The childcare industry is concerned with the safety and, in many cases, the education of children at different stages of development. To work in this field, one must first obtain the necessary qualifications to become a certified professional. A childcare trainee is someone who is learning the skills and techniques needed to succeed in the field after earning an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in childhood development or education. Depending on the setting in which he or she works, the childcare trainee may have a variety of responsibilities.
Educating children, providing general care for safety and comfort, and even doing paperwork or attending meetings regarding one or more specific children are all possible responsibilities. To ensure both the safety of the children and the quality of the trainee’s education, the childcare trainee will always work under the direct guidance and supervision of a more experienced childcare professional. The traineeship can last anywhere from one to several years, and the childcare trainee may be required to take and pass various certification exams during that time. In many parts of the world, in order to work directly with children, the trainee must also obtain a fingerprint clearance card.
Certain responsibilities specific to a particular childcare setting may be assigned to the childcare trainee at times. For example, the trainee could be in charge of driving a transport vehicle that picks up and drops off children at home or school. The trainee could work toward obtaining a food handler’s license, which would allow him or her to safely prepare food for the children in his or her care. All of these responsibilities will be carried out while the childcare trainee is supervised; the childcare trainee will rarely, if ever, work alone with children, as this may be deemed unsafe or even illegal in some settings.
A college student will frequently work as a childcare trainee to fulfill a graduation requirement. Because students graduating from childhood education or development degree programs will need practical experience working with children, trainees are frequently still students who work limited hours. Trainee positions are typically part-time jobs, and while some of them pay, others are considered unpaid internships. Some schools will specify how many hours a student must spend as a trainee, while others will leave it up to the trainee’s employer.