Going into the working world can be a daunting, especially if you don’t have much previous experience, so we've put together a few tips to make your new job in childcare seem a whole lot easier to manage!
1. Know what your goals are
Understanding why you were hired and what you can achieve is the best way to keep you motivated; it gives you purpose within your role. This might require learning some new skills, doing some networking, researching some business ideas or to simply set yourself some aims to help you progress in your role.
2. Ask for help
Everyone has experienced the fears that go with having a new job, and working in childcare is no different. Just remember, no one will expect you to know everything straight away! Asking for help from a more experienced member of staff is one of the best ways to learn and prevent mistakes being made. Asking questions about how to do things will also give you more confidence within your new role.
3. Avoid making comparisons
If you’ve worked before, try not to compare your new job to any old roles you had. If you were doing a different job for a long time and felt very comfortable in that role, it’s likely that it’ll take some time to adjust to your new responsibilities. However, you need to focus on your new job and recognise that you’ll feel like this again, soon.
4. Give people time to get to know you
People might not take to you straight away, or they might have a different sense of humour to you. Just remember that it isn’t a personal attack and some people might take time to warm up to you as the newest member of the team. Just remember that people deal with situations differently and, eventually, you’ll get on well with everyone.
5. Give yourself 90 days
You’ll get stressed and worry about how you’re doing in your new role, that’s normal. However, try not to put too much pressure on yourself to get everything right straight away. After 90 days, people usually feel like they can do their role comfortably and have a better understanding of what’s expected of them day-to-day.