30 nursery staff on a scholarship

Since 2015, staff in the town's nurseries have received study grants from the City of Hafnarfjörður to study early childhood education. The initiative has the important objective of increasing the proportion of professionally qualified staff in the council's nurseries, and thereby among nursery teachers. The council therefore places great emphasis on supporting recruitment and training in the profession. In this way, opportunities and possibilities are opened up to unqualified staff in the nurseries, both those who have worked for the council for many years and new recruits. 

• Various routes are available for those who want to become nursery teachers.
• Working in a nursery is varied, fun and rewarding.
• The early years teacher training course is good, practical and, above all, rewarding.
• The best thing about the job is the variety in the tasks, days and groups of children.
• It's great to work on watching little individuals acquire various skills.

^{At Skarðshlíðar leikskóli, everyone is learning, including the staff. Three members of the nursery's staff are studying to become nursery teachers this winter. Gugga and Stephen are among the 30 who are receiving a scholarship from the City of Hafnarfjörður.} 

A boon for all to increase the number of professionals

Special scholarships are awarded annually and take the form of paid study leave, allowing students to study while working in a nursery, as well as covering registration fees and book costs. The scholarships are awarded for varying lengths of time, depending on the chosen course of study. Those undertaking the M.Ed degree in Early Childhood Education receive a grant for two years, while those enrolled in the full M.Ed programme receive one for five years. Grants are also provided for those studying on the Early Childhood Education bridge course at Borgarholtsskóli. In total, thirty staff members are now on scholarships from the City of Hafnarfjörður on various courses, and the group signed a study agreement for the 2020-21 academic year on 4 September. It is a great boon for the nursery community to increase the number of nursery teachers in the municipality, and the grants are part of the targeted measures of the City of Hafnarfjörður.

Are you looking for a job?

On Hafnarfjörður's recruitment website You can find an overview of available jobs, including a wide range of roles within the school community. Currently available for application are positions for nursery teachers at Hamravellir, Norðurberg, Skarðshlíðarleikskóli, Arnarberg and Hlíðarendi, and for department heads at Bjarkalundur and Álfasteinn.