Skip to content

Early Childhood Teaching jobs in Adelaide

Early Childhood Teaching 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 early childhood teaching vacancies in Adelaide

No early childhood teaching 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 early childhood teaching in SA

This is where the picture splits by state, and it matters. Teacher registration is issued by a state or territory regulator, not nationally, and jurisdictions differ on whether an early childhood teacher working outside a school must register at all. Some — including Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia — require or provide for registration of early childhood teachers in education and care services; others focus registration on school teaching, so an ECT in a long day care centre may not need registration but must still hold an ACECQA-approved qualification. Confirm directly with the regulator in your state before you accept a role. Separately, every early childhood teacher needs the child-related clearance for their state or territory. In several jurisdictions, current teacher registration exempts you from a separate clearance for teaching duties but not for other child-related work — Queensland, for example, requires registered teachers to obtain an exemption card from Blue Card Services to work in an early learning service.

South Australia
Registration with the Teachers Registration Board of South Australia (TRB SA), which registers early childhood teachers; registration requires a current working with children check. Outside registration, a Working with Children Check from the DHS Screening Unit applies.

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 early childhood teaching 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 early childhood teaching 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

Early childhood teachers plan and lead the educational program for children before they start school, in long day care centres, kindergartens and preschools. They hold a university degree with an early childhood specialisation, and under the National Quality Framework most services are legally required to have one in attendance.

  • Design and lead an educational program based on the Early Years Learning Framework
  • Assess and document each child's learning, development and wellbeing over time
  • Plan intentional teaching experiences alongside child-led play
  • Mentor certificate III and diploma qualified educators and lead pedagogical practice
  • Partner with families about their child's learning, including through formal reporting and meetings
  • Identify developmental concerns early and refer to speech pathology, early intervention or health services
  • Support children's transition to school in partnership with local primary schools
  • Lead the service's Quality Improvement Plan and preparation for assessment and rating

Training

Qualifications and training

  • An ACECQA-approved bachelor degree or higher with an early childhood specialisation — commonly a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) or Bachelor of Early Childhood Education
  • A Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) as a graduate-entry pathway for those who already hold a bachelor degree in another field
  • Some birth-to-twelve degrees qualify a graduate for both early childhood and primary teaching — confirm the specialisation on ACECQA's approved list and with your state teacher regulator
  • CHC50125 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care is a common stepping stone, and universities often grant credit toward the degree
  • ACECQA can assess an overseas or non-listed qualification for equivalence, or recognise a person as an 'equivalent early childhood teacher'

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Curriculum design against the Early Years Learning Framework · Pedagogical leadership and mentoring of educators · Observation, assessment and learning documentation · Early identification of developmental delay and referral pathways · Family partnership and sensitive communication · Inclusive practice and individual learning plans · Understanding of the National Quality Standard and assessment and rating · Reflective practice and evidence-informed decision making

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Early Childhood Teaching work in Adelaide — licensing, hiring and what employers look for.

Can't find the answer you're looking for? Get in touch

Sources

  • Early Childhood Teaching — occupation data · verified 2026-08-04. ABS ANZSCO 2022, Unit Group 2411 Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teachers (https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/classifications/anzsco-australian-and-new-zealand-standard-classification-occupations/2022/browse-classification/2/24/241/2411); ACECQA approved qualifications and equivalent ECT recognition (https://www.acecqa.gov.au/qualifications-0/are-you-qualified and https://www.acecqa.gov.au/qualifications-0/are-you-qualified/recognition-equivalent-early-childhood-teacher); Fair Work Ombudsman (https://awards.fairwork.gov.au/MA000077.html and https://awards.fairwork.gov.au/MA000120.html); Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections May 2024 – May 2034 (https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/employment-projections) and The Future of the Early Childhood Education Profession (https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-02/The%20Future%20of%20the%20Early%20Childhood%20Education%20Profession%20%E2%80%93%20Extended%20Report.pdf); Queensland College of Teachers (https://www.qct.edu.au/registration/blue-card); NSW Education Standards Authority (https://www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa); Victorian Institute of Teaching (https://www.vit.vic.edu.au/faqs/wwc); Teacher Registration Board of WA (https://www.trb.wa.gov.au); Teachers Registration Board of SA (https://www.trb.sa.edu.au); Teachers Registration Board of Tasmania (https://trb.tas.gov.au); ACT Teacher Quality Institute (https://www.tqi.act.edu.au); Teacher Registration Board NT (https://www.trb.nt.gov.au/registration); state working with children authorities as listed for related occupations
  • 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

Hiring early childhood teaching in Adelaide?

Valont People runs award-aware recruitment — role design, advertising, screening and shortlisting.