Sovereign Base Areas Administration - Official Vacancy Notice
Vacancy reference: HR/26/06
Location: Episkopi
Eligibility: LEC UKFM/UKN
Closing date: 11/10/2026 (Midnight, Cyprus local time)
Official listing: SBA Administration vacancies
Original advert: View the official PDF
EARLY YEARS QUALIFIED
PRACTITIONER
ADVERT
Vacancy Campaign Number: HR/26/06
Terms & Conditions of Employment
For information on the
This is a rolling advert, however we currently have several
process or the application
positions available; successful candidates will be placed on a reserve
please contact the
list depending on the preferences they have selected on the Preference
Form (Weblink) and the outcome of the interviews. The recruitment Resource Administrator:
process is fair and open competition and people will be judged on their Mrs Angela Ioannou
own merit. As this is a rolling advert and selection interviews will take
on 00357 25 96 2385
place every few weeks, when a vacancy arises, priority will be given to
those who were interviewed first. Operating hours:
Monday to Thursday:
08:00 – 14:00
1. Contract Type: Permanent, Fixed Term Appointment, Full
Friday: 08:00 – 12:00
Time, Term Time, Zero Hours
2. Grade: Qualified Practitioner - EYQKP2
3. Salary: Hourly rate: €12.72 plus Cost-of-Living Allowance
(COLA). The salary depends on the contract and the hours to
be worked.
4. Hours per week: Depending on business needs- Between
Zero to 37 hours per week.
5. Location: Episkopi Early Years
6. General_Terms_Conditions_Employment_New_Recruits
(Weblink). Please note that the Pay paragraph of this
document is not applicable for Education Grades.
7. Closing Date: 11/10/2026, Midnight, Local Cyprus Time
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EARLY YEARS QUALIFIED PRACTITIONER – EPISKOPI
VACANCY NUMBER: HR/26/06
Special Discount
For all staff successful on full year contracts (52 weeks), on full time or part time hours, the
organization can offer a 50% discount on all childcare costs in Early Years during the holiday period.
The organization retains its right to review, change or remove the discount at any time. Additionally,
the Early Years offer a two-week Christmas closure, three extra privileged days off each year in
addition to public holidays, paid training inset days and various training opportunities available
through your time at the setting.
ABOUT THE JOB
This is a great opportunity for an experienced practitioner, who wants to take on a new challenge in
order to move forward. We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic and motivated Qualified
Practitioner who can bring unique skills and innovation to our nursery.
Children thrive from a base of loving and secure relationships. This is normally provided by a child’s
parents but it can also be provided by a key person. A key person is a named member of staff with
responsibilities for a small group of children who helps those children in the group feel safe and cared
for. The role is an important one and an approach set out in the EYFS. That person is a familiar
figure who is accessible and available as a point of contact for parents and one who builds
relationships with the child and parents or carers.
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 program 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.
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EARLY YEARS QUALIFIED PRACTITIONER – EPISKOPI
VACANCY NUMBER: HR/26/06
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.
UK Nationals are welcome to apply and can be considered for a permanent
contract subject to availability of permanent contracts to UK Nationals. If the UK
National permanent contracts have been filled, the UKNs may be placed on a
reserve list for future vacancies, or offered temporary contracts subject to
availability and confirmation by Civilian HR.
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. Full and Relevant Nationally Accredited Minimum Level 2 Early Years (or Equivalent) but
you may already hold an NVQ Level 3 Early Years (or Equivalent) too. Priority will be given
to NVQ Level 3 Early Years (or Equivalent). You also may wish to return back to childcare
having completed the qualification in the past. (You must provide a copy of your
qualifications when submitting your application form.)
2. Level 2 or GCSE C English and Math.
3. Experience of working in an Early Years setting.
4. Paediatric First Aid or undertake Paediatric First Aid training once recruited into the role.
5. Working knowledge of the EYFS, the curiosity approach and in the moment planning
6. Knowledge of child development and the key person role
7. Knowledge and proven practical experience of implementing good quality learning
opportunities
8. 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)
9. 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.
10. 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
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EARLY YEARS QUALIFIED PRACTITIONER – EPISKOPI
VACANCY NUMBER: HR/26/06
to provide a Clean Criminal Record and a Sex Offenders Certificate issued by the
Republic of Cyprus.
11. All candidates who have lived in the UK, must undergo and pass an Enhanced
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
12. 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.
13. As part of the Safer Recruitment process, candidates must provide their full
employment history on the application form and justify any gaps in employment.
14. 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.
15. As part of the Safer Recruitment Process, we may conduct social media checks.
16. 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)
17. 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.
18. Awareness of Data Protection practices and importance to protect the personal
information of children and vulnerable adults.
19. A good knowledge of office-based IT is needed, including Microsoft Office packages
(Word, Excel, Outlook) and electronic filing practices.
20. The ability to communicate in English both verbally and in writing is an essential part of
this role.
21. Hold a full driving licence and be prepared to self-drive an MT vehicle (prepared to
maintain or obtain FMT600 or MyDrive) across WSBA and ESBA or occasionally in the
Republic of Cyprus
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EARLY YEARS QUALIFIED PRACTITIONER – EPISKOPI
VACANCY NUMBER: HR/26/06
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
a. 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
2. Support for Learning Activities
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EARLY YEARS QUALIFIED PRACTITIONER – EPISKOPI
VACANCY NUMBER: HR/26/06
3. Support Learning Environment
4. Support children’s well-being and
resilience
b. 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.
c. For further information about the role please contact Mrs Becky Shortman Early Years
Manager 00357 2596 8040
d. For further recruitment information and guidance please choose the appropriate
guidance: UK Family Members Q&A Application Process
e. Once completed electronically please send your application by email to:
BFC-SBAA-Recruitment-GpMailbox@mod.gov.uk.
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
o Respond sensitively to children’s feelings and behaviours
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EARLY YEARS QUALIFIED PRACTITIONER – EPISKOPI
VACANCY NUMBER: HR/26/06
o Meet children’s emotional needs by giving reassurance
o Confidently tune into children’s play and their
conversations
o Respond positively to spontaneous activities led by the
children
o Show empathy to nurture the wellbeing and self-esteem
of every child
o Demonstrate excellent communication skills and the
ability to build strong, encouraging relationships with
children, parents and colleagues
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
• Full and Relevant Nationally Accredited Minimum Level 2 Early Years (or Equivalent)
but you may already hold an NVQ Level 3 Early Years (or Equivalent) too. You also may
wish to return back to childcare having completed the qualification in the past
• Level 2 English or Maths (if required)
• Experience of working in an Early Years setting
• Paediatric First Aid or undertake Paediatric First Aid training once recruited into the role
• Working knowledge of the EYFS, the curiosity approach and in the moment planning
• Knowledge of child development and the key person role
• Knowledge and proven practical experience of implementing good quality learning
opportunities
• 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
• Must hold a valid UK driving Licence
What we can offer you
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EARLY YEARS QUALIFIED PRACTITIONER – EPISKOPI
VACANCY NUMBER: HR/26/06
• A full programme of essential EYFS Training units delivered to meet EYFS welfare
requirements and the needs of the setting
• The Support and mentoring required to enable you to achieve a further relevant,
accredited childcare qualification such as an NVQ Level 3.
• High-quality Continuous Professional Development opportunities; led by internal and
external Early Years experts and researchers.
• 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 and are 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 and abuse, reporting any concerns
immediately – in accordance with child protection and whistleblowing policies
• Under direction of the room Leader 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
• To read, understand and adhere to all policies and procedures relevant to your role and
the safe running of the setting.
• Support the room leader to deliver the early years foundation stage framework and any
other appropriate guidance for children in accordance with statutory and nursery policy
and guidelines
• Support 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.
• Participate in planning a curriculum that adheres to the nursery philosophy that young
children learn best through play.
• 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 situation can occur when caring for children and recognising that the
child’s welfare is paramount.
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EARLY YEARS QUALIFIED PRACTITIONER – EPISKOPI
VACANCY NUMBER: HR/26/06
• Act as a key person for a group of children providing each child with continuity of care
throughout the child’s time at the setting, in partnership with their parent/carers:
o Develop a loving and secure relationship with each key child.
o Help each key child to become familiar with and confident in the setting.
o Look after each key child’s care and welfare needs e.g. dressing, toilet training,
eating, sleeping, being comforted.
o Build trusted relationships with each key child’s parents, ensuring there are
regular opportunities to share information on the child’s development at home
and in the setting.
o Support each key child’s individual learning journey through on-going
observation, and identify the next steps for children, ensuring each child’s
personal progress by providing appropriate learning opportunities throughout the
nursery environment.
o Complete reviews of key children in partnership with and parents/carers and
multi-agency professionals as appropriate (eg 2 Year Progress Check)
• Identify children who may have additional needs and report your concerns to the
manager and lead SENCO to enable them to organise and/or provide appropriate
support
• 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.
• 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
• 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 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.
(To be reviewed at recruitment or annually at beginning of Reporting Year)
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Links contained in the official document
