Out of School Hours Care Educator
Out of school hours care educators run the before-school, after-school and vacation care programs that keep primary-age children safe and occupied while their parents work.
- Median salary*
- $59,800
3.8%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 11,200
0.0%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +4.5%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Low
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 39/wk
−1h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- In shortage
national
Out of school hours care educators work in school halls, community centres and council-run services, looking after primary-age children before school, after school and through the school holidays. The clearest difference from early childhood education is the age group: these are children from about five to twelve, who need supervision, food and something to do rather than a curriculum. Services are run by schools, local councils, not-for-profit organisations and private providers, and each session is staffed to licensing ratios, usually one educator to every fifteen children.
How much do out of school hours care educators earn?
The median full-time salary for an out of school hours care educator is $59,800 per annum, before tax, up $12,400 since 2018.
Pay depends heavily on who runs the service: council and school-based services usually sit above the award or under an enterprise agreement, while some private and not-for-profit providers pay closer to the Children's Services Award. Casual loading, split shifts and how many hours you pick up change what a week is actually worth, and a coordinator or nominated supervisor role carries an allowance on top. Because so much of the work is part-time, annual earnings often depend more on the shifts you take than on the hourly rate.
What does an out of school hours care educator do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Setting up the room or hall before school, checking the roll as children arrive and handing them over to their teachers
- Supervising outdoor games, craft and quiet activities through the afternoon session
- Preparing and serving afternoon tea while checking allergies and dietary requirements
- Writing risk assessments, attendance records and incident reports for each session
- Talking with parents at pick-up about how their child's afternoon went and passing on anything the school needs to know
What skills do out of school hours care educators need?
Employers look for teaching and instruction, classroom and behaviour management, pastoral care and wellbeing, backed by Xplor fluency and strong written communication.
Specialist skills
- Teaching and instruction
- Classroom and behaviour management
- Pastoral care and wellbeing
Software and tools
- Xplor
- QikKids
- Storypark
- Microsoft Office
General skills
- Written communication
- Attention to detail
- Problem solving
- Safety and compliance awareness
Is the job growing?
About 11,200 people work as out of school hours care educators in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 4.5% over the decade to 2035. That's modest growth: demand is steady rather than booming.
How do you become an out of school hours care educator?
Here's the path most out of school hours care educators take, step by step.
- 1Finish Year 12, or build experience with children instead
A Year 12 certificate is not required by every service, and 46% of the current workforce finished at Year 12 or below. Babysitting, coaching a junior team or volunteering at a holiday program gives you the references and the confidence to handle a room of children.
- 2Complete a Certificate III or IV in school age education and care
This is the standard qualification, offered through TAFE and private registered training organisations, usually with a practical placement. It can be studied part-time while you work as a trainee or casual, and a diploma version is the usual requirement for supervisor roles.
- 3Get your Working with Children Check and first aid certificate
Every state and territory requires a background check before you can work with children, under names such as the Working with Children Check, the Blue Card in Queensland and the Ochre Card in the Northern Territory. You also need first aid training that covers CPR, anaphylaxis and asthma.
- 4Apply to services that run before and after school care
Schools, councils, not-for-profit organisations and private providers all employ educators, and most roles start as part-time or casual split shifts. Applying directly to the service at a school near you often works better than waiting for an advertised vacancy.
- 5Move into a coordinator or nominated supervisor role
Supervisors need a diploma or to be working towards one, plus first aid and experience across the age range. The role comes with the licensing responsibility for the service, including staffing ratios and compliance, so it usually goes to someone who has run sessions for a few years.
Ready to apply as an out of school hours care educator?
Whether you're working toward becoming an out of school hours care educator or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can an out of school hours care educator move to?
Moving into Primary School Teacher typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $56,000 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary School Teacher Out of school hours care educators bring experience with children and school routines to primary school teaching, but need a teaching degree and registration.Known move | +$56,000 | 55% | requalify |
| Childcare Centre Manager Out of school hours care educators bring child care experience and program planning to childcare centre management, with further study for the diploma role.Known move | +$43,300 | 21% | reskill |
| Early Childhood Educator Out of school hours care educators bring child supervision and activity planning to early childhood educator work, with a short course to meet requirements.Known move | +$39,300 | 55% | short course |
| Teacher Aide Out of school hours care educators bring behaviour support and activity supervision to teacher aide roles, with a short course to work in classrooms.Known move | +$10,000 | 71% | short course |
| Family Day Care Educator Out of school hours care educators bring group supervision and activity skills to family day care, with a short course for home based care.Known move | −$4,700 | 53% | short course |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as an out of school hours care educator?
The typical out of school hours care educator is 23 years old; 79% are women, 10% work full-time, and full-timers average 39 hours a week.
- 23
- Median age
- 79%
- Female share
- 10%
- Full-time
- −1h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being an out of school hours care educator?
The job runs on the school clock. Term time is a split shift, busy and noisy before the bell and again from mid-afternoon, with a long unpaid gap in between, then school holidays switch to full days of vacation care with excursions and bigger programs. It suits people who like being around children without wanting a classroom, and who are comfortable holding boundaries lightly and handling the occasional bumped head or late pick-up.
What people like
- The shifts fit around study or family. Term-time work is a few hours in the morning and a few in the afternoon, which leaves the middle of the day free for university, another job or school pick-ups of your own.
- You watch the same children grow up. Many educators stay at one school for years, so they see children move from five to twelve and get to know the families and the teachers along the way.
- The work is play, not curriculum. There is no syllabus to report against, so the job is games, sport, craft and conversation, with the emphasis on letting children unwind after a day in class.
- You can take on responsibility quickly. Small teams mean new staff often run a session, induct casuals or help write the program within their first year, and coordinator roles are reachable without a degree.
What people find hard
- Split shifts chop up the day. The main shifts sit either side of the school day, so you might finish at nine and start again at two thirty, with the hours in between unpaid.
- Pay is modest for the responsibility. You carry duty of care for other people's children, and with so many roles part-time or casual the yearly income is often lower than the hourly rate suggests.
- Vacation care is almost a different job. School holidays mean full days, longer programs, excursions and more staff needed on site, and not everyone can pick up that work around other commitments.
- Behaviour and late pick-ups land on you. Children arrive tired and wound up, minor injuries happen, and parents occasionally run late, all of which has to be handled calmly and written up afterwards.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ out of school hours care educators?
Health Care and Social Assistance employs the largest share of out of school hours care educators, followed by Education and Training.
Top employing industries
- 1Health Care and Social Assistance
- 2Education and Training
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Year 12 or below | 46.4% | |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate III/IV | 16.1% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 14.1% | |
| Bachelor degree | 13.1% | |
| Postgraduate | 7.8% |
Will AI replace out of school hours care educators?
This job has low exposure to AI and automation, because the core of it is being physically present with children. Rostering software, digital sign-in and documentation platforms such as Xplor, QikKids and Storypark have taken over the rolls and paper diaries, which cuts the admin at the end of a session, but they do not change the supervision. Licensing ratios and duty of care mean a service still needs adults on the floor.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Supervising children and managing behaviourRatios are set by regulation, so a room of thirty children still needs two adults in it, and no screen settles an argument over the rules of a handball game.50%low
- Attendance, medication and incident recordsPlatforms such as QikKids and Storypark handle sign-in, medication logs and daily notes, which removes most of the paperwork but still leaves an educator to write down what happened in an incident.25%moderate
- Planning and running activitiesAn app can suggest a craft idea, but knowing that this particular group will not sit still for a forty-minute project comes from being in the room with them.15%low
- Talking with families at pick-upThe handover is a spoken conversation about one specific child, and families notice straight away whether the person at the door actually knows them.10%low
Common questions about becoming an out of school hours care educator
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do out of school hours care educators earn?
Out of school hours care educators earn a median of $59,800 per year before tax, though that figure covers full-time workers and much of this workforce is part-time. What you take home depends on your hours, casual loading, whether the service is council-run or private, and any coordinator allowance. Treat it as a guide to the going rate rather than a starting salary.
How do you become an out of school hours care educator?
The usual entry is a Certificate III or IV in school age education and care, a Working with Children Check and a first aid certificate covering anaphylaxis and asthma. You can start as a trainee or casual while you study, and some services hire on experience alone where staff are harder to find. The background check goes by different names in each state, so check your local requirement.
Are out of school hours care educators in demand?
Out of school hours care educators are currently in shortage nationally, which means employers often have to work harder to fill shifts. Employment is projected to grow 4.5% over the decade to 2035. For someone looking for work, that points to part-time and casual openings close to home, especially at services attached to schools.
Will AI or automation replace out of school hours care educators?
AI and automation reach the administrative edge of this job rather than the care itself, which keeps the exposure low. Rostering software, sign-in apps and platforms such as Xplor, QikKids and Storypark have replaced paper rolls and diaries, saving time at the end of a session. Nothing in those tools supervises a playground or notices that a child has gone quiet.
What can out of school hours care educators move into?
Many move to early childhood educator work, where a short course covers the under-five setting and pay is $39,300 more. Teacher aide roles share 71% of the skill set and usually need only a short course, while primary school teaching is the longer path requiring a degree and registration. Some educators go the other way into family day care, running their own service from home, where pay is $4,700 less and earnings follow your enrolments.
What hours do out of school hours care educators work?
Term-time hours are split around the school day, with a before-school shift and an afternoon shift, and vacation care adds full days through the holidays. Average full-time hours are 39 a week, and 10% of the workforce works full time, so part-time and casual arrangements are common. If you need steady full days, a service with a large vacation program is worth asking about.
Related roles
- Early Childhood Educator
- Primary School Teacher
- Teacher Aide
- Childcare Centre Manager
- Family Day Care Educator
- Early Childhood Educator
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