Ballarat Centre Directors: Why the Best Childcare Educators Are Choosing Regional Victoria

There's a shift happening in childcare recruitment that most Ballarat centre directors haven't fully capitalised on yet. Since 2022, a growing cohort of qualified educators have been choosing regional Victoria over metropolitan Melbourne — driven by housing affordability, quality of life and the genuine career progression available outside the capital.

For Ballarat, this is an opportunity. The city is large enough to offer the amenities candidates care about — culture, dining, healthcare, schools — while being small enough to offer the career progression, community and lifestyle that metro centres can't match.

THE WORKER RETENTION PAYMENT LEVELS THE PAY PLAYING FIELD

The single biggest objection educators historically had to leaving Melbourne was pay. The Worker Retention Payment — 10% above award from December 2024, rising to 15% from December 2025 — has materially addressed this.

A Diploma educator in Ballarat earning $30–$34 per hour, paying $1,400 per month in rent (versus $2,200 in Melbourne's inner suburbs), and commuting five minutes to work has a materially better lifestyle than her Melbourne counterpart on the same award rate. Centres that make this case compellingly and specifically attract the best relocators.

BEST START, BEST LIFE IS DRIVING ECT DEMAND IN BALLARAT

The Victorian Government's Best Start, Best Life kindergarten expansion is increasing ECT demand across Ballarat significantly. As three-year-old kindergarten becomes universal, the demand for Early Childhood Teachers at three-year-old kinder sessions is growing faster than the local supply of ECTs can accommodate.

This means Ballarat centres need a national ECT sourcing strategy — not just local advertising — to maintain NQF-compliant educator ratios through the expansion.

WHAT MAKES BALLARAT CANDIDATES STAY

Ballarat educators who relocate tend to stay longer than metro equivalents. They made a deliberate choice to be in Ballarat — which means they're committed to the community, not just the job. Centres that invest in genuine onboarding, professional development and career pathway conversations retain their regional recruiters far better than average.

HOW VHIRE RECRUITS FOR BALLARAT CENTRES

Vhire's national candidate pipeline actively targets educators in Melbourne who are open to Ballarat relocation. We've developed specific messaging frameworks for Ballarat roles that convert hesitant metro candidates into committed regional relocators.

Contact Vhire at info@vhire.com.au or visit vhire.com.au/hire-staff.