Playworkers work with 4 - 16 year olds in their leisure time. They work in various settings such as:

• breakfast clubs
• after-school clubs
• playbuses
• holiday playschemes
• play centres
• youth groups
• adventure playgrounds.

Their work includes:

• providing children with choice and freedom to spend their leisure time in their own way 
• planning activities with the children
• encouraging fair and caring behaviour among the children
• encouraging independence and self-esteem
• liaising with parents, carers, and sometimes other professionals
• ensuring safety procedures are followed, but also encouraging children to be aware of their own safety, and that of others
• giving first aid if needed
• evaluating activities at the end of the day
• keeping records
• following the correct procedures if they are concerned about the welfare of any of the children using the service.

No two days are the same. In the same day playworkers might be involved in:

• creative activities
• games
• drama
• cooking
• taking children on outings
• talking to a child about his/her worries.

Hours and Environment

Playworkers may work full-time or part-time. Most playwork is needed in the evenings, at weekends and during school holidays.

Playwork takes place indoors and outdoors, depending on the setting and the type of activity. It is active work, involving lifting, bending and carrying and possibly joining in with activities such as games and sports.

Skills and Interests

To be a playworker, you should:

• have a mature and caring attitude
• be able to get on well with children, parents and carers from all backgrounds
• be able to work with children and young people with different abilities and personalities, and to judge how much support they need
• be good at listening to children
• be creative and flexible, able to adapt if children don’t want to take part in a planned activity
• be patient and tolerant
• work well as part of a team
• be aware of health and safety issues
• have good organisational skills 
• have stamina and a good sense of humour
• be aware of equal opportunities issues.

Entry

To help you decide if working with children and young people is the right career for you, you can do a short course called Making Choices. The course can last between one and three weeks. Your local Children's Information Service will give you details of Making Choices courses in your area. You can get their number from Childcare Link - see Further Information below for contact details.

You do not necessarily need academic qualifications to get into playwork. You can train and gain playwork qualifications as you work.

There are two ways to get started:

• working as a volunteer to gain experience before you move into paid part-time or full-time work
• working as a volunteer at the same time as working towards a qualification.

At this stage you can do the following qualifications:

• CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Supporting Playwork Practice
• CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Playwork.

See the Training section for more information on qualifications at all levels.

You may be able to get into this type of work through an apprenticeship scheme. Funding for apprenticeships is available for 16-24 year olds and some over-25s. To find out more, visit www.apprenticeships.org.uk. For information about apprenticeships in other parts of the UK, see Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Training

You can do different playwork qualifications depending on your job. 

New playworkers usually do an Ofsted-approved induction course. Several courses meet the Playwork Induction Standard including Introducing Playwork by SkillsActive, the Sector Skills Council for Active Leisure and Learning.

Assistant playworkers (who work alongside more senior playworkers) can work towards level two qualifications such as NVQ/SVQ Level 2 in Playwork awarded by City and Guilds, CACHE or BTEC.

Senior playworkers can work towards  level three qualifications such as:

• NVQ/SVQ Level 3 in Playwork
• CACHE Level 3 Certificate/Diploma in Playwork
• CACHE Level 3 Certificate of Professional Development in Work with Children and Young People.

When you have experience as a playworker, you can also do a Level 3 Certificate in Working with Children.

Playwork managers and playwork development officers can work towards:

• NVQ/SVQ Level 4 in Playwork
• foundation degrees, BTEC Higher National Diplomas (HNDs), or degrees relating to playwork.

To search for colleges and universities offering foundation degrees, HNDs and degrees see Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) Please check with colleges or universities for entry requirements.

Visit the 'Practitioners' section of the DfES Children's Workforce: Qualifications website for details of early years, childcare and playwork qualifications which Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education) recognises as meeting the national occupational standards for under eight day care. There is a link to the website in the Further Information section.

See the Playwork section of the SkillsActive website (in Further Information below) for details of all aspects of playwork.

Opportunities

The number of jobs for playworkers is growing quickly. They are employed by local authorities, voluntary organisations and private companies. There are some full-time jobs although most are part-time. Some are seasonal, for example in the school holidays.

Experienced playworkers may be able to progress to supervisory or management roles. They may become self-employed and set up and manage one or more after-school clubs. With the right qualifications they could specialise in play development, play training, or play therapy.

It may be possible to move into other related areas as teaching assistant or youth worker.

Playworkers may be able to work abroad, especially with holiday companies.

Annual Income

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

A full-time playworker can earn between £10,000 and £11,500 a year.
Experienced playworkers earn between £11,800 and £16,500.
Senior staff can earn around £19,000.

Further information

Tel: 0800 2346 346 Castlewood House
77-91 New Oxford Street
London
WC1A 1PX
Advice line: 08000 933300