Early Years Unqualified Practitioner – Episkopi

Vacancy Campaign Number: HR/26/56

Terms & Conditions of Employment

This is a rolling advert; successful candidates will be

placed on a reserve list depending on the preferences they

have selected on the Preference Form (Weblink) and the

outcome of the interviews.

The recruitment process is fair and open competition and

people will be judged on their own merit. As this is a rolling

advert and selection interviews will take place every few

weeks, when a vacancy arises, priority will be given to those

who were interviewed first.

Roles are from zero hours to 37 hours. Complete the

preference form above with applications to indicate

preferred preference regards contract and hours.

The below details are the options of future positions

1. Contract Type: Full Year (52 weeks) or Term Time (38

weeks)

1. Grade: Unqualified Key Person – EYUKP

€12,22 Hourly Rate plus Cost-of-Living Allowance (COLA).

1. Hours per week: Depending on business needs. From Zero

to 37 hours per week – (Zero Hours are as and when

required )

1. Location: Episkopi Early Years

1. General_Terms_Conditions_Employment_New_Recruits

(Weblink). Please note that the Pay paragraph of this

document is not applicable for Education Grades.

1. Closing Date: 29th of July 2026, Midnight, Local Cyprus

Time EARLY YEARS UNQUALIFIED

PRACTITIONER

ADVERT

For information on the

process or the application

please contact the

Resource Administrator

Mrs Angela Ioannou

on 00357 25 96 2385

Operating hours

Monday to Thursday

08:00 – 14:00

Friday: 08:00 – 12:00

ABOUT THE JOB

Join our team as an unqualified practitioner!

We're excited to offer you the opportunity to grow in your career while you work from

September 2026. By committing to Level 2 or Level 3 training in fully recognised Early Years

qualifications, you can be included in our staff-to-child ratio as you train. This is a fantastic

chance to gain valuable skills and advance within our supportive environment. All fully

funded.

Start your journey with us today!

An exciting opportunity to join our team as an Unqualified Practitioner. This role would be perfect

for someone that hasn’t worked in childcare for a few years, or are simply looking to start

You must genuinely enjoy being with children and have a warm, caring and positive nature. A good

sense of humour and a willingness to self-improve and develop your childcare skills is a must!

If you are passionate about working with children and inspiring them to achieve their full potential

Early Years Cyprus is a great place to work. We adopt the latest thinking and research in the field of

early education and therefore have a regular programme of continuing professional development to

support our practitioners to not only confidently deliver the EYFS but be inspirational in their practice.

We don’t settle for people who can just do the job, we are looking for people that go beyond that and

always push us to be better than yesterday. We are therefore looking to recruit a friendly,

experienced individual who will embrace our values and join our wonderful team. If you are

committed to contributing to our younger generation’s formative years and want to be part of a unique

setting offering opportunities to advance your career in childcare.

Your days will be fun, messy, indoors, outdoors, quiet, creative, explorative, child-led, and free, but

never the same! The early years are a magical time, and we want people in our team to harness

every child’s individual sparkle! To nurture that seed of magic with love and care to inspire every

individual child. Finally, you must be prepared to feel loved, special, and important to many young

children and their families. There is simply no other job quite like this one.

Eligibility - Are you eligible to apply?

To be eligible to apply for this role, you must be a UK Family Member with a valid for

employment Status Stamp. If you are yet to receive your status stamp, please

contact the Resource Team.

Applications from individuals that have either reached or passed the BFC / SBAA

Normal Retirement age of 65 will not be accepted.

Essential & Desirable Criteria for the Role

Important Note: Details on the role can be found on the Job Description which is at the end of

this document. These criteria are part of the assessment criteria and will influence the decision

on whether your application will proceed to the next stage.

Essential

1. An understanding of, and a commitment in working to the principles of Equality of Opportunity

and how to support children with learning difficulties and disabilities in accordance with

statutory requirements of the EYFS (DfE 2017)

1. Encourage other staff and children to appreciate and value each other’s similarities and differences

and teach them about the diversity in the immediate and wider community.

1. You must undergo and pass as security & police check. If you are found successful, you will

be requested to provide a Clean Criminal Record and a Sex Offenders Certificate issued by

the Republic of Cyprus. For UKFMs that will be found successful on this advert and who

have lived on island for longer than 18 months, will be requested to provide a Clean

Criminal Record and a Sex Offenders Certificate issued by the Republic of Cyprus.

1. All candidates who have lived in the UK, must undergo and pass an Enhanced Disclosure

and Barring Service (DBS).

1. As part of the Safer Recruitment process, successful candidates must provide, upon

employment, clean criminal records from all countries they have lived in the last 10 years.

1. As part of the Safer Recruitment process, candidates must provide their full employment

history on the application form and justify any gaps in employment.

1. If you are found successful on this campaign, we will be requesting references, therefore,

ensure to have completed this information on your application form. To underline, we do not

accept references from relatives and friends.

1. As part of the Safer Recruitment Process, we may conduct social media checks.

1. Candidates must have an understanding on Safeguarding children and vulnerable

adults. For further information, read below the Safer Recruitment Statement and Keeping

children safe in education UK (WEB LINK)

1. Candidates must complete the Self Declaration form related to criminal convictions

background. Any information disclosed on the Self Declaration form will not automatically

disqualify a candidate, the information will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and

considering that the role will be working with children and vulnerable adults.

1. Awareness of Data Protection practices and importance to protect the personal information

of children and vulnerable adults.

1. A good knowledge of office-based IT is needed, including Microsoft Office packages

(Word, Excel, Outlook) and electronic filing practices.

1. The ability to communicate in English both verbally and in writing is an essential part of this

role.

Safer Recruitment Statement - Safeguarding

The British Forces Cyprus and Sovereign Base Areas Administration are committed to

safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. To achieve this we, as

much as practically, apply the Safer Recruitment practices as those have been defined in

the United Kingdom. As part of our safer recruitment process, all applicants will be

subject to appropriate screening and background checks, including reference and online

checks, where applicable enhanced disclosure through Disclosure and Barring checks

and local police checks, therefore, we seek a series of information on the application

form that would help us identify suitable individuals to work with children, young people

and vulnerable adults.

Official Language

The official language of the Sovereign Base Areas is English and consequently English

is the official language of British Forces Cyprus and Sovereign Base Areas

Administration. All documents are to be completed in this language. All employees of

the Sovereign Base Areas Administration and British Forces Cyprus are expected to

have a basic command of the English language as a pre-requisite for employment.

How to apply

To apply for this role you must complete the Preference Form (Weblink) and submit an

SBAA BFC Safer Recruitment Application (weblink) and include evidence on how you

meet the below Competences. The completion of the competences is mandatory. If you

do not demonstrate evidence of the below competences, your application will be sifted

out. Additionally, please note that we can only accept applications as attachments to

email on its original Word Document format. No hard copy applications will be accepted.

Any forms that are submitted in any other format e.g., links to One Drive, bitmap, jpeg,

pdf will not be considered.

You may find Competences Examples here, please ensure to adjust these to the

applicable Competence Framework (Weblink)

1. Working Together

1. Support for Learning Activities

1. Support Learning Environment

1. Support children’s well-being and

resilience

a. This role is assessed through the use of the Early_Years_Competence_Framework

(Weblink), therefore, you are kindly invited to read the document to assist you with

writing your competences.

b. For further information about the role please contact Mrs Becky Shortman 00357 2596

8040.

c. For further recruitment information and guidance please choose the appropriate

guidance: Cypriot Nationals Q&A Application Process or UK Family Members Q&A

Application Process

d. Once completed electronically please send your application by email to

[email protected].

Important Note: Ensure that your application has been correctly completed and all relevant

information has been provided. Failure to do so may result in your application being

excluded.

The recruitment process.

Please note that this recruitment process is associated with the recruitment of Locally

Employed Civilians (LECs).

The recruitment process is a fair and open competition, and candidates are judged on their

own merit.

Please read the information on The Recruitment Process Stages Guide for Applicants

(Weblink) to help you understand the process. The document will explain the recruitment

process stages and enhance your understanding on it.

Additionally, as we want you to show the best version of yourself, we invite you to read the

guides available which should help you understand what you need to do to stand out. If you

feel you need further support, please contact the Resource Admin responsible for this

campaign, you can find the contact details on the front page of this advert.

Job Description

What you’ll need to succeed with Early Years

o Communicate effectively with adults and children o Help children grow and develop o Show a professional attitude and manner o Respond positively to spontaneous activities led by the children. o Perform under stress o Be a play partner/play alongside children imaginatively o Show a commitment to quality in all areas, with a high level of motivation

o Demonstrate reliability, initiative and an enthusiastic approach to work o Good communication skills, both oral and written, including the ability to communicate effectively with a variety of agencies. o You must provide 2 professional references. (Standing requirement).

All members of the nursery team have a responsibility towards promoting safeguarding the

welfare of children and/or vulnerable persons in their role

All members of the nursery team will safeguard children in accordance with British Forces

Cyprus Safeguarding Children’s Board and the statutory framework for the early years

foundation stage (EYFS) (Department for Education (DFE) 2017)

Required qualifications, experience and skills

You will work alongside your colleagues to deliver excellent high-quality care and education. The ideal candidate will have bags of drive and motivation with a ‘make it happen’ attitude and the ability to work under pressure.

An understanding of, and a commitment in working to the principles of Equality of Opportunity

and how to support children with learning difficulties and disabilities in accordance with statutory

requirements of the EYFS (DfE 2017)

Encourage other staff and children to appreciate and value each other’s similarities and differences and

teach them about the diversity in the immediate and wider community.

What we can offer you

• A full programme of essential EYFS Training units delivered to meet EYFS welfare requirements and the needs of the setting. This includes Safeguarding Training and Paediatric First Aid Training relevant to the role.

• The Support and mentoring required to enable you to achieve a relevant, accredited childcare qualification

• Working and mentored by a Team of professionals surrounded by our wonderful little people to keep you on your toes within a community where you’re valued

Our values

• Children are born ready to learn.

• Children have the right to secure, trusting relationships with adults and to safe, nurturing environments.

• Children learn through play.

• Children construct their own knowledge based on their curiosity are and driven by their interests

• Children learn best when exposed to and engaged in high-quality environments, interactions, and relationships

• Children learn best when the adults in their life work in partnership with one another

Main duties and responsibilities

• To be vigilant and protect children from harm or abuse, reporting any concerns immediately

– in accordance with child protection and whistleblowing policies

• Support other team members to carry out health and safety checks as required to ensure the room / nursery is tidy, safe, clean and secure for children, staff, parents/carers and visitors

• With support of the room leader deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage framework and any other appropriate guidance for young children in accordance with statutory and nursery policy and guidelines.

• Under direction of the room leader ensure that the children engage in activities that develop their potential and that creativity are fostered within their learning environment, and that they develop their interests and engage in positive social interaction.

• With support from the room leader and other colleagues help create an environment that nurtures children’s curiosity to question why things happen and to develop the confidence to problem-solve for themselves and in collaboration with their peers and the adults who work with them.

• Cover for other staff as appropriate and as directed by your manager, especially given that unforeseen situations (such as staff absence) can occur when caring for children and recognising that the child’s welfare is paramount.

• To work across the whole learning environment – indoors and out. The outdoor environment is a very important aspect of our provision and is used in all weather conditions.

• Assist children with personal care, including changing nappies, assisting with toileting and other associated welfare duties

• Supervise children at snack and mealtimes and promote healthy eating while developing good eating and table habits. Ensuring that snack and meal times are a pleasant social experience

• To develop genuine bonds with children and support colleagues to sensitively fulfil their key person responsibilities

• Be supportive and welcoming to parents, recognising the expert knowledge they have of their child and encourage and value their involvement

• To attend reasonable out-of-working-hours activities, including training, staff meetings, parents’ evenings and special events

• To attend and help organise events arranged for the children and to benefit the children, families and setting as a whole

• To keep completely confidential any information regarding the children, their families or other staff that is acquired as part of the job.

• To read, understand and adhere to all policies and procedures relevant to your role and the safe running of the setting

• To undertake any other aspects of nursery work according to need. This job description is intended to give you an indication of the main duties, but is not meant to be an exhaustive list.