and they will also be learning these for years to come. You have the ability to ignite an interest in subjects like Maths, Language Arts and science and also shape their future. So, you can determine what type of learner the child will be throughout the school. Failing to capture a child’s interest in early stages can seriously affect their academic and personal life success later in their life, especially if the child also struggles with the socialization aspect of the school. You will teach them how to read and help them find enjoyment in reading and also make them an avid reader. Reading is the foundation for all subjects, so it is extremely crucial in a child’s life. You can also help shape healthy habits in their life. Since they eat lunch, and a morning and afternoon snack in your care. You can use this mealtime to inform them about the importance of nutrition? If they pick up the habit of a healthy diet this will impact their overall health for the rest of their lives. It’s much easier for an adult to maintain a healthy lifestyle if they start off eating well and exercising at a young age.
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Children are amazing learner
When you are teaching in a preschool, there is a feeling of satisfaction which can’t be felt in other job fields. When you are teaching children as young as 3 years old, you will be the first person to see how incredible their learning ability is. At this stage they love to learn
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anything and everything around them. They are interested in learning and experiencing new subjects, even if it is schoolwork. Research suggests that children develop stronger cognitive and social abilities by learning through play and socializing in an early year setting, compared to those children who don’t. When children are playing with their age, it gives an opportunity to learn and grow their brain development. They are honest and enjoy their surroundings and each other, which creates an atmosphere of fun and happiness. This makes the preschool teacher’s job exciting and rewarding. Often you will be inspired by them in their own lives to live a more ordinary life.
3. Get to help children learn in new ways
In a preschool, you will be teaching several subjects rather than one subject in one day. This gives you the chance to teach various subjects and eliminates the monotony of teaching the same thing all day. A teacher gets to see all the qualities of his/her students when they are teaching different subjects. Which allows the teachers to see their student’s potential in different capacities. For example, a student who struggles in reading but excels in maths. So, the teacher can easily assess his/her strengths, not just weaknesses and will be able to give them necessary guidance.
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Another advantage is the ability to incorporate different activities into daily lessons to teach them all the subjects. The morning can be spent doing maths problems, but the afternoon can turn into a fun science lab or skit. Elementary teachers can nurture creativity and individuality through their lessons and interactions with students. If one has a love for science and another for language or arts, they can each teach the lesson they prefer and also can choose to collaborate and take turns teaching the different subjects. Preschool teachers focus on basic skills in the classroom, including: Social and emotional development Physical development Language and literacy Mathematical thinking Scientific thinking Social studies The arts
4. Your skills will improve It is always safe to stay organized when you are teaching a classroom full of early year students. If not, you will lose control of your classroom behaviour and curriculum. So, as an early year’s teacher, you often have to practice goal-setting and stick to a schedule. Which will improve your organizational skills and ability to multi-task will improve. You have to be creative when you are working with young kids every day. Knowledge and logic do not inhibit children, and they often ask questions you have to think outside the box to answer them. Early school teaching will improve your patience. When you are teaching students, some students can understand a topic easily while others are taking a lot of time. You have to remember that it’s more than just a job, and you have to be patient with them while teaching them. When you start teaching you may feel frustrated but over time you develop the right level of patience.
5. Flexibility in work For many people, the teacher’s work schedule is one of the most appealing reasons for work in early school. Forget the 9-5 schedule. School hours are usually shorter than business hours, days usually end at 3 or 4 p.m. And with early childhood education, class sessions are often on time, even shorter. Choosing to work in an elementary school does not guarantee that you will have a free weekend and summer. Although as an EYFS teaching assistant, you will receive weekends, holidays and summer holidays off from the classroom. Most preschool teachers spend a great deal of time working on upcoming lessons, and the curriculum for the following year or just revising and recreating lessons they’ve already taught.
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However, teaching allows a certain level of flexibility that is not the case with other jobs. One teacher gets to spend more time with their family because they usually have the same holidays as their children. Also, it is convenient to take part in after school activities, pick up children from school and plan holidays and summer holidays. Although there is a fair amount of work that must be done when not in the classroom, the teacher’s schedule allows that work to be done in his / her own leisure time.
6. Develop relationship with many children While teaching the same group of students all day long through the year, the students create a strong bond with the teacher. The teacher is often considered as the second parent since children spend a lot of time with an early school teacher and also develop a special bond with them. The students eventually learn to trust their teacher like their parents and share the troubles facing either in the school or home. You may also have students come to many years later, to thank you and tell you how much you meant to them when they are learning in your care. Early school teachers also socialize with their students outside the school by attending special events such as a student’s birthday.
7. Get to locate and helping children with special challenges
Many parents do not realize that their children have a disability or illness and they do not know that their children are different from them until they start school. It makes no difference until they are in a similar setting, with other kids their age, then the difference
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starts to appear. Most of the time early school teachers are the first people to recognize such differences. They work closely with parents, experts and administrators to identify problems and come up with the best solution for the child. Locating disabilities or disorders among student’s an important part of the elementary teacher’s responsibility. Because, if a child with a certain disability slips through the cracks in early school, it may be years before the disabilities or disorders are noticed. Identifying a student’s challenges as early as possible ensures that certain adaptations or additional support systems are in place so that the child has the opportunity to succeed in school as well as his or her peers.
8. Being appreciated by parents and family
If you have children, you will understand the value of preschool perfectly. Sometimes parents are so overwhelmed by their work, financial stress and making sure their kids meet their needs that they ignore the little things about their kids when you notice them. Be sure to contact the parents to find out what their child’s academic and personal strengths are. Most parents are truly grateful to pre-school and day-care teachers for making their kids feel great about themselves. If you do your job well, you will be appreciated by the parents, family and the little ones who work with you. You will know how important your work is and give you a sense of accomplishment every day.
9. Stay youthful, keep fit & have fun
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Some people hate the idea of working in an office and don’t see them as employees where they sit all day and work at the computer. If you want a career that keeps you on your feet, active, and youthful, there is none better than early school teaching. The work environment is amazing in an early school. If you work in a preschool, generally a classroom is your office, and a playground and also a place where children enjoy themselves. Working with young kids requires a lot of energy and enthusiasm. Yes, it is true that someday your patience will be tested. You may occasionally have to deal with irritability, upset stomach, argument or bad mood. Overall, being around young children is incredibly positive. However, you will get so much in return. You will see all the possibilities, positivity and excitement in the world through the eyes of your students.
10. Can lead to a higher job position Once you’ve earned your diploma in EYFS teaching assistant, you will have several career options to choose from. There is a wide range of private and public daycares and preschools in England where you can start your first job. When you speak with schools about early childhood education job prospects, don’t hesitate to ask about what career advancement and degree requirements you will have there for your long-term job opportunity.
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Even if you like to be a preschool teacher, there may come a time when you want to move to another position. Maybe you think you can have a bigger impact on curriculum development or work as a children’s book writer or work for a children’s book publisher. When you want to move to another position, you can also work in the other field of education, instead of an early school teacher. Options include: Open own nursery Childcare workers Primary school teacher Secondary school teachers Preschool and childcare centre directors Special education teachers
Closing Remarks So what are you waiting for? The future is yours to shape. It’s time to start your career as an early years teacher and follow your passion. Related: How To Prepare For Teaching Assistant job How to Become a Teaching Assistant with no Experience in the UK Teaching Assistant Interview Questions: How To Prepare For?
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