Getting started in your career with children and young people

When working in sectors related to children and young people you could be looking at a wide range of occupations.

Prospects has a useful list of job profiles each containing relevant information about key responsibilities, skill requirements, starting salaries, entry requirements and career prospects with links to major employers and current graduate vacancies.

Potential job roles

Job roles in this sector include (but are not restricted to):

This guide is broken down into four main areas:

early years
youth and community work
health and social care
education

Please also refer to our Teaching career guide for more information.

Keep up-to-date with the industry

As part of your job-hunting strategy, you will need to keep up to date on developments in this sector and keep track of any vacancies that are coming up. The knowledge gained through your research may help you to target your applications and will help when preparing for interviews.

Below are some key resources to help you research opportunities available

Targetjobs – Alternative careers in education – provides an overview of popular career paths outside of classroom teaching and offers an in-depth overview through the Education Alternatives publication from AGCAS, written by experienced university careers advisers and full of inspirational, relevant and up-to-date advice.
Children & Young People Now – a dedicated magazine/website for professionals working with children, young people and families. It covers childcare and early years, education, health, social care, youth justice and youth work.
Guardian Jobs – allows you to search and apply for the latest roles in children’s social work, child care and working with children and young people. You can sign up for regular alerts through email.

Nursery World – offers news and best practise in childcare, EYFS and early years education. The site also advertises job opportunities in the sector.
Department for Education – provides helpful information about training routes to become an early years teacher. The site also outlines the different skills and standards required in the role.

National Youth Agency – the national body for youth work offers resources, a blog from professionals, information on policies and practice and the opportunity to sign up to a monthly newsletter.
UK Youth – works to better the lives of young people through an extensive network of youth development organisations. The site offers the latest news across the youth work sector and a blog addressing current issues.

Health & Care Professions Council – a regulatory body covering occupations such as social workers, practitioner psychologists and speech and language therapists. The site offers information on professional regulations and standards, as well as updates on campaigns and events.
Health Careers – provides information about a career in health, how the health sector is structured and specific information about careers in the NHS and public health.
British Association of Social Workers – the largest professional association for social work in the UK, which aims to promote the best possible social work services for all individuals. The site offers specific information about building a career as a social worker, including the opportunity to browse job vacancies.

Times Educational Supplement – provides the latest news, teaching resources and discussion from the teaching world. The TES also advertises jobs in teaching and lecturing and leadership opportunities.
Department for Education – responsible for education, children’s services and higher and further education policy. The site provides information on the latest news, publications and statistics.