Your first job is usually about earning some money, gaining experience and figuring out what you might want to do next.
But for students studying to become early childhood teachers, it can also be the beginning of their career.
As a Teacher in Training, you can earn while you study, gain hands-on experience alongside qualified teachers and start putting what you’re learning into practice. And along the way, you get to be part of the everyday moments that make early childhood education so rewarding.
The moments you don’t forget
Ask an early childhood teacher what they remember most about their career and it probably won’t be a perfect lesson plan or one big milestone.
It might be a child who finally feels confident enough to join the group.
A Tamariki who was nervous about starting, then a few weeks later walks through the door with a huge smile.
A child mastering something they’ve been working towards and looking straight at their teacher as if to say, “Look what I can do.”
Or simply a child reaching for your hand because they know you’re someone they can trust.
These moments can seem small, but for a young child, having an educator who listens, encourages them and makes them feel safe can have a lasting impact.
It’s one of the reasons early childhood education can be such a rewarding career.
Your first job can be part of your learning
There’s already plenty to juggle as a student. Assignments, lectures, deadlines, study and everything happening outside of them.
Working in early childhood gives you the chance to take what you’re learning and see how it plays out in the real world.
At BestStart, Teachers in Training work alongside qualified teachers while completing their early childhood teaching qualification. You can put theory into practice, learn from experienced educators and build confidence as you go.
And you’re not expected to arrive knowing everything. You’re still learning.
You’ll have people around you to answer questions, share their experience, give feedback and help you understand what being an educator looks like day to day.
Some of the most useful lessons won’t come from a textbook either.
A child asks a question you weren’t expecting. A challenging day teaches you something about patience. An activity works better than you imagined. A conversation with a whānau changes how you approach something.
Those experiences help turn what you’re studying into skills you can carry throughout your career.
You don’t have to have it all figured out
Starting your career while you’re still studying also gives you time to work out what kind of teacher you want to become.
You might know you want to work with children but have no idea what type of centre suits you best.
You might discover you love working with infants, enjoy supporting older Tamariki, or find yourself interested in Montessori or bilingual education.
And your interests might change as you gain more experience.
With more than 260 BestStart centres across Aotearoa, there are opportunities to experience different communities, teaching environments and career pathways.
You might start as a Teacher in Training, become a Qualified Teacher and later explore roles such as Head Teacher, Centre Manager, mentor, or positions in curriculum development and regional or national teams.
There’s room for your career to change as you do.
Why do people stay?
Finding a workplace where you can picture your future makes a difference.
For many BestStart educators, it starts with one centre, one team and one opportunity. From there, they build relationships with Tamariki and whānau, learn from the people around them and become more confident in what they can do.
Over time, new opportunities can open up without needing to leave BestStart or start over somewhere else.
That’s one of the benefits of being part of a large organisation while still working within a close centre team. You can build relationships and feel part of your local community, while also having access to broader career opportunities.
Your first job could be more than a job
When you’re studying, it’s easy to think of work as something that simply fits around your qualification.
But a Teacher in Training role can do more than pay the bills.
You can finish your studies already knowing what it feels like to be part of a teaching team, work with Tamariki and whānau, and handle the everyday challenges and rewards that come with the job.
And years from now, you might still remember the first child who taught you something about patience, the first whānau who trusted you, or the moment you realised this was the career you wanted.
Thinking about becoming an early childhood teacher?
If you’re studying towards an early childhood teaching qualification, or thinking about starting one, a Teacher in Training role at BestStart can help you earn while you learn and start building hands-on experience before you graduate.
Your career starts somewhere. Why not start somewhere that matters?
