Linzi is an Early Years Practitioner at Dyke Preschool near Forres in Moray. She started her Graduate Apprenticeship in Early Years and Childcare in August 2021.
Why did you choose a graduate apprenticeship?
I had recently joined the team at Dyke Preschool after volunteering there and at Dyke Primary School. I had wanted to work in the early years and education sector for a long time and found the opportunity at Dyke preschool to change my career in my late 40s to becoming a practitioner. At that time, I did not have the qualification but was told about the Graduate Apprenticeship Degree in Early Years and Childcare which was just about to enter its third year of a pilot. This combines elements from the SVQ qualifications and HNC qualifications to enable applicants to reach level 9 status over a three year course.
What has your experience been?
In a nutshell, it's been a rollercoaster of a ride with ups, downs, smiles and tears along the way. Having not been in higher education for a long time and embracing this degree later in life as a mum of two, I have found it a challenge to adapt to learning again. I have an amazing personal academic tutor who has been with me every step of the way and I would recommend for those starting an apprenticeship like this to really make use of the tutors as they are a rock to help you through it.
I have found personal strength and capability with my chosen profession by doing the apprenticeship and through the three years I feel that it has helped me grow into the role and become the confident practitioner I am today.
What is a typical day like?
Once I have ensured my animals (two ducks, five chickens, a rabbit and a dog) are fed, watered (and defrosted at the minute) and the family (two boys and one husband) are reluctantly up and ready to go to work and school, I head to the preschool for 8.45am.
I help get the preschool ready for the children before they start arriving at 9.00am. This can include opening the sandpit, creating different spaces for them to play including maths, language, literature and other areas of the Curriculum for Excellence. The different learning materials and objects will be dependent on the age range we have that morning. I enjoy this start as you can think about what the children have played with before and what their interests are and build on that with the learning material you get out for them, so they are furthering their learning.
It's then on to snack, either indoors or around the fire pit in better weather. Some days I make the snack with one of the children being the ‘snack helper’ or other times I am tidying up with the other children in order to sit down for snack. After snack I help the children enjoy some songs or a story before choosing where they would like to play again until lunch time. Sometimes in these periods of play we have an activity going on such as planting vegetables, making cards for special occasions, woodwork and moth trapping and the children are all welcome to have a go when they want to during their play. I often lead some of the activities and feel confident enough to do so now.
Lunch times are busy as the children all sit down together and I can be found either serving up the hot meals, serving the packed lunches to the children, helping feed a couple of children that need that extra help or being a general table helper taking tops of yoghurts, cleaning up spillages or opening crisp packets.
The afternoon session is like the morning session and the children choose their play area either inside or outside and myself and the other staff observe, interact and help the children where needed. We go on walks around the village which the children enjoy and I enjoy this as it allows a different kind of learning in their local community.
I leave work around 3.45pm and head home to help my own children with homework. Once my youngest son is in bed, I then sit down and open my laptop to work on my university modules.
What do you like most about your job?
The children. It is such a privilege to be at the start of their learning journey. The thirst they have to learn about things and not even realise it is such a lovely thing to be a part of. I love observing them and watching how they play and what they play with as this helps me and the other staff to progress their learning journey. From those who are age two and stay for a morning to those that are nearly five and ready to go into primary one.
The smiles, the laughter and the pictures they make for you is heart warming and I really couldn’t see myself working in any other sector now.
How relevant is the qualification requirements to the work you are doing?
I believe all the qualification is relevant to the role I am doing because most of the modules are relevant to the setting and benefit not just you as a practitioner but the setting in some way. Whether that is theory around the early years sector and learning about why children place things in a line, or why they learn better in an outdoor environment, there is always something you can connect to your day to day role with the children.
What words of advice would you give to someone considering an apprenticeship?
Embrace it and run with it. Fully immerse yourself in the learning materials and this will help you in your day to day role in whichever sector you are hoping to qualify in.
However, do be prepared for lots of academic work and if like myself you are a busy mum of two, ensure that you fully understand how much time this will take you to achieve it as I don’t think I have ever got the balance of family life and university life quite right over the last three years.