There are many options for you to begin a career once you have completed your N6 National Certificate in Educare. Some of these options include:
- Au Pair
- Babysitter
- Day Care Administrator
- Day Care Manager
- Start your own Child Day Care business
Are you choosing a career path with your Educare qualification? Or looking into studying Educare? Check out what you can do if you complete this course.
Watch The Principal Of Matric College Talk About What You Can Do With Your N6 Educare Certificate
About These Careers
Choosing a career path can feel like a daunting task, so getting information about the necessary details can be a great help. So, what should you consider?
Important things you should think about before choosing a career path are things such as your talents and skills, the requirements of the career, and the expected salary.
Au Pair
Choosing to be an Au Pair can be a big decision, because it usually means travelling to live with another family. This can be within the country, but can also mean travelling abroad. The expectations and pay will differ depending on the country you are in.
So, you will need to take into consideration things such as the currency you will be earning and spending while you are there, and whether you are comfortable living with new people.
Talents And Skills
You will need to have good interpersonal skills and good communication skills, especially for this job because you are likely to be overseas and in the home of the people you are working for.
You will also need to pay particular attention to the contract you sign, as some families may require you to perform extra duties. Be sure you know what these are, and whether you are capable of performing these duties.
You will need to be good at living in small spaces, as many families will have a room for you, but you will be expected to keep within that room, so you will not be able to store your things in their space. Be sure to find out what size your room will be, so that you can plan ahead.
You will need fast-thinking skills, and you will need to be able to make decisions on-the-go. Plans can change really fast in the day if anything happens, so you need to be prepared to handle unexpected situations.
You are likely to need a driver’s license. While you probably will not be doing all the driving, you may be asked to take children to school or do the grocery shopping once in a while.
You should have basic first aid training, as anyone in charge of caring for children should have the ability to deal with any minor mishaps.
Career Requirements
The requirements of being an Au Pair will depend on where you go and who you work for, but the usual requirements are as follows:
- CV
- First aid qualification
- Driver’s license
- Work experience in au pair work or child care work
- References
Expected Salary
The salary you can expect will depend on how many hours you work per day. The current expected salary for an Au Pair in South Africa is R90 per hour. If you work a full 8-hour day Monday to Friday, your salary on average could be about R 15 400 per month.
Babysitter
Choosing to be a babysitter means making a commitment to caring for children every day. This means you need to take into consideration things such as what ages you are comfortable caring for, and if there are any ages you do not work well with.
Talents And Skills
You will need to be able to get along with children between the ages of 3 and 18, as you can be asked to babysit children that are anywhere in this age group.
You will also need patience and good communication skills, as you may be looking after young children who have not learned to communicate yet, and you will need to be able to discern what they are communicating.
You will need to have the ability to make children’s lunches, and be able to whip up quick and easy dinners in case parents are home late from work and ask you to start the evening routine.
Career Requirements
The requirements of being a Babysitter will vary depending on the family that employs you, but the general requirements are usually:
- Have good literacy skills to help children with homework
- Have transport to and from work
- Driver’s license
- Be able to change diapers
- Be able to do light housework such as sweeping or washing dishes to ensure the house is kept clean and neat
Expected Salary
The salary you can expect will depend on how many hours you work per day. The current expected salary for a Babysitter in South Africa is R80 per hour. If you work a full 8-hour day Monday to Friday, your salary on average could be about R 13 700 per month.
Day Care Manager
Choosing to be a Daycare Manager means taking on a lot of responsibility, as this means being in charge of the Daycare maintenance, hiring staff, and maintaining the curriculum being taught in the Daycare.
Talents And Skills
You need to have basic bookkeeping skills, and be able to handle general transactions such as Daycare fees.
You will need interviewing skills, and to be able to run a background check on potential employees. You will also need to be able to train new employees.
You will need experience in working with children so that you can understand what the children need and who you should hire for those purposes.
You will also be in charge of ensuring the Daycare is in compliance with all child care laws, and make sure any situation that may arise is dealt with in a legal and secure manner.
Career Requirements
The usual requirements to be a Daycare Manager are:
- Experience in professional child care
- First aid certification
- Knowledge in child nutrition
Expected Salary
The current average salary for a Daycare Manager in South Africa is R 27 600 per month.
Start Your Own Child Day Care Business
Choosing to start your own business can also be a lot of responsibility, as you will need good business management skills, financial knowledge,
Talents And Skills
You will need good business management skills to run the business efficiently and successfully.
You will need excellent communication skills, because you will need to get partners and investors to help you start your business. You will also then need to keep them informed of the progress of the business.
You will need to be able to perform background checks on all of your potential partners, investors, and employees. You will also need to have experience in child care, so that you know what the business needs and what the children need.
Career Requirements
You will need the following things to start your own Daycare or Crèche:
- Business plan
- Partnership agreement
- Employment agreement policy
- Personal details for bank accounts
- Business license
- Business permits
Expected Salary
The current average salary for a Daycare Owner in South Africa is R 34 700 per month.
Can You Teach Grade R With Educare?
No, you cannot teach Grade R with an Educare Qualification. To teach at any school, you must have a Bachelor of Education Degree, or a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE).
You can be a Teacher’s Assistant for a Grade R Teacher, or you can work in a Daycare Centre or Early Childhood Development Centre with an Educare Qualification.
Can I Study Teaching With Educare Certificate?
No, you cannot study teaching with an Educare Certificate. To study to become a Teacher, you must study at a university. To do this, you must have passed Matric with a Bachelor’s Degree Pass, or you must have completed a Bachelor’s Degree and be eligible to study for a PGCE.
What NQF Level Is An Educare Diploma?
An Educare Diploma is an NQF level 6 qualification. You need to have an NQF level 7 qualification to be able to work as a Teacher.
Can I Go To University With Educare?
No, you cannot go to university with an Educare Qualification. Most universities do not recognise NATED Course Qualifications. To study at a university, you need to have passed Matric with a Bachelor’s Degree Pass.
Can I Study For A PGCE With N6?
No, you cannot study for a PGCE with an Educare N6 National Certificate or Diploma. To study for a PGCE, you need to have completed a Bachelor’s Degree.
How Many Points Does Educare Need?
Educare requires an Admission Point Score (APS) of 14. The only requirements to qualify for an Educare Course is that you have:
- Passed Matric (National Senior Certificate or Amended Senior Certificate)
- Be 16 years or older
- Study through distance learning
Here are the NATED Educare Courses that we offer:
- Educare: NATED N4 National Certificate
- Educare: NATED N5 National Certificate
- Educare: NATED N6 National Certificate
- Educare: NATED N6 National Diploma
This is the same requirement for all NATED Courses. We also offer a wide range of other NATED Courses besides Educare. They are:
- Business Management: NATED N4 National Certificate
- Business Management: NATED N5 National Certificate
- Business Management: NATED N6 National Certificate
- Business Management: NATED N6 National Diploma
- Financial Management: NATED N4 National Certificate
- Financial Management: NATED N5 National Certificate
- Financial Management: NATED N6 National Certificate
- Financial Management: NATED N6 National Diploma
Human Resource Management Courses
- Human Resource Management: NATED N4 National Certificate
- Human Resource Management: NATED N5 National Certificate
- Human Resource Management: NATED N6 National Certificate
- Human Resource Management: NATED N6 National Diploma
- Legal Secretary: NATED N4 National Certificate
- Legal Secretary: NATED N5 National Certificate
- Legal Secretary: NATED N6 National Certificate
- Legal Secretary: NATED N6 National Diploma
How Long Is An Educare Course?
This depends on many factors, including whether you study full-time or part-time. There are three theory levels, followed by 18 months of work experience, which counts as the practical side of the qualification.
Each theory level takes between 6 and12 months to complete. This means you can complete all three theory levels in 18 – 36 months. This will be followed by 18 months of work experience.
So, depending on how long it takes you to complete your theory levels, you can complete your Educare Diploma between 36 and 52 months.
Can I Study Educare Without Matric?
No, you cannot study Educare without Matric. There was some confusion over this, as some NATED Courses allowed students to apply with a Matric Equivalent qualification in the past.
However, this is no longer the case, and all NATED Courses now require you to have your Matric to apply.
However, if you do not have your Matric and you would like to study a NATED Course, there are options. We offer Matric Courses to help you get your Matric, and we offer support to our students to help you pass. We offer:
- Adult Matric for students 21 and older who have never written Matric before
- Matric Upgrade for students 21 and older who have written Matric before, but either failed and would like to pass, or passed but would like to improve their marks
Author: Chloe Bydawell
Editor: Sive Ncanywa
Date Published: September 16, 2022