'Fonz' became a school teacher in Happy Days.

Working with children is often richly rewarding. Playing a part in helping children to grow emotionally, physically and socially is a real privilege. It's also a lot of fun and one that make the most of your creativity and intelligence. However, childcare, playwork and primary school teaching are professions that few men seek to enter. The consequence is that men miss out, women miss out and children miss out.

A Few Good Men


This is a campaign, supported by The Men's Network, to increase the number of men in Brighton and Hove working in nurseries, primary schools, after school clubs and holiday playschemes. It is not to do down women's contributions, but about achieving a better mix of role models that work with young children. Children stand to benefit from being around men and women. Our vision is that men have a positive role to play in the lives of all children.

To that end, we seek to:
  • provide an opportunity for existing male childcare workers, playworkers, primary school teachers and teaching assistants to discuss their experiences, support each other and inspire others.
  • encourage more male graduates to apply for courses to become primary school teachers.
  • encourage more men to apply for volunteer placements or employment at nurseries, after school clubs and holiday playschemes.
  • encourage more men to apply for courses to become qualified early years workers or playworkers.
Everyone involved in the campaign, from nursery practitioners to teachers to course tutors to mums and dads, believes in the potential and abilities of men as positive caring adults, playworkers and as skillful educators in the lives of young children in the city. A Few Good Men is running an event in October 2011 specifically for men to inspire men looking for a new direction in their career. There will be introductory talks, tips on applying for work, as well as opportunities to answer questions and meet men already working in the nurseries, playwork and primary schools. By working together, we can make a real difference - and change the face of childcare, playwork and primary school teaching.

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I am currently training to be a teacher and want to work in a primary school. Our younger children go to one of the biggest primary schools in Hampshire and I think there are two male teachers out of 22.

I can't bloody wait.
Ian Hine
The belief that it is women's work enables the perception that men's views about the work and caring for children are essentially 'out of place.' Men have to emulate women in their childcare work, or, alternatively, they have to mould a new way of being with young children.
Claire Cameron, Peter Moss and Charlie Owen, 'Men in the Nursery'
There are three male teachers at Mile Oak with one of them in reception classes.

I think in a future life, I would like to teach. Probably not teenagers, but I wouldn't mind teaching smaller children. When I was a governor at school it was suggested that people come in and help out. At the time I was busy at work so couldn't, but certainly now I would love to go in and teach kids IT stuff if I had the time.
Dave Wilcock
I would love it if my son had a some male carers at his nursery. I think that it is important because they may be teaching the same things they will be doing it in a different way. By different way what I mean is that they will approach it from a different angle, with emphasises on different parts of the subject.

As for why there is a lack, I think one of the reasons especially in nurseries is that it is seen as a form of of childcare and not education. That means that it carries extra stigma as being a woman's job.
Darren Warman