Working with children

Jobs with children come with high levels of responsibility but are incredibly rewarding. If you'd like to work with children and young people learn more about available roles and the skills, qualifications and training you'll need to succeed

What jobs with children are available?

The main sectors that employ people to work with children include:

However, jobs working with children are available in less obvious industries such as law, leisure, sport and tourism and public services and administration, where you could become a family lawyer, sports coach or children's librarian respectively.

When looking for jobs and work experience it pays to think outside the box. For instance, within the creative arts sector you could become an art therapist or volunteer as a dance teacher at a local community centre.

Working in the voluntary sector you could become a project worker, therapist, protection officer or support worker for charities such as Barnardo's, Action for Children and The Children's Society.

The healthcare sector provides opportunities such as the possibility to work as a children's nurse, health visitor and paediatrician or speech and language therapist.

Within social care you could work with children as a:

Discover how to become a social worker.

Unsurprisingly, the teacher training and education sector offers the biggest scope for working with children. You could become a:

Jobs with children are strictly regulated, so as well as the right combination of qualifications, skills and experience, you'll also need to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to secure a role.

This helps employers to protect vulnerable groups and make safer recruitment decisions. Your criminal record history is accessed and you're checked against a list of named individuals who have harmed, or pose a risk of harm, to vulnerable people and are barred from working with them. Once cleared you will receive a DBS certificate.

What childcare qualifications will I need?

This depends on the job you'd like to do.

If your heart is set on a career in nursing, child psychotherapy, social work, educational psychology or teaching, be aware that these are all graduate jobs, and you'll need a specific degree, either at undergraduate or Masters level to enter these professions. Learn more about social work courses and routes into teaching.

If you know you'd like to work with children but would prefer to keep your options open, a more general degree in childcare or working with children may suit you.

At Staffordshire University you can study for a three-year BA in Working with Children, Young People and Families, which can lead to careers in family support, youth justice roles, advocacy jobs and early intervention careers. Likewise, the University of Bradford, University of Hull and University of South Wales also offer Bachelors courses in Working with Children, Young People and Families.

At postgraduate level, the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) both run Masters programmes in Professional Practice with Children and Young People and Childhood Development and Wellbeing in Practice respectively.

Do some research to find out more about Masters degrees and search postgraduate courses to find a programme that meets your career needs.

Vocational courses, such as CACHE (Council for Awards in Care, Health and Education) qualifications, are available from Entry Level to Level 5 (for experienced professionals). CACHE qualifications are well known and widely respected throughout the childcare industry.

How do I gain work experience with children?

Jobs with children come with a high level of responsibility - a child's physical and emotional wellbeing is often in your hands - therefore relevant experience of working with children is vital.

Gaining experience of certain roles, such as social work, children's nursing and counselling can be difficult due to the sensitive nature of the work. However, any experience working with children will give you an advantage when applying for a place on a postgraduate course or for a job.

There are a huge number of volunteering opportunities. You could give your time to local sports, activity or youth clubs, work at after-school, summer or holiday clubs or get involved in community play schemes. You could spend your summers working as an au pair or helping out at youth theatre groups. Another option is to volunteer in schools and shadow teachers, assistants and admin staff or become a private tutor or reading mentor.

Volunteering at children's centres, children's hospices and on children's hospital wards, or donating your time to charities such as Barnardo's, ChildLine and the NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) are some other worthwhile options. If you're still struggling for ideas, read 10 opportunities to volunteer with children.

Search for volunteering opportunities at:

When looking for work experience, utilise your university, personal and professional contacts and apply speculatively to local organisations and groups.

What childcare skills will I need?

Not everyone is suited to a career with children. Jobs can be physically, emotionally and intellectually challenging and you'll need a specific set of skills to deal with the demands of each role.

To work with children you'll need:

A patient nature - working with children you'll often have to explain yourself, repeat instructions and deal with distractions. At times their behaviour can be testing. It's important for you to hide your frustration and understand that children think, feel and process things differently to adults.
Excellent communication skills - the ability to earn a child's trust and respect is vital in any career with children. Communication skills are essential when trying to achieve this. You need to be a confident and authoritative communicator with the ability to talk to children on their level. Excellent listening skills are also crucial.
Enthusiasm - you need to really like children and enjoy spending time with them and to have real enthusiasm for your job - kids can spot insincerity a mile off.
The capacity to think on your feet and stay calm in stressful situations - the young have a knack for being unpredictable and curious and this can sometimes lead to accidents. Children look to adults to know how to act in emergency or stressful situations, so being able to think on your feet and keep a cool head is important.
Imagination and creativity - creativity is essential to a child's growth. You need to be adept at coming up with new ways for children to express themselves.
Good organisational and time management skills - when working with children things rarely go according to plan. You'll need strong organisational and time management skills to ensure that sessions, lessons, meetings and one-to-ones stay on track.
A non-judgmental approach and a respect for diversity - no matter your role, it's likely you'll work with children and young people with varying abilities from a range of backgrounds and ethnicities.
Leadership skills - as the adult, children and young people will look to you for guidance and leadership. It's important that you're able to confidently take charge of a situation.

A sense of humour, problem-solving ability and resilience also go a long way.

Will I need to complete relevant training?

Continuing professional development (CPD) is a feature of all jobs when working with children. No matter your role, it's crucial that you stay up to date with the developments in research, processes and practices.

A number of organisations provide further training opportunities. For example, if you work within Children's Services, local councils offer a range of courses for all staff. Training can cover first aid, health and safety, information management, leadership and management and special educational needs (SEN).

Teachers also receive in-service training, either in-house on teacher training days or at regional training centres run by local authorities. Training topics cover curriculum issues, target setting and assessment, special needs or pastoral care.

City and Guilds offers a suite of training courses for those working with children, including qualifications in youth work, youth justice, parenting services and childcare. For more information, see City and Guilds - Children.

Children's charities, such as Barnardo's and the NSPCC, provide training in child protection, safer recruitment, working with children and young people and safeguarding.

All organisations that work or come into contact with children will have safeguarding policies and procedures in place to ensure that children are protected from harm. Because of this, safeguarding is an important aspect of any job that concerns working with children - if your qualifications haven't touched on this, completing additional training will be useful.

Find out more

See what else the social care sector has to offer.