Considering a career in childcare?

A career in childcare is unique. No two days or even hours are the same. It requires energy, creativity and a willingness to follow a child’s mind. It is a unique person who can take the mindset of a child and follow their lead.

AS AN early childhood educator, you will be playing an important role in supporting young children along a pathway of lifelong learning. Childcare lays an important foundation for our children's first experience of education outside the family home and as a career, their purpose is to make a positive difference in the lives of young children.

The first five years of a child’s life inform and inspire children's futures and play a major role in their development into well rounded and happy little people.

As a career, you have the wonderful opportunity to watch the children make their first friends, take their first steps, grow, develop and learn skills that will shape a lifetime of learning. The universal word used by childcare workers, who work at Giraffe, describe their jobs is "rewarding".

When choosing a career, it is important to be mindful that there are opportunities to grow and develop your skills. In Giraffe, we're proud to support our staff on their professional childcare learning journeys and we believe that matching great people to the right roles ultimately creates the best outcomes for the children and families who use our services.

In our recruitment process, we match recruits to their area of interest, be it younger children, preschool or Montessori. We offer support and training to our careers and empower them to take a lead in the curriculum and welcome their ideas to create a fun learning program for the children.

As we are proud partners with Busy Bees, our scale means Giraffe can offer staff professional development and international opportunities that many smaller organisation may not be able to offer. We take great pride in this commitment to developing our staff through mentorship and training programs, as we understand the development of our teams is the key to our success.

We invest in our teams and offer opportunities for career progression and ongoing training and development.

Since Giraffe is Ireland's largest childcare employer, we are honored to be able to offer an exciting range of career opportunities for motivated professionals at all levels.

While we are always looking for new early year's practitioners and educators, we also offer career opportunities that support our childcare centers.

"The first five years of a child’s life inform and inspire children's futures and play a major role in their development"

Childcare Work Experience and Placements

At Giraffe, we are proud of our established partnerships with numerous colleges throughout Dublin, Kildare and Meath. We believe in

Considering a career in childcare? Considering a career in childcare?

empowering future childcare students by providing them with support, mentorship, hands-on work experience and assisting to put the theory into practice. Many students who attend our centers for work experience join our team and develop a long career with Giraffe. So, if you have just started a FETAC course and looking for work placement, we would love to hear from you.

Who is Giraffe Childcare?

Giraffe Childcare first opened its doors in its IFSC crèche in 2001 and today have 21 childcare centers, with new and beautiful centers opening soon. We are based across Dublin, Meath and Kildare and employ over 600 childcare staff, serving thousands of families every year. We have been voted Best Crèche five years in a row by our parents and staff.

Why choose a career with Giraffe?

Working at Giraffe is more than just a job. It's a career. We invest in our team’s career development, which is demonstrated by the fact 95% of our management and leadership team members began their career with Giraffe, as newly qualified practitioners.

Through our training and career development opportunities, we give everyone who works for Giraffe lots of opportunities to grow. You can take early years training courses, improve your organisational skills, gain a qualification or even join one of our leadership programs to support your personal development. How far you go is up to you.

If you wish to inquire about a career with Giraffe Childcare, please contact our team at careers@giraffe. ie today. We would love to hear from you.

"So, if you have just started a FETAC course and looking for work placement, we would love to hear from you Ellen Smyth – My Childcare Journey THIS is the story of Ellen Smyth, who started her Work Placement in childcare with Giraffe and in four short years, is now a Deputy Manager of our Elm Park Center.

“I started my career with Giraffe in March 2016 in the IFSC Center through the Giraffe Work Experience Program, whilst I was studying in Sallynoggin College of Further Education. After completing my FETAC Level 5 in 2017, I started full time in the Baby Room in the Elm Park Center, where I cared, loved and welcomed the new babies joining the Giraffe family. "Everyone was so welcoming and helpful from day one. I had the opportunity to move with the children that I cared for and transitioned with them as they progressed to the next age group. It was fantastic as I was able to create fun activities for them and watch each child develop and help them along the way.

Skills recognised

"In 2018, I was promoted to Center Supervisor, it was wonderful that my skills and special bond with the children was recognised. In 2020, I was again promoted to Center Deputy Manager of the Elm Park Center. I have been able to grow with the children and families of Elm Park throughout the last four years and I am having the best experience, watching the children grow and blossom into their own self. "I have recently started a part-time Degree in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) at Maynooth University. I am very excited to see what else I can offer the children, as working in childcare is such a rewarding job and I am lucky to be part of such a great team.

Progressing further

"I have now been with Giraffe for over four years, and I am looking forward to progressing further with the help of the Giraffe team. It is a great work environment, with so many opportunities to progress. I would highly recommend everyone to consider joining Giraffe Childcare. It has opened my professional world."