Victoria's three largest regional cities — Geelong, Shepparton and Ballarat — each present a distinct childcare recruitment landscape in 2025. Understanding the differences shapes which sourcing strategies to prioritise in each market. GEELONG: RAPID GROWTH, INTENSIFYING COMPETITION Geelong is experiencing Victoria's fastest regional population growth, driven by decentralisation from Melbourne and the development of Lara, Armstrong Creek and surrounding corridors. Demand for childcare places is growing rapidly and new centres are opening to meet it. The result for recruiters: heightened competition for a candidate pool that is growing but not fast enough. Geelong centres are competing against each other, against Melbourne outer suburbs and against the lure of Surf Coast lifestyle positions. Best strategies for Geelong: differentiated job advertising highlighting centre culture and specific lifestyle benefits, active LinkedIn outreach to Melbourne outer suburbs educators, competitive Worker Retention Payment communication. SHEPPARTON: DAMA ADVANTAGE, ACUTE LOCAL SHORTAGE Shepparton has the most acute shortage relative to demand of Victoria's three major regional cities. The Goulburn Valley DAMA gives Shepparton employers a significant advantage — the ability to sponsor international educators — that Geelong and Ballarat employers don't have. Centres in Shepparton that are not using the DAMA are leaving a significant recruitment tool on the table. The local candidate pool is insufficient and national sourcing alone won't bridge the gap in the medium term. Best strategies for Shepparton: DAMA assessment and international candidate pipeline, active national sourcing targeting relocation-motivated educators, Worker Retention Payment communication, relocation support package. BALLARAT: LIFESTYLE CONVERSION, BEST START BEST LIFE DEMAND Ballarat is large enough to have an internal candidate market, but still experiences ECT and Room Leader shortages driven by the Best Start, Best Life expansion demand. The city's quality of life — culture, heritage, affordability, accessibility — makes it one of the most compelling lifestyle conversion stories in Victoria. Best strategies for Ballarat: Melbourne lifestyle conversion messaging targeting educators in inner-west and western suburbs, ECT national sourcing for kindy expansion roles, genuine career progression storytelling. HOW VHIRE OPERATES ACROSS ALL THREE MARKETS Vhire has dedicated sourcing approaches tailored to each Victorian regional city's specific candidate market. We don't use a one-size-fits-all strategy — we match the sourcing approach to the market reality. Contact Vhire at info@vhire.com.au or visit vhire.com.au/employers.

The childcare staffing crisis in regional Victoria is not anecdote — it's documented in national workforce data. Understanding what the data shows gives Centre Directors the evidence they need to make the case internally for proactive recruitment investment. WHAT THE NATIONAL DATA SHOWS Jobs and Skills Australia's 2024 ECEC Workforce Capacity Study found that Australia needs approximately 21,000 additional qualified ECEC professionals to meet current and near-term demand. This shortfall is projected to persist and potentially worsen as the Commonwealth and state governments expand subsidised childcare access. The study identifies Early Childhood Teachers (ECTs) as facing a particularly severe and sustained shortage, characterised by a "long training gap" — the time between a student enrolling in an ECT qualification and entering the workforce in a qualified capacity. The Mitchell Institute's 2024 research found that approximately 24% of Australian children live in childcare deserts — areas where demand significantly exceeds available supply. Regional and remote areas are dramatically overrepresented in this figure. WHAT THIS MEANS FOR REGIONAL VICTORIA Regional Victoria's shortfall is more acute than the national average for several interconnected reasons: smaller total candidate pools, historical pay differentials (partially addressed by the Worker Retention Payment), housing affordability challenges for attracting relocators in some markets, and the additional geographic disadvantage of competing for candidates who default to metro options. The Best Start, Best Life universal kindergarten expansion is simultaneously increasing ECT demand in Victoria at precisely the time when ECT supply is most constrained. THE POLICY RESPONSE AND ITS LIMITATIONS The Worker Retention Payment (10% above award from December 2024, 15% from December 2025) addresses the pay differential. The DAMA program provides an international recruitment pathway for eligible regional employers. But neither policy intervention resolves the immediate vacancy your centre has today. WHAT CENTRE DIRECTORS CAN DO RIGHT NOW Active national sourcing — reaching passive candidates in metro areas — is the highest-leverage immediate action. DAMA assessment and pipeline building for DAMA-eligible centres is a medium-term strategy that pays dividends over 12–24 months. Retention investment — structured onboarding, professional development, transparent career pathways — reduces the frequency of vacancy creation. Vhire operates at the intersection of all three strategies. Contact info@vhire.com.au or visit vhire.com.au/employers.

East Gippsland is one of Australia's most extraordinary landscapes — ancient forests, wild rivers, pristine beaches and a lifestyle that is genuinely remote. For childcare centre directors in Bairnsdale, Lakes Entrance, Orbost and the small communities of the far east, this remoteness creates recruitment challenges that are among the most acute in Victoria. THE EAST GIPPSLAND RECRUITMENT REALITY The local educator pool in East Gippsland is small and fully employed. Qualified educators living in Bairnsdale, Lakes Entrance or Orbost are almost universally already working in childcare services that also struggle to find staff. There is effectively no local passive candidate pool to draw from. East Gippsland recruitment requires a dedicated national sourcing strategy targeting candidates who are specifically seeking the lifestyle the region offers — and who are prepared for the realities of remote regional living. THE EAST GIPPSLAND LIFESTYLE PROPOSITION For the right candidate, East Gippsland is the destination, not the compromise. Surf, fishing, mountains, forests and a pace of life that is genuinely different from anything available in a capital city or even most regional centres. Candidates who are drawn to East Gippsland tend to be: couples seeking lifestyle change, educators recovering from burnout in high-pressure metro roles, and adventurous young educators who want to experience remote Australia. These candidates, when they arrive, often become the most committed members of a regional childcare team because they chose the lifestyle deliberately. WHAT EAST GIPPSLAND CENTRES NEED TO OFFER To attract national candidates, East Gippsland centres need: clear relocation support (minimum $2,000–$3,000, ideally higher for the most remote locations), honest pre-start communication about housing options, genuine community connection support in the early months, and competitive remuneration that reflects the Worker Retention Payment. Centres that invest in these elements consistently attract and retain better candidates than those that rely on the job listing alone. HOW VHIRE RECRUITS FOR EAST GIPPSLAND Vhire's national sourcing specifically targets the lifestyle-motivated candidate segment. We brief every candidate honestly on what life in East Gippsland involves — the isolation, the spectacular beauty, the community — so their relocation decision is fully informed. Contact Vhire at info@vhire.com.au or visit vhire.com.au/employers.

Screening for qualifications in a childcare interview is necessary but insufficient. In regional Victoria's shortage market, the candidates who pass a qualifications screen are often simultaneously being interviewed by two or three other centres. What separates the centres that retain their hires from those that are re-recruiting in six months is how well the interview process assesses retention likelihood. Here are the questions that actually predict it. QUESTION: "What would make you stay in this role for two or more years?" This question — direct, simple and rarely asked — immediately reveals what the candidate needs from an employer to remain committed. Listen carefully. If they describe things your centre genuinely offers, that's a strong sign. If they describe things you can't or won't provide, you've learned something critical before extending an offer. QUESTION: "Tell me about the best team you've ever been part of. What made it work?" This question reveals what the candidate values in a team environment and whether those values align with your centre's culture. A candidate who describes collaborative programming and open communication will struggle in a centre where educators work in silos. A candidate who describes strong leadership will need to see that leadership from you. QUESTION: "What does your support network in [this region] look like?" For a relocating candidate, this is the single most important retention predictor. A candidate who has a partner, family members or existing friends in the region — or who has visited and built connection — is dramatically more likely to stay than one who knows nobody and has never visited. QUESTION: "Describe a time when you disagreed with a management decision. What did you do?" This question assesses cultural fit and conflict management style. There is no objectively right answer, but the answer tells you whether this person's approach to disagreement will work within your management style and team culture. QUESTION: "What are you hoping will be different about this role compared to your last one?" This question reveals why they're really leaving. "Closer to home" or "better hours" is fine. "My last director didn't support me" followed by details that sound like a pattern — rather than a specific incident — deserves further exploration. HOW VHIRE APPLIES RETENTION-FOCUSED INTERVIEWING Vhire uses structured competency interviews with retention-focused questions as standard. We share our assessment with written candidate summaries that specifically address retention likelihood based on motivation, support network and cultural fit indicators. Contact Vhire at info@vhire.com.au or visit vhire.com.au/employers.

Victoria's childcare market includes significant presence from national chain providers — Goodstart Early Learning (the largest not-for-profit provider), G8 Education (130+ VIC centres across 21 brands) and KU Children's Services. For independent and community-run regional Victorian centres, understanding how to compete with these chains for the same qualified educator pool is an important strategic consideration. HOW THE CHAINS COMPETE FOR EDUCATORS Large chain providers have structural advantages in recruitment: national advertising budgets, HR teams dedicated to talent acquisition, internal transfer programs that move educators between centres, established graduate and traineeship pathways, and brand recognition that small centres don't have. G8's network of 130+ Victorian centres means they can offer educators career progression within the network — from educator to Room Leader to Centre Manager within the same employer. This is a genuine advantage in the recruitment conversation. WHAT INDEPENDENT CENTRES DO BETTER The chains' scale is also their limitation. Individual Goodstart or G8 centre directors have limited autonomy over team culture, programming philosophy, pay bands and local decision-making. These are frequently cited by educators who leave chains as the primary reasons for departure. Independent and community-run regional Victorian centres can authentically offer: genuine input into programming philosophy, direct relationships with the centre director and approved provider, more flexible decision-making about team culture and professional development, and a community belonging that large chains structurally struggle to create. These are real differentiators. The challenge is articulating them compellingly in a job advertisement and interview. THE WORKER RETENTION PAYMENT LEVELS THE PAY FIELD The WRP applies across both chain and independent providers. This means the pay differential between a Goodstart centre and an independent regional centre is smaller than it might appear on headline salary figures. HOW INDEPENDENT REGIONAL CENTRES WIN THE BEST EDUCATORS FROM CHAINS The educators most likely to leave chain environments and thrive in independent regional centres are those who feel stifled by bureaucracy, crave more decision-making autonomy, and want to feel like they belong to a community — not a network. Vhire actively identifies educators in chain environments who fit this profile and matches them to independent regional centres that can offer what the chains can't. Contact Vhire at info@vhire.com.au or visit vhire.com.au/employers.

Wangaratta and Benalla sit in Victoria's beautiful north east — gateway cities to the Alpine High Country, the King Valley wine region and the Murray River system. For childcare centre directors in these communities, the region's charm is not matched by the ease of finding qualified educators. THE NORTH EAST VICTORIA EDUCATOR MARKET Wangaratta has a stronger local educator market than smaller north east towns, but still experiences regular shortages at ECT and Room Leader level. The city's proximity to Albury-Wodonga (approximately 70km north) means there is some cross-border candidate traffic, but Victorian WWCC requirements apply and cross-border sourcing requires careful qualification and WWCC management. Benalla is smaller and more exposed to shortage. The town's position midway between Melbourne and Albury means candidates can commute to either city for work, which compresses the local pool further. Centres in Benalla benefit most from national sourcing strategies targeting lifestyle-motivated relocators. THE HIGH COUNTRY LIFESTYLE ADVANTAGE North East Victoria's lifestyle proposition is genuinely extraordinary. The King Valley's food and wine culture, the High Country's cycling and hiking trails, the Murray River's fishing and paddling — for candidates who value outdoor lifestyle, this region offers more than almost anywhere else in Victoria. Vhire's candidate messaging for North East Victorian roles centres on this lifestyle proposition — presenting the opportunity honestly and compellingly to candidates who will genuinely thrive in the environment. CONNECTING WITH TAFE NETWORKS IN NORTH EAST VICTORIA The TAFE network in North East Victoria — including GOTAFE's Wangaratta and Benalla campuses — is an important source of graduating Certificate III and Diploma candidates. Centre directors who build relationships with TAFE coordinators access this pipeline before candidates enter the active job market. Vhire actively works with TAFE networks across regional Victoria to identify placement-ready graduates for centres in shortage areas. HOW VHIRE RECRUITS FOR NORTH EAST VICTORIA Vhire recruits across Wangaratta, Benalla and the Upper Murray — including the Alpine Shire and smaller surrounding communities. Our national sourcing approach consistently reaches candidates who wouldn't respond to a local-only advertising strategy. Contact Vhire at info@vhire.com.au or visit vhire.com.au/employers.

If you haven't updated your recruitment messaging since December 2024, there's a good chance you're underselling yourself to prospective educators. The Worker Retention Payment — a Commonwealth-funded wage supplement for early childhood educators — is the most significant change to childcare pay in years. Understanding it, and communicating it clearly, could be the difference between filling your next vacancy and losing a candidate to a metro centre. WHAT IS THE WORKER RETENTION PAYMENT? The Worker Retention Payment is a government-funded supplement paid to eligible childcare educators on top of their award wages. It is not a replacement for award wages — it is an addition. Key details: • From December 2024: 10% above the relevant award rate • From December 2025: 15% above the relevant award rate (through November 2026) • Applies to educators working in approved childcare services that are in scope for the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) • Covers Certificate III, Diploma and other eligible educator roles WHAT DOES THIS MEAN IN PRACTICE? Using the Children's Services Award as a base, approximate hourly rates with the Worker Retention Payment applied: • Certificate III educator: approximately $25–$28/hour (up from $23–$25) • Diploma educator / Room Leader: approximately $29–$34/hour (up from $26–$31) • Early Childhood Teacher: rates vary by experience, state and centre type Note: These are approximate figures. Always verify current award rates and payment eligibility for your specific service through the Department of Education or your peak body. WHY THIS MATTERS FOR REGIONAL CENTRES Before the Worker Retention Payment, the wage gap between regional and metro centres was a genuine barrier to attracting educators. Metro centres could often offer more — whether through higher base pay, higher Cost of Living Adjustments or simply more hours available. The Worker Retention Payment levels the playing field significantly. A regional centre with lower overheads and a genuinely supportive team culture can now make a compelling financial case alongside the lifestyle benefits of regional living. HOW TO USE THIS IN YOUR RECRUITMENT Explicitly state the Worker Retention Payment in your job advertisements. Most candidates — particularly those earlier in their career — have not heard of it. Phrases like "salary includes the Worker Retention Payment" or "take-home pay of approximately $X per hour with Worker Retention Payment applied" will stand out. In interviews, walk candidates through what their actual take-home looks like. Pull out a calculator. Show them. Pair the payment discussion with your centre's lifestyle story — lower commute times, closer-knit community, genuine career progression, lower cost of living in regional areas. The financial and lifestyle case together is compelling. VHIRE AND THE WORKER RETENTION PAYMENT When Vhire presents candidates to regional childcare centres, we ensure candidates are fully briefed on the Worker Retention Payment and understand what it means for their actual remuneration. Candidates who understand their full pay package are less likely to withdraw mid-process or accept a counter-offer from a metro centre. We also help centres position their Worker Retention Payment compellingly in outreach to active and passive candidates. Contact Vhire at info@vhire.com.au or visit vhire.com.au/employers to discuss how we help regional centres compete for the best educators.

If you're recruiting a Centre Director for a regional Victorian childcare centre, getting the remuneration package right is one of the most important decisions you'll make. Underpaying drives turnover. Overpaying without a clear value framework creates salary compression with your team. And the right package in Shepparton looks different to the right package in Warrnambool. Here's the 2025 salary picture for Centre Directors across regional Victoria. THE AWARD FRAMEWORK Centre Directors in childcare services are typically engaged under the Children's Services Award 2010 or the Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2020, depending on their qualification and whether they hold an ECT credential. Under the Children's Services Award, Centre Directors are classified at Level 7 or Level 8 depending on the size and complexity of the service, the number of educators managed and the service's licence capacity. THE WORKER RETENTION PAYMENT IMPACT The Worker Retention Payment applies to eligible educators and directors in approved childcare services in scope for the Child Care Subsidy. From December 2024, this adds 10% above the relevant award rate, rising to 15% from December 2025. For Centre Directors, this means their effective hourly rate — inclusive of the Worker Retention Payment — is meaningfully above the base award rate. Always confirm WRP eligibility for specific roles with your peak body or Fair Work adviser. 2025 MARKET RATES FOR REGIONAL VICTORIAN CENTRE DIRECTORS Approximate salary ranges for Centre Directors in regional Victoria, inclusive of the Worker Retention Payment: Small centre (under 40 licensed places): $75,000 – $90,000 per annum Medium centre (40–80 licensed places): $85,000 – $100,000 per annum Large centre (80+ licensed places): $95,000 – $115,000+ per annum These ranges reflect base salary plus WRP. Variations exist based on the approved provider, centre type (not-for-profit versus private), state funding arrangements and individual negotiation. BEYOND BASE SALARY: WHAT MAKES A COMPELLING CENTRE DIRECTOR PACKAGE The most competitive Centre Director packages in regional Victoria include: professional development budget ($2,000–$5,000 per annum), performance bonus tied to NQF rating and enrolment outcomes, phone or laptop allowance, flexible rostering arrangements, and clear articulation of the career pathway (for example, pathway to Area Manager or Operations Manager in multi-centre operations). Relocation assistance of $2,500–$5,000 is increasingly standard for interstate Centre Director hires. HOW VHIRE HELPS REGIONAL CENTRES GET REMUNERATION RIGHT Vhire provides market salary guidance as part of our role briefing process. We help Centre Directors and approved providers position their package competitively — not just on headline salary, but on the total value proposition that attracts and retains the right leader. Contact Vhire at info@vhire.com.au or visit vhire.com.au/employers.

Your National Quality Framework rating — Working Towards, Meeting, Exceeding or Excellent — is more than a compliance outcome. It is a signal to qualified educators about what kind of place your centre is to work in. Centres rated Exceeding or Excellent consistently attract more qualified and experienced applicants than centres rated Working Towards. Understanding why — and how to use your rating as a recruitment asset — is a practical advantage that most Victorian centre directors underutilise. WHY NQF RATINGS INFLUENCE EDUCATOR RECRUITMENT Experienced, qualified educators want to work in high-quality environments. An Exceeding rating communicates: the team here is competent, management supports professional standards, programming is thoughtful and the centre takes quality seriously. These are exactly the conditions under which talented educators thrive and develop. Conversely, a Working Towards rating can signal the opposite — and experienced educators will choose not to invest their career in a centre that appears to be struggling with fundamentals. HOW TO USE YOUR RATING IN RECRUITMENT MATERIALS If your centre holds an Exceeding rating in any of the seven quality areas, include this explicitly in your job advertisement: "Exceeding rating in Quality Areas 1, 4 and 6 (most recent assessment)." This is a concrete differentiator. In your interview process, explain what achieving Exceeding means in practice for the team: how it reflects the programming, the environment, the management approach and the team culture. WHAT TO DO IF YOUR RATING IS MEETING OR WORKING TOWARDS A Meeting rating is not a disadvantage — it is the expected standard. What matters is your trajectory. If you're actively working toward Exceeding in specific quality areas, be honest and specific about this in your recruitment: "We are Meeting in all seven quality areas and are actively working toward Exceeding in Quality Areas 4 and 5. Here is what that process looks like." A candidate who understands your improvement journey and wants to be part of it is often more valuable than one who is attracted purely to a static Exceeding rating with no room to contribute to growth. HOW VHIRE USES NQF RATINGS IN CANDIDATE MATCHING Vhire assesses centre NQF ratings as part of our candidate briefing process. We match candidates whose professional development goals align with your centre's quality trajectory — creating better long-term fits than rating-only matching. Contact Vhire at info@vhire.com.au or visit vhire.com.au/employers.

Most childcare reference checks in regional Victoria are perfunctory — a phone call confirming dates of employment and a vague endorsement that the candidate was "great to work with." These checks confirm almost nothing and provide false comfort. A well-conducted reference check is your last opportunity to verify what the CV and interview suggested — and to discover what they didn't reveal. Here are the specific questions that extract genuinely useful information. OPEN WITH CONTEXT SETTING "Thanks for taking my call. I'm the Centre Director at [Centre Name] in [Town] and I'm considering [Candidate Name] for a [Role] position. I have about ten minutes — is now a good time?" Confirm the referee's relationship: "Can you confirm your relationship to [Candidate] and the dates of their employment with you?" Never skip this — occasionally references provide false referees, and confirming the relationship on the record reduces this risk. THE QUESTIONS THAT REVEAL RETENTION RISK "If you had a relevant vacancy today, would you re-employ [Candidate]? Without hesitation, with reservations, or not at all?" The re-employ question is the most predictive single question in a reference check. A hesitation or a "with reservations" answer requires immediate follow-up. "What was [Candidate]'s strongest contribution to your team?" This reveals what they genuinely did well — and whether it aligns with what they told you in the interview. "In what areas did [Candidate] have room to develop?" A reluctance to name any areas of development is a yellow flag — every employee has development areas, and referees who can't name any are often giving an uncritical endorsement rather than a genuine assessment. "How did [Candidate] handle stressful situations — a difficult family, a child incident, understaffing?" This directly assesses the candidate's behaviour in the high-pressure situations childcare regularly involves. "Is there anything else you'd like me to know about [Candidate] that would help me make a good decision?" This open question sometimes surfaces information that more directed questions don't — and a meaningful pause before answering is worth noting. HOW VHIRE CONDUCTS REFERENCE CHECKS Vhire conducts a minimum of two verbal reference checks on every preferred candidate using structured question protocols before presenting the reference summary to the centre director. Contact Vhire at info@vhire.com.au or visit vhire.com.au/employers.

If your centre has an Early Childhood Teacher vacancy sitting open for more than four weeks, you are not alone. ECT roles are consistently among the most difficult positions to fill in regional Australia — and the shortage is structural, not temporary. Jobs and Skills Australia's 2025 Occupation Shortage Driver Report names ECTs as having "a long training gap" — meaning even if universities enrolled every available student today, the shortage would continue for years. The 2024 ECEC Workforce Capacity Study puts the national shortfall at 21,000+ qualified professionals. For regional centres, this national shortage becomes a regional crisis. Here is why — and what to do about it. WHY ECTS CHOOSE METRO OVER REGIONAL ECTs invest four years in a university degree. When they graduate, they evaluate their options on career outcomes, salary and lifestyle. Metro centres historically offered more of each. The perception gap — not always the reality — is that regional centres offer lower salaries, fewer professional development opportunities and less career progression. Centres that actively counter this narrative attract candidates that others don't. WHAT WORKS TO ATTRACT ECTS TO REGIONAL ROLES Be explicit about the Worker Retention Payment. Many educators — including ECTs — don't know this payment exists or how it applies to them. Under the Children's Services Award with the Worker Retention Payment, ECT salaries in regional centres can reach $75,000–$95,000+ depending on experience, centre type and state. Spell this out in your job advertisement and in every conversation. Lead with career progression. A talented ECT in a regional centre often becomes an Educational Leader or Director faster than their metro counterparts. The path is shorter and the recognition is greater. If your centre has this story to tell — tell it. Offer relocation support. Even $1,500–$2,500 in relocation assistance removes a major barrier for interstate ECT candidates. It signals that your centre is serious about attracting talent, not just posting and hoping. Go national, not just local. Your ECT candidate may be in Brisbane while your centre is in Shepparton. A recruitment platform with a national candidate database reaches them. A local Seek ad does not. INTERNATIONAL ECTS VIA DAMA For centres in DAMA-eligible regions, it is possible to sponsor qualified international ECTs under specific visa pathways — including the Orana DAMA (NSW), Goulburn Valley DAMA (VIC), Far North Queensland DAMA and Townsville NQ DAMA, among others. This is a complex process requiring a registered migration agent (MARN). Vhire is not a migration agent and does not provide visa advice. However, we work with trusted MARN partners and can refer eligible centres to the right professionals. Contact us to explore whether your centre qualifies. HOW VHIRE FINDS ECTS FOR REGIONAL CENTRES Vhire maintains an active pipeline of ECT candidates nationally — including educators open to regional relocation. Our AI-powered screening assesses ACECQA-approved qualifications, teaching experience across age groups, and genuine motivation to relocate before a candidate reaches your desk. We understand NQF requirements for ECT qualifications and the specific qualification standards that apply in each state. We don't guess — we verify. If your centre has an ECT vacancy, contact Vhire at info@vhire.com.au or visit vhire.com.au/employers to discuss how we can help.

If you're a childcare centre director or manager in regional Australia, you already know the feeling. You post on Seek. You wait. You get three applications — two are unqualified, one withdraws before the interview. The room stays understaffed. Ratios get tight. You consider capping enrolments again. You're not doing anything wrong. The system is broken. But there are strategies that work — and most regional centres aren't using them. WHY THE STANDARD APPROACH FAILS IN REGIONAL AREAS Job boards like Seek and Indeed are built for metro markets. The algorithm surfaces your regional role to the same pool of candidates as a Melbourne CBD centre — except those candidates almost always choose the city option. You're competing on an uneven playing field. The national shortage compounds the problem. Jobs and Skills Australia identified a shortage of over 21,000 qualified ECEC professionals in Australia in 2024. Early Childhood Teachers (ECTs) and Diploma educators sit on the national skills shortage list. There simply aren't enough qualified candidates to go around — and regional centres are the last in line. THE REAL REASONS REGIONAL CENTRES STRUGGLE MORE Geographic disadvantage — Candidates default to metro roles for perceived lifestyle, social and career benefits. Regional centres need to actively counter this perception. Passive sourcing only — Most centres post an ad and wait. In a shortage market, you need to actively find candidates, not wait for them to find you. Weak employer branding — A bare Seek listing with a generic description doesn't compete. Candidates choose centres that communicate their culture, team and benefits compellingly. No international pipeline — Thousands of qualified overseas educators are actively seeking Australian work. Most regional centres have no pathway to reach them. WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS FOR REGIONAL CHILDCARE RECRUITMENT Active national sourcing — Don't just post and wait. Actively search for candidates nationally who are open to relocating. There's a growing segment of educators who want a regional lifestyle change, lower cost of living and career progression that's faster than metro centres offer. Relocation incentives — Even modest relocation support ($1,500–$3,000) dramatically increases applications from interstate candidates. Frame it as an investment, not a cost. The Worker Retention Payment advantage — Since December 2024, the Worker Retention Payment adds 10% above award to educator wages, rising to 15% from December 2025. Regional centres can now compete on pay more effectively than ever before. Make sure candidates know this. AI-powered screening — Technology now exists to pre-screen candidates at scale — assessing qualifications, WWCC status, availability and cultural fit before a human interview. This dramatically reduces the time your team spends on unsuitable applications. International recruitment via DAMA — If your centre is in a DAMA-eligible region (Orana NSW, Goulburn Valley VIC, Great South Coast VIC, Far North QLD, Townsville NQ, regional SA, WA or NT), you may be able to sponsor qualified international educators. Vhire works with trusted registered migration agent (MARN) partners to help eligible centres explore this pathway. We are not migration agents and do not provide visa advice — but we can connect you with the right professionals. HOW VHIRE HELPS REGIONAL CHILDCARE CENTRES Vhire is Australia's AI-powered recruitment platform built specifically for regional care sector hiring. We combine AI-powered candidate screening with an active national and international candidate pipeline to deliver pre-screened, interview-ready educators — not just job ad responses. We understand the National Quality Framework, ACECQA requirements, Working With Children Check obligations and the qualification standards that matter for your centre. We don't send you five mediocre CVs. We send you three strong ones with a clear recommendation. Ready to stop waiting for Seek to deliver? Contact Vhire at info@vhire.com.au or visit vhire.com.au/employers to discuss your vacancy today.