Moulding the next generation, one kid at a time
Amid the slowing economy and uncertain job market, many Singaporeans have said they are unsure of where to start looking for opportunities in several growth industries. To that end, TODAY has launched an eight-part weekly series that looks at the openings available, the prospects and how workers can equip themselves with the skills for these positions. In the previous instalments, we looked at the logistics, food manufacturing and hotel industries.
Amid the slowing economy and uncertain job market, many Singaporeans have said they are unsure of where to start looking for opportunities in several growth industries. To that end, TODAY has launched an eight-part weekly series that looks at the openings available, the prospects and how workers can equip themselves with the skills for these positions. In the previous instalments, we looked at the logistics, food manufacturing and hotel industries.
This week, in the fourth part of the series, we focus on the early childhood sector which is rapidly growing because of the government’s efforts to increase the number of childcare places to meet the needs of parents. Measures over the years to, among other things, develop better career opportunities and improve salaries in the sector are seeing results. While it is essential for new entrants to acquire teaching experience on the job, there are increasingly more opportunities to move on to non-teaching roles, including in curriculum development and overseeing local and overseas operations.
SINGAPORE — Kids burst into tears when Mr Johnny Goh stepped into the classroom, and as if his first week as a pre-school teacher could not get any worse, a girl vomited all over him. The former information technology engineer could not have been more out of place if he tried – a burly grown man trying to control a roomful of restless little children, in an industry dominated by women.
Recalling the “disaster” of a start he had in the early childhood sector about seven years ago, Mr Goh, now 43, said: “I am a big-sized person and to them I might have looked like a gorilla and frightened them.”
His friends never saw his “strange” mid-career switch coming but for Mr Goh, it was the chance to experience a less hectic pace of life and have more time to spend with his children that prompted him to take the plunge. “I was so busy as an IT engineer. When I left the house, the children were sleeping, and when I came back, the children were sleeping,” he said. “At that point, my daughter was less than one-year old and I wanted to spend more time with her because I didn’t get to do that with my two older boys.”
Mr Goh is currently a supervisor at Sunflower Kinderhub @ AMK, having risen to the post in 2014, five years after he became a trainee teacher at Sunflower Childcare Group.
He is among a growing – albeit still small – group of mid-career professions who joined the early childhood sector, which has been facing a manpower crunch amid the government’s plan to rapidly increase the number of childcare places in order to meet the needs of parents.
Several initiatives have been put in place over the years, to develop better career opportunities in the sector to raise standards, improve salaries and retain talent. In 2011, the Government announced that all childcare centres would be required to have at least 75 per cent of their educators certified in early childhood education by this year. Scholarships and training grants have been introduced to help educators develop their skills and in 2012, a professional development framework was announced, aimed at those in charge of children at the nursery level and below.
A dedicated unit, the Early Childhood and Development Agency (ECDA), was set up in 2013 to oversee the sector. In 2014, a career pathway framework was introduced to address long-standing complaints on the lack of career progression options in the early childhood education sector.
The efforts have borne fruits: Ms Amanda Cho, for example, joined EtonHouse International Education Group in July as an operations manager — a position which was created just last year. “When you mention early childhood sector, most people think that the only job available is a preschool teacher. And if you rise to be a principal, that’s the end of your career path — especially for smaller preschools,” said Ms Cho, 32, who had started out in the sector as a pre-school teacher in 2007.
Among her duties, Ms Cho ensures that the 27 EtonHouse pre-schools in Singapore adhere to regulations set by ECDA. She also comes up with ways to improve the operations at the pre-schools. Her job requires her to have an eye for detail, down to making sure new teachers fill in forms correctly for example. “If you filled in the forms wrongly, you might have registered for subsidies not meant for the child and we can get a warning letter,” she added.
MORE THAN JUST TEACHING
While it is essential for new entrants to acquire teaching experience on the job, there are increasingly more opportunities for individuals to move on to non-teaching roles, especially in the bigger operators.
As a general manager of G8 Education Singapore, Ms Jane Choy, who is in her 30s, manages the human resource, operations and curriculum departments. Joining the sector initially as an assistant teacher in 2000, Ms Choy later became more interested in the operations side of things.
Since 2014, Ms Choy, who graduated with first class honours in early childhood studies, has been the general manager (business operations) of the group, which runs 40 centres islandwide. “I am required to think on my feet and resolve challenges that may arise at the different centres,” she said of her role.
Ms Renee Sim, 27, had spent seven years as an educator — three of which as a principal — at Etonhouse, before she approached the company’s management and expressed her interest to be a curriculum developer. Last month, she took on the role of curriculum manager which requires her to visit the various pre-schools under the company’s brand, observe the lessons and provide feedback to the teachers.
“It’s really hard for the school principals to always be there because they will be bogged down with operational work. And for teachers, if you don’t have this person there to give feedback... you will be at a loss,” said Ms Sim, who entered the industry at the age of 18 after completing a six-month diploma in early childhood education. As part of her new role, she also has the chance to conduct training at EtonHouse’s overseas branches spread across 12 countries.
She noted that it is a scary thought to remain stagnant in a profession but opportunities are now aplenty for pre-school teachers to progress and grow. For instance, some pre-schools allow teachers to specialise in subjects such as music or drama. “I have colleagues who really are just happy to stay in their current designation for 10 or 20 years. But with the new generation, they are looking for a highly dynamic working environment,” she said.
Dr Jacqueline Chung, Senior Principal and Academic Director at St. James’ Church Kindergarten, noted that today, more pre-school teachers have higher qualifications, largely due to the subsidies and training grants given by the government. “Early childhood educators are increasingly viewed as professionals with career advancement pathways. This is certainly a positive development,” said Dr Chung.
A DIFFERENT FORM OF REWARDS
In October, a manpower plan was unveiled by the government in its bid to attract more people to join the sector. The aim is to increase the pool from the current 16,000 to 20,000 by 2020.
Under the blueprint, a new skills framework spells out specific skills and competencies required for the various job roles under the educarer, teacher and leadership tracks. Since 2013, about 40,000 childcare places have been added so far. This has translated to more job openings in the sector. For example, PCF Sparkletots Preschool said it is looking to recruit about 1,000 more teachers to meet its expansion plans while NTUC First Campus plans to hire around 800 teachers next year.
The sector is open to both first-time jobseekers and mid-career switchers, with training provided on the job. At EtonHouse, for example, there is a four-month induction programme for new teachers where mentorship is provided on how to plan the curriculum.
Apart from an array of courses for pre-school teachers to upgrade their skills, there are also several Professional Conversion Programmes (PCPs) for mid-career switchers conducted by the Singapore Polytechnic, the SEED Institute and the KLC International Institute.
Before becoming a pre-school teacher in August, Ms Jocelyn Lim, 24, was a VIP guide at the Universal Studios Singapore (USS).
Her passion in working with young children was sparked by her time spent babysitting her nephews and nieces, she said. After going through a two-week Reskilling for Jobs-Work Trial programme by the Workforce Singapore, she was appointed as an assistant teacher at the PCF Sparkletots Preschool @ West Coast. Currently, she is studying for a diploma in early childhood education at the SEED Institute as part of a place-and-train programme. Upon graduation, she will be a full-fledged pre-school teacher.
Like other mid-career entrants such as Mr Goh, Ms Lim said it was a culture shock for her when she first joined the industry. “When I was working at USS, I was dealing mostly with adults. So, there was a lot of getting used to, like reminding myself to slow down my speech because children can’t catch on when you speak too fast,” she said.
Apart from seeking to adapt to a new environment, Mr Goh said that as a male pre-school teacher, he also had to contend with stereotypes and gain acceptance from parents who felt that female pre-school teachers were more nurturing, for instance.
According to ECDA, there are only 114 male pre-school teachers in Singapore, making up less than 1 per cent of the total pool of pre-school educators. Centres interviewed by TODAY said they welcome male educators as they serve as good role models for boys, among other things.
While salaries have gone up, remuneration in the sector still lags behind other industries. Monthly salaries typically start from S$1,300 for an assistant teacher, while principals can earn over S$6,000.
But it is not the pay, but passion that drew many into the profession. Mr Goh said he took a 50-per-cent pay cut to join the sector. However, he pointed out that there are some things that money cannot buy – including the joy of working with children and having more time to spend with his own kids.
Ms Lim, who is known to her young charges as “Teacher Joy”, stressed that pre-school educators play an important role in nurturing children with the right values from an early age. Rewards, which come in non-tangible ways, are no less gratifying. “When they said, ‘Teacher Joy, I love you’, it puts a smile on your face even though there is poop on your hands,” she said.