Jobs Working with Children

Working with children is both fun and challenging. There is nothing like making a contribution to the well-being of a child. Teaching and healthcare are some of the fields through which you can work in close association with children. However, you may find many such careers through which you can work with kids.

Daycare jobs are a product of today's fast-paced life where working-parents need a support system to ensure the safety and well-being of their kids. There are many such careers out there, which allow you to work with children.

The jobs mentioned ahead offer you an opportunity, to bring about positive changes in the lives of children during their developmental phases.

It is one of the major careers that allow you to work with kids. A school teacher works with children in their early stages of growth. Having a Bachelor's degree is the basic requirement to become a teacher. While you work as a teacher you get to known more about the psychology of children.

Spending most of the day's time in the company of kids gives you a better idea of the mentality of kids; thus, teaching is a great learning experience for teachers themselves. Every child is different and therefore, exhibits a unique behavioral pattern and way of thinking.

Teachers need to be extremely careful and empathetic while dealing with kids. In fact, a teacher's job requires a highly skilled professional, capable of fulfilling his/her responsibilities with great caution.

Salary of a high-school teacher ranges from $93,000-$460,000.

It is one of the high-paying careers working with children. A pediatrician is a professional who deals with medical problems that affect infants, children and adolescents. Having a college degree (duration: 4 years) and a medical school degree is a prerequisite to becoming a pediatrician.

After completion of formal education, one needs to apply for a residency program or internship before taking up actual practice. Pediatricians can further specialize in emergency medicine, adolescent medicine, infectious diseases, gastroenterology, etc.

A pediatrician is responsible not only for looking after a child's physical well-being, but also the behavioral problems and developmental disorders. A pediatrician's patients can be placed into following groups:

• Newborn: Up to 1 month
• Infant: 1 month-2 years
• Child: 2-12 years
• Adolescent: 12-21 years

Salary of a pediatrician ranges from $85,000-$190,000.

The job of a child psychologist is quite different from that of a physician - focuses on physiological/pathological aspect of health problems. Psychologists deal with problems related to mental and social development in children.

There are a variety of problems which prove to be a hurdle in the mental development of children; such problems are dealt with by child psychologists. These professionals also help children in recovering from traumatic events of past. It is necessary to have good communication skills to become a child psychologist.

Those who have prior experience working as a teacher, care worker or learning support assistant, etc., can seriously think about this career option. Having a Ph.D. in psychology opens many career opportunities which allow you to work with children.

Salary of a child psychologist can range from $40,000-140,000.

Childcare workers are professionals who take care of children in the absence of their parents. They handle a lot of responsibilities however, the most important one is to keep the child safe. Playing with kids, reading books for them, bathing them, dressing & feeding them and changing diapers are some of the routine tasks they have to perform.

Childcare workers need to be creative in a sense they must find ways to help children acquire new skills. Those interested in working as a childcare worker can start immediately after graduating.

You need a state license for working as a childcare worker. Having a childcare certificate gives you an edge over other candidates in the process of finding a job.

The salary range for childcare workers is $15,000-28,000.

The work of a child advocate is associated with supporting neglected or abused children and carrying on legal proceedings if necessary. Judges are responsible for choosing a suitable advocate for a child. Providing assistance in finding a support service for treatment of substance abuse and for prenatal care are also the responsibilities of a child advocate.

These professionals offer counseling to children and parents in matters of childcare, health, physical abuse, etc. Having a high-school diploma is sufficient to start working as a child advocate. The minimum age limit for becoming a child advocate is 21 years.

The average salary of these professionals is $44,000.

These professionals assist children in dealing with psychological problems by means of play therapy. Play therapists teach the kids how to express themselves through leisure activities and playing with toys. They have an expertise in symbolic communication. Weekly sessions of 50 minutes-1 hour are conducted for dealing with psychological problems.

The idea behind conducting such sessions is to reduce internal conflict and to make the child insightful. In order to work as a play therapist, you need to at least have a master's degree. Students of psychology, occupational therapy, education, nursing, etc., can work in this field.

The salary range for play therapists ranges from $45,000-$50,000.

The duty of a camp director is to oversee the smooth running of a camp. Organizational skills and decision-making ability are the qualities required for working in this field. Recruiting camp counselors, coaches, supervisors, musicians, magicians, etc., is part of their work profile.

Certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is one of the requirements for this job. A Bachelor's degree in administration proves to be of great help when you are searching for a job of camp director.

Average salary of a camp director is $45,000.

A pediatric nutritionist does the work of preparing nutrition programs for children as well as teens up to 18 years of age. To work as a pediatric nutritionist, you need to have a Bachelor's degree in nutrition.

You must have good communication skills because, a nutritionist is required to extract as much information about a child's dietary habits as possible. In such cases, it becomes necessary to communicate tactfully to obtain the necessary information.

Average salary of a pediatric nutritionist is $50,000.

These professionals work with people who suffer from speech-related disorders. Inability to speak fluently, not being able to produce certain sounds while speaking and inability to maintain a proper rhythm are the main issues that speech-language pathologists have to deal with.

Most speech-language pathologists are employed in educational services. They also work in social assistance and healthcare facilities. A degree in speech-language pathology is required for working in this field.

The median salary figure for speech-language pathologists is $77,000.

Taking up a babysitting job is considered as a good option when you are thinking about working in summer. This job offers enough money to students to fulfill their monthly expenses. Conducting summer classes for kids who are interested in learning music is another option to consider.

Arranging tours to museums, zoos and other such places are the part-time jobs that prove to be a good source of money. Summer camps for children are the best places where you can look out for temporary jobs.

The different services needed by disabled children include regular health assessments/checkups, provision of necessary equipment, etc. Some of the careers working with children with disabilities are listed below.

• Disability Support Worker
• Disability Social Worker
• Occupational Therapist

One can also specialize in a particular disability on the basis of majors taken up at school. Patience and compassion are the qualities needed for working with children with special needs. It is a rewarding job, provided that one loves to spend time with children.

Ability to understand the needs of children is a must because most children with disabilities find it difficult to communicate clearly. Even with a high-school diploma, you become eligible for such jobs. It is however, necessary to undergo a background test and drug test before taking up such jobs.

Given the rise in social and psychological problems in children, all the mentioned careers are in demand. One has to be sincere and dedicated in order to handle responsibilities associated with such kind of jobs.