A degree in early childhood studies is an excellent foundation for a career working with young children and their families in many sectors, including education, health and social care
Job options
Jobs directly related to your degree include:
- Early years teacher
- Education consultant
- Education mental health practitioner
- Family support worker
- Learning mentor
- Play therapist
- Primary school teacher
- Special educational needs coordinator (SENCO)
- Special educational needs teacher
- Teaching assistant
Jobs where your degree would be useful include:
- Child psychotherapist
- Children's nurse
- Community development worker
- Community education officer
- Counsellor
- Educational psychologist
- Health play specialist
- Social worker
- Speech and language therapist
- Youth worker
Remember that many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here.
Work experience
Make the most of any embedded or optional work placements, field trips or work shadowing opportunities offered as part of your course to build your knowledge, gain practical experience and make contacts.
Gaining exposure to certain areas, such as social work, children's nursing and counselling, can be challenging due to the sensitive nature of the work. However, any experience of working with children and their families will strengthen your future job or further study applications.
There are many ways to get relevant experience of working with children, including through volunteering. You could get involved in community play schemes, local sports clubs, youth clubs or groups such as Girlguiding or Scouts, or consider working overseas with young people through initiatives such as summer camp jobs in the USA.
A further option is to gain work experience in schools and shadow teachers, assistants and admin staff or find work as a private tutor or reading mentor.
If you're still struggling for ideas, discover more about volunteering with children or consider opportunities via:
Search for placements and find out more about work experience and internships.
Typical employers
Early childhood studies graduates work in a variety of sectors with a range of employers, including:
- nurseries and pre-schools
- state and independent schools
- local authorities and community organisations
- local and national charities
- NHS and health authorities.
Other employers include non-governmental organisations, museums, art galleries and libraries, where you can work in a range of educational and training or advisory roles.
Find information on employers in teacher training and education, healthcare, charity and voluntary work, and other job sectors, or learn more about working with children.
Skills for your CV
Early childhood studies degrees take a holistic approach to the development of children from birth to age eight, enabling you to gain an understanding of the evolving nature of early education and care provision.
You develop subject-specific skills in areas such as advocating for young children's rights and working in partnership with children, families and multi-agency professionals to promote health, wellbeing and inclusive practice. You also develop an understanding of safeguarding and child protection responsibilities. Through practical experience, you learn to observe and listen to young children, assess their development, and plan for and support their early learning and transitions.
Employers are also interested in the broader skills you acquire, including:
- written communication developed through writing essays, dissertations and reports
- oral communication developed through delivering presentations, discussions and seminar debates
- the ability to work as part of a team through collaborative group work
- research and analytical skills, including the ability to critically evaluate information
- organisational and time management skills developed through balancing academic, social and work commitments
- self-reflection and the ability to identify strengths and areas for development
- digital literacy skills, including the use of technology to support learning, communication and research.
Further study
Early childhood studies graduates that go on to further study tend to take professional qualifications to work in areas such as teaching, nursing, social work or educational psychology.
Other options include taking a Masters degree in early childhood studies or education, to further increase your knowledge, or in related areas such as public health, sociology, psychology or politics.
If you want to study for a PhD, relevant subjects include early childhood, education, health, social justice, equality and inclusion, for example.
For more information on further study and to find a course that interests you, see Masters degrees and search postgraduate courses in early childhood studies.
What do childhood studies graduates do?
Three quarters (75%) of early childhood studies graduates are working as primary education teaching professionals (14%), early education and childcare practitioners (14%), early education and childcare assistants (12%), educational support assistants (9%), teaching assistants (8%), early education and childcare services managers (6%), nursery education teaching professionals (2%), special and additional needs education teaching professionals (2%), higher level teaching assistants (2%), teaching professionals (2%), other vocational and industrial trainers (2%) and child and early years officers (1%).
| Destination | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Employed | 65.3 |
| Further study | 8.2 |
| Working and studying | 10.3 |
| Unemployed | 6.8 |
| Other | 9.4 |
| Type of work | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Education | 45.6 |
| Childcare, health and education | 34.9 |
| Legal, social and welfare | 7 |
| Retail, catering and customer service | 6.4 |
| Clerical, secretarial and administrative | 3 |
Find out what other early childhood studies graduates are doing 15 months after finishing their degrees in What do graduates do?
Graduate Outcomes survey data from HESA.