Early learning
Childcare and early childhood recruitment
A childcare recruitment agency places early childhood educators and assistants into centres, against a Working With Children Check and a qualification. That check is eight separate state schemes wearing one name, lasting three years in Western Australia and five in New South Wales and Victoria. Ready & Cleared does not cover childcare yet.
This sector is not open. Early learning is planned, not available. The only sector we cover today is disability and aged care in Perth. Everything below is accurate and dated, and none of it means we can fill a educator role this week. The order, and the reasoning behind it.
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Key facts
- A Working With Children Check runs 3 years in WA and 5 in NSW and Victoria
- The paid fee ranges from $87 in WA to $139.20 in Victoria
- New South Wales issues 0 physical cards; the check is a number you quote
- Queensland calls it a Blue Card, 1 of 8 separate state schemes
- Not open: 1 sector is live, disability and aged care in Perth
What this costs, against what the market charges
Almost no agency publishes a placement fee. The number below is the published vendor benchmark for Australian permanent placement, and beside it is ours, which is simply the price.
| Way of buying | Typical market | Ready & Cleared |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent placement | $7,700 to $11,550 12–18% of a $64,200 salary | $3,900 flat, published |
| Casual or temp placement | An hourly margin rarely published | $1,900 flat, published |
| Ongoing access | Not usually offered fees are per placement | $390 a month unlimited introductions |
| Cost to the worker | $0 | $0 |
On the benchmark figures that is a difference of $3,800 to $7,650 on a single permanent placement. The percentage band is a vendor benchmark rather than a regulated rate, so treat it as indicative. Our own figure is not indicative; it is published and it is the price.
Those are our care-sector prices. We have not set a price for early learning, because we do not sell into it yet.
What a educator has to hold
These are the credentials the roles on this page require. We hold the document, record what it says, and track the expiry. Where a public register exists we confirm against it; where one does not, we say so rather than implying a check we did not make.
- Working With Children Check employer portal only
- National Police Certificate document held
- First aid (HLTAID011) document held
- CPR (HLTAID009) document held
Exactly what each of those words means, including the ones we cannot verify.
Roles this covers
- Early childhood educators
Common questions
Can you place educators now?
No. Childcare is planned rather than open. The Working With Children Check data behind it is published and dated, and that part is useful whether or not we ever place a single educator.
How long does a Working With Children Check last?
It depends where you are. Three years in Western Australia, five in New South Wales and Victoria. We have not confirmed the Queensland Blue Card term, and the credential page says so rather than guessing.
Wondering what everyone else charges? What recruitment agencies charge in Australia sets out the band, what it costs at each salary, and the one published figure that beats ours.
Hiring something else
What is open, and what is next
Figures on this page were checked on 2026-10-25. Where a figure is a vendor benchmark rather than ours, it says so beside the number.
Early learning is not open yet. Join the list and we will say when it is.
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