Men working
in early years: An interview with Jordan Tully
About Jordan
Jordan is an experienced early years professional specialising in operations, leadership, and management. He supports settings to help them grow and achieve outstanding Ofsted gradings and assists settings in transitioning to larger group sizes.
Most recently, he launched his own brand, 'Exploring Early Years with Jordan Tully,' a podcast series with the intention that through conversations, questioning, reflecting, and diving deeper, he can help you explore early years further.
Q. What inspired you to work in early years?
A. My journey into childcare was expected. My grandparents were early years providers themselves and had been for as long as I can remember. Naturally, everyone expected me to leave high school, get my qualification in childcare and then work for my grandparents' setting. However, instead, I wanted to figure out what kind of work I wanted to do for myself, and although I tried this, there wasn't anything I enjoyed as much as childcare.
Q. What is/were your favourite things about being an early years educator?
A. I love everything about the sector and what it means to be an early years practitioner; I believe once an early years practitioner, always an early years practitioner. I enjoy the quality interactions with the children, supporting their development and watching them grow. The children were always at the forefront of every decision I made when I started as a practitioner and that has never changed.
Q. Why do you think there is a lack of male representation in the early years workforce?
A. Although we have moved forward a lot, breaking down barriers with gender stereotypes, there is still work to be done. That's why I want to positively represent the sector and, hopefully, encourage more males to join the industry.
Men only make up around 3% of the childcare workforce. I have worked with providers and apprenticeship programs to help them review their curriculums and recruitment plans to become appealing to a broader range of candidates. The best candidate should still get the position regardless of their gender. However, the positions should be advertised and filled in a way that encourages a more diverse pool of applicants, and this is sometimes where the issues stem from.
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For more ideas and inspiration visit
ypo.co.uk/littlelearners
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