Playworker
Playworkers help children and young people to develop their physical, social and language skills through play.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
As a playworker, you could:
- set up play areas that encourage children to develop through play
- build strong relationships with children and respond to their needs
- lead games, supervise children and give out refreshments
- encourage children to express themselves and talk about their worries
- build positive relationships with parents, carers and professionals
- make sure children are safe and secure
- deal with injuries and emergencies
Working environment
You could work in the community, at a school, in an NHS or private hospital or in a holiday play scheme.
Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time.
You may need to wear a uniform.
Career path and progression
With experience and training, you could:
- work as a playwork development officer for a local authority
- become a playwork scheme supervisor, senior playworker or manager
- move into a school as a teaching assistant
- become self employed and set up an after school club or childcare project
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- sensitivity and understanding
- the ability to work well with others
- to be flexible and open to change
- excellent verbal communication skills
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- thinking and reasoning skills
- active listening skills
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
Restrictions and Requirements
You'll need to:
You'll need to have a positive attitude towards children and enjoy working with them.
How to become
You can get into this job through:
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- volunteering
- applying directly
You could do a college course to get some of the skills you'll need in this job. You could take a course in outdoor play and learning or a T Level in Education and Early Years.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level
More Information
You could apply to do a Playworker Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.
This usually takes around a year and a half to complete and is a mix of study and workplace learning.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
More Information
You could volunteer to build up your experience of working with children.
You could volunteer at:
- a playgroup
- a school
- an after school club
- a holiday club
- an adventure playground
This may lead into paid work, where you could do training on the job.
You can apply for playworker jobs if you're already a qualified childcare worker.
You can also do the Level 3 Award in Transition to Playwork qualification to help before you apply for roles.
Career tips
A paediatric first aid certificate will be useful but is not essential.
Further information
You can find more advice about working in childcare from the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years and Early Years Careers.
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External links
This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.