educator

early childhood teacher

center manager

childcare provider

Journey Early Learning

I wish I could write about what an amazing experience I had in my year at Journey, unfortunately on reflection it was a year of regret. I went into my employment enthusiastic, energized and eager to learn and be apart of the company I had heard such good things about, I was proud of where I worked. I had planned to be at Journey for the long haul and loved my team and families.

Over time my views on Journey shifted. I was being taken advantage of, with more expectations being placed on me due to management not pulling their weight and no pay compensation to make up for the extra time and energy I was putting in. I kept having propaganda shoved down my throat, “this is the year of the educator, we want to give back”, but all they did was take from me until I had nothing left to give. There was always talk about support from the “Support Office”, but I rarely received it. Even after I resigned and they manipulated me into staying and turning down another offer, they still failed to follow through with the support they had promised.

This company destroyed my inner peace and the person I am. A few months on I still feel hurt and damaged from my experience and do not recommend Journey. They are on the path to exceeding and the only thing they care about is their false image and their back pocket.

Induction process was great and the owners & senior management were fantastic, well experienced, inspiring, knowledgeable and approachable, which offered the perfect conditions for staff eager to be innovative in a brand new, purpose-built centre at the time. 

The unfortunate part is the poor choice in appointing a centre director who not only had a subjective and very biased approach towards early childhood education, but saw micromanaging their staff as the way for such a promising centre to build a strong foundation and make a great name for themselves.  I get profit is very important for privately owned centres but you can only achieve that success when your staff is motivated, empowered, acknowledged and validated so they can  always stand by your side.  That’s Leadership 101.  But that shows that Masters Degrees don’t buy you wisdom and good common sense.

Needless to say, it didn’t take long for me to realise that the quality of service delivery was compromised, as well as my integrity.

The fortunate part was that I wasn’t the only one who realised this and that manager was eventually dismissed.  Also, I believe that shortly after, they appointed someone with fantastic leadership skills and work ethics, experienced and well networked. 

Poor management from CM - extreme micromanaging, lack of empathy, lack of current knowledge of early childhood practices. Poor communication skills. Lack of admitting fault for wrong doing. 

Lack of programming time and resources - for a centre that is charging what they are per day, those children should lack for nothing. In the time I was there the office furniture was changed at least 4 times, meanwhile rooms were begging for resources. All I wanted were some animals and books. I gave up asking. My program was so far behind because I was never given consistent time off the floor to complete it. 

Teams and storypark - the expectation is that you are checking these platforms and responding even if it isn’t during your work hours. It is draining! 

Support educators - extremely disappointing that children are not provided support educators that they are entitled to and require. Even with staff shortages, plenty of agency platforms are available and should be utilised. There is no excuse for children to be missing out on support when there are options available. 

A typical day at work was busy but incredibly rewarding. I learnt so much during my time here, not only professionally but personally as well. The team environment was amazing and made such a difference to the overall experience.

Management, especially Noreen, was incredible and has truly set the standard for any workplace I go into in the future. I always felt supported, heard and valued, which made coming to work enjoyable. The workplace culture was warm, welcoming and very team-focused.

The most enjoyable part of the job was building relationships with the children, families and my coworkers. It genuinely felt like a community. The hardest part would be that the role can be demanding and isn’t for everyone, but for those who are passionate, it is extremely rewarding.

Poor management and leadership. Staff wellbeing is not prioritised, and even sick leave is made unnecessarily difficult. Concerns from educators are often ignored, while communication and support from leadership are inconsistent.

The environment is toxic, with high workloads, excessive paperwork, and little support during challenging situations. Educators are frequently burnt out, yet staff turnover is not properly addressed.

There also appears to be a lack of fairness and consistent treatment across staff, with limited transparency in decision-making. Overall, the centre feels unsupported and poorly managed, contributing to ongoing stress and burnout among educators.

I found journey to be very challenging to work for when handling grievances, the process is not fair or legal, managers are automatically assumed to be right and staff treated very poorly. Area Manager used to live interstate (unsure if still does) was very young and had poor understanding of industry standards and regulations. Covid wasn't taken seriously and Educators forced to work when sick.

I credit them with advancing my skills without a doubt, however, I have never felt more degraded, had more passive aggressive comments thrown my way and been belittled for simple mistakes when I first started or mistakes that weren't even my own. The curriculum is outstanding and you will learn a lot about educative practices, however I didn't find it worth it in the end.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Founder support alongside educator investment 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Ratio at times same as all other services 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Positive and supportive 
Leadership filters from headoffice down 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Brainstorming
Collaborating 
Conversations 
Connecting with others

Same shift no one wanted to do early oral rates left up to same staff management were approachable but did nothing to support employees hardest part of job  lack of staff and high turnover which left you out of ratio enjoyable part of job meeting some incredible people whom I treasure as friends

So far I've been with Journey for over 1 year and loved my time here - the company is really supportive when it comes to training, work life balance and has a very fun, vibrant culture. 
The benefits are great from staff morning teas to team bonding, a day off for your birthday or just feeling valued or appreciated in general its rare to find a workplace you genuinely enjoy coming into everyday and Journey is fantastic in everyway. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Educator 9 salaries reported	$36.35 per hour
Early childhood teacher 1 salary reported	$77,500 per year
Center manager 4 salaries reported	$48.25 per hour
Childcare provider 1 salary reported	$30.00 per hour

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