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Childcare and Outside School Hours Care jobs in Adelaide

Childcare and Outside School Hours Care in Adelaide involves the same work as it does anywhere in Australia, but who employs you, and under which registration or clearance, is local. Adelaide's largest employing industries are Health care and social assistance, Retail trade and Education and training, which shapes both where the work is and how steady it tends to be. Licensing is set by South Australia, not nationally — the requirements below are the ones that apply here.

Vacancies

Current childcare and outside school hours care vacancies in Adelaide

No childcare and outside school hours care roles are advertised in Adelaide right now. Licensing and who hires locally still apply — this page updates when a matching role appears.

Licensing

Licensing for childcare and outside school hours care in SA

Educators are not individually licensed, but they are individually qualification-regulated. Under the National Quality Framework, educators must hold, or be actively working towards, an approved qualification published on the ACECQA approved qualifications list, and services must meet minimum ratios of certificate III and diploma qualified staff. Approval to operate a service and provider approval are issued by the regulatory authority in each state and territory, not by ACECQA. Separately, every educator must hold the child-related clearance for their state or territory, and these are genuinely different schemes with different names, terms and issuing bodies — a Queensland blue card does not cover you in Victoria. First aid, CPR, asthma and anaphylaxis certification is mandated by the National Regulations.

South Australia
Working with Children Check issued by the DHS Screening Unit, valid five years with continuous monitoring, plus Child Safe Environments training. Services are regulated by the SA Education Standards Board.

Licensing rules change. Confirm with the regulator named above before quoting or contracting — this page is a starting point, not advice.

Local market

Who hires in childcare and outside school hours care in Adelaide

Health care and social assistance accounts for 20.2% of South Australian employment, the highest share of any mainland state, with hospitals and aged care residential services the two largest single employing industries in Greater Adelaide. Defence shipbuilding at Osborne is the standout specialisation: ASC Pty Ltd sustains the Collins Class submarine fleet there with more than 2,500 staff and has been selected to jointly build Australia's conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines, while BAE Systems Australia runs the Osborne Naval Shipyard building Hunter class frigates. The merger of the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia on 1 January 2026 created Adelaide University, now the state's largest university.

Central Adelaide Local Health Network, Northern Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide University and Flinders University are among the largest employers in Adelaide. Most people working in childcare and outside school hours care here, though, are hired by small and mid-sized businesses rather than by the names everyone recognises — which is why so many local vacancies never reach a big job board.

Largest employing industries

Health care and social assistanceRetail tradeEducation and trainingConstructionProfessional, scientific and technical servicesManufacturing

1,491,015 people (Greater Adelaide (GCCSA), ABS ERP at 30 June 2025, from Regional population 2024-25).

Role

What the job involves

Educators in long day care, family day care, preschool and outside school hours care plan and deliver play-based learning, supervise children and support their wellbeing and development. The work is governed by the National Quality Framework, which sets minimum qualifications, educator-to-child ratios and quality standards across every state and territory.

  • Plan and deliver play-based learning experiences aligned to the Early Years Learning Framework or My Time, Our Place
  • Supervise children actively and maintain educator-to-child ratios at all times
  • Observe and document each child's learning and development and share it with families
  • Support children's personal care — meals, rest, toileting, nappy changing and hygiene
  • Guide behaviour positively and support children's social and emotional skills
  • Build respectful daily relationships with families and communicate about their child's day
  • Maintain a safe environment, complete risk assessments and follow child protection and reporting duties
  • Contribute to the service's Quality Improvement Plan and assessment against the National Quality Standard

Training

Qualifications and training

  • CHC30125 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care — the current entry qualification, superseding CHC30121
  • CHC50125 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care — the current diploma, superseding CHC50121, and the qualification required of a service's educational leader and many room leaders
  • For outside school hours care, ACECQA approves a broader list of qualifications, so a relevant two-year diploma or higher in fields such as nursing, sport and recreation or behavioural science can also qualify
  • An approved first aid, CPR, asthma and anaphylaxis qualification is a legal requirement for at least one educator on duty and is required of most staff in practice
  • Child protection training is required and its content is set by state and territory legislation

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Play-based learning program planning and documentation · Active supervision and situational awareness · Positive behaviour guidance and emotional coaching · Communicating warmly and clearly with families, including about difficult topics · Knowledge of the National Quality Standard and approved learning frameworks · Child protection awareness and reporting obligations · First aid, CPR, asthma and anaphylaxis response · Physical stamina, patience and teamwork across a room or service

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Childcare and Outside School Hours Care work in Adelaide — licensing, hiring and what employers look for.

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Sources

  • Childcare and Outside School Hours Care — occupation data · verified 2026-08-04. ABS ANZSCO 2022, Unit Group 4211 Child Carers (https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/classifications/anzsco-australian-and-new-zealand-standard-classification-occupations/2022/browse-classification/4/42/421/4211); training.gov.au CHC30125 (https://training.gov.au/training/details/CHC30125) and CHC50121/CHC50125 (https://training.gov.au/training/details/CHC50121); ACECQA approved qualifications (https://www.acecqa.gov.au/qualifications/nqf-approved) and Are you qualified? (https://www.acecqa.gov.au/qualifications-0/are-you-qualified); Fair Work Ombudsman (https://awards.fairwork.gov.au/MA000120.html and https://awards.fairwork.gov.au/MA000077.html); Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections May 2024 – May 2034 (https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/employment-projections); Queensland Blue Card Services (https://www.qld.gov.au/law/laws-regulated-industries-and-accountability/queensland-laws-and-regulations/regulated-industries-and-licensing/blue-card); NSW Office of the Children's Guardian (https://ocg.nsw.gov.au/working-children-check); Working with Children Check Victoria (https://www.vic.gov.au/working-with-children-check); WA Department of Communities (https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-communities/working-children-check); SA DHS Screening Unit (https://dhs.sa.gov.au/how-we-help/screening-and-background-checks); Tasmania CBOS (https://www.cbos.tas.gov.au/topics/licensing-and-registration/work-with-vulnerable-people); ACT Access Canberra WWVP (https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/business-and-work/working-with-vulnerable-people); SAFE NT (https://pfes.nt.gov.au/police/community-safety/safe-nt)
  • Adelaide — local data · verified 2026-07-31. ABS Regional population, 2024-25 - https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/regional-population/latest-release; ABS Labour Force, Australia, Detailed, Feb 2026, Table 05 - https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia-detailed/feb-2026; ABS Census 2021 QuickStats Greater Adelaide - https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/4GADE; SA Health Local Health Networks - https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/; Adelaide University - https://www.adelaide.edu.au/; ASC Pty Ltd - https://www.asc.com.au/; BAE Systems Australia - https://www.baesystems.com/en-aus/home

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