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- Work with young children to help them learn and develop using the Montessori approach
- You'll need to be flexible, adaptable and good with children
- Progress into nursery or school management roles
The aim of Montessori teaching is to learn by doing, rather than finishing an activity or making an item to take home.
You'll guide young children rather than give instructions, using specially designed equipment to cover 6 core areas of learning: practical activities used in everyday life, training the senses - sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell, literacy and language, numeracy and arithmetic, knowledge and understanding of the world and different cultures, and creativity.
DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES
- Planning a programme of work and activities
- Preparing the learning areas and resources and making sure they're safe
- Watching the children and making notes of progress and issues
- Making sure all children have equal chances to learn
- Supporting parents and involving them
- Looking after sick or injured children
- Helping with dressing when needed
- Feeding children when required
- Attending staff meetings
- Keeping records and writing reports
DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT
You could work at a school or in a nursery. Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding.
You'll need
For this role, you'll need patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations, to work well with others, sensitivity and understanding, the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure, to be flexible and open to change, knowledge of teaching and the English language, and excellent verbal communication skills.
You could do a foundation degree or degree in any subject and then train as a Montessori teacher. You'll need to study for an Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) diploma, which includes a placement.
You can train as a Montessori classroom assistant then move on to a teacher training course. You'll need to study the AMI certificate which includes 9 hours of observation with a child in any setting. You'll need a good general standard of education, with passes in English and maths.
Volunteering and experience will be beneficial to finding work, helping you get a better understanding of the career and make contacts.
CAREER PROSPECTS
With experience you could become a nursery manager, assistant headteacher or headteacher. You could also become an area manager for a group of schools. You may be able to set up your own school, or take on a franchise either in the UK or overseas.