What qualifications do you need to be a cook in the child care industry in Australia?

Question

What qualifications do you need to be a cook in the child care industry in Australia?

Answer 1

Unless you are talking about community based child care, the main one is economics, so that you can do the cheapest job possible and increase the company profits. That is the main qualification for both age and child care actually.

Answer 2

I'm not entirely certain, but perhaps a TAFE certificate or diploma in food preparation (for example: Certificate III in Hospitality Commercial Cookery) or an equivalent overseas qualification, plus a knowledge of child care procedures may be necessary, perhaps demonstrated by previous experience working with children or by a child care qualification (a Statement of Attainment in Children's Services can be completed at your own pace in any part of Australia via distance education through OTEN, which is a branch of TAFE New South Wales, and, if a child care qualification is needed, this would probably be sufficient.  Actual child caring positions would require a Certificate III/IV or Diploma in Children's Services, but as you would just be looking at cooking I sincerely doubt that this would be a requirement.  You may not need any child care qualifications at all; I don't really know.)  

Here is the OTEN website:

http://www.oten.edu.au/oten/oten.htm

And, according to your state, the TAFE websites:

www.tafensw.edu.au/

www.tafe.qld.gov.au/

www.tafe.wa.edu.au/

www.tafe.sa.edu.au/

www.tafe.tas.edu.au/

I think you might also need a Working with Children check and a First Aid Certificate, but of this I am also uncertain.

I am sorry that I cannot be of more help.  Good luck!  Perhaps try accessing some job search sites, searching for positions as a cook in a child care facility, and seeing what qualifications/experience the job advertisers request.  For example, here is a link I found to a now expired job advertisement for a child care cook with quite lenient requirements:

http://mycareer.com.au/jobs/sydney-cbd-2...

And here is another that requests certain qualifications, which may give you a better idea:

http://www.gisc.nsw.gov.au/news/pages/35...