CV Help!

[thumperrabbit]

I finished working at my pre-school in the summer after completing over 10 years service there.

I no longer wish to work in childcare I want to enter the world of admin; within education would be good but it doesn't have to be.

 

How do I 'sell' the skills of being a pre-school manager to those who have no clue about what the job takes?!

Anyone I've ever spoken to who's not been involved in Early Years has always given the impression that it's a 'nothing' kind of role responses of "ahh that must be so lovely, playing with the little ones" (if only they knew!)

 

Also on application forms it always asks for the last employers name - would you give the name of your chairperson? to be honest the last one I had did not have a clue about the job I was doing and was a 'in name only' person (I have had a few good ones in the past!) I was thinking of asking my Deputy, but is that acceptable?

 

It feels like I've been in an Early Years bubble and now I don't know how to enter another working environment - confidence is at below zero at the moment, any help of advice appreciated.

[sunnyday]

Oh thumper - I didn't want to just 'read and run' - crikey I will have to go away and think about this - there are a 'hundred and one' skills involved in managing a pre-school - not only those skills which involve supporting the children but all those management skills - i.e. staff management, admin and so much more........

 

Hope someone far more helpful than me comes along soon for you :1b

[zigzag]

Yes I would ask your deputy for a reference. It's really hard to make people understand the full role and huge variety of tasks that being an early years manager encompasses. I think you are very brave for making the leap and should have confidence in yourself and your abilities.

[LKeyteach]

If looking for an admin role

logic

methodical

understanding

knowledge of computer programmes (bit more than turning on equipment)

People skills

(do I remember starionery envy a while back)

Planning and prioritising

creating systems

sorry got to go glass of fizz calls. But I'll be back with more help if needed.

[lsp]

Time management

Working to deadlines

Working as part of team but able to use own initiative

Organisational skills

[MagicStar]

As in your current role you are doing lots of admin related tasks, I don't think it would be at all misleading if you were to list your job title on your CV as Pre-school Manager/Administrator.

 

Many of the main job sites (Monster, Reed, Jobsite, Total Jobs etc) allow employers to search for candidates by job title, skills etc. Having Administrator in your job title should help you to stand out.

 

A natural bridge into admin would be a role within education (as you have pointed out). Large secondary schools can have as many as 20 or more admin related roles (I worked at one school where we had more than 20). Even primary schools can have 2-3 admin related members of staff.

 

Perhaps you could write to all of the schools (and maybe colleges too) in your area and sell your skills to them. Do you use a Nursery Management System in your current job? If so, almost all schools use them. SIMS is most popular by far and if you have used Nursery Management Systems, you will find the transition easier, as the concepts are exactly the same.

 

Having a current DBS (with the update service) will also help.

 

Finally, consider doing two or more versions of your CV. Working in education, we tend to work in a bit of a bubble and it's easy to get caught in acronyms and jargon. Not everyone know their EYFE, from their EYFS! Have one CV dedicated to applying for roles within education and then another where you are translating your skills to a wider employer base, and where you avoid jargon and acronyms.

 

 

Good luck with your search!

[blondie]

i did find a "change in career cv" online a while back - it gave lots of advice on how to do this/what to put in etc.,

[thumperrabbit]

Thank you all for your help, you've given me lots of pointers to get started on, I really appreciate it.

[FSFRebecca]

I agree with everything that's been said ... definitely sell your yourself with your transferable skills. Perhaps to get started you could think about a day at your setting and put a heading for each 'event' and underneath list the skills - then when you go for interviews you will have something to refer to as examples when someone say 'like what?' when you are explaining your skill set.

So...

Greeting parents at the start of the day:

• remembering client's names and individual circumstances - confidentiality, discretion, matching responses to users understanding

​Managing staff disagreement:

• Diplomacy, knowledge of employment rights, prioritising needs, understanding staff working circumstances

 

I'd also flick back through your settings' last year diary to remind yourself of any 'big' issues you had to deal with e.g disciplinary issues, fundraisers, complaints, Ofsted visits, moderation meetings etc - that will give you a whole new level of 'management skills'

This might help you see what you've done and achieved and will help you explain things clearly in an interview - I always takes papers into an interview - it's not a memory test - they want to know if you can do the job not see if you can remember your life history whilst being grilled! (unless of course it's an interview for a memory person )