1 Make the pre offer phone call
Before you issue the offer letter in Employment Hero, call the candidate to verbally confirm the offer and make sure they are ready to accept. This is a personal touch that sets the relationship up well from the start.
- Hi [First Name], it's [Your Name] from [Insert Service Name].
- I'm calling with some great news. We'd love to offer you the [Role Title] position with us.
- We were really excited about [something personal: e.g. "the experience you shared working with the toddler room at your last service" / "how you talked about building relationships with families" / "your approach to supporting children's transitions"], and we think you're going to be a great fit for the team.
- I wanted to talk you through the key details before I send the formal offer through.
- The role is [full time / part time / casual], and the pay rate is [$ amount per hour / annual salary] under the [Children's Services Award / Educational Services Award].
- We're looking at a start date of [Day, Date]. Does that work for you?
- You'll receive an email from our system called Employment Hero with the formal offer letter attached. You can read through and sign it electronically.
- Once you've signed, you'll get a second email from Employment Hero to set up your profile. That's where you'll complete your tax, super, and bank details, and upload your certifications.
- Do you have any questions about the role or the offer before I send it through?
- Wonderful. I'll get that across to you today. Welcome to the team, [First Name].
The line about why you are excited for them to join is the most important part of this call. Reference something specific from their interview or application. It could be an experience they shared, a value they demonstrated, or a skill that stood out. When a candidate hears exactly why they were chosen, they commit emotionally before they even sign the contract.
2 Issue the offer letter in Employment Hero
- Go to Recruitment in the left menu, then select Job Openings
- Find the candidate and click Move to Offer
- Select your offer letter template
- Fill in all required fields: role title, employment type (full time, part time, or casual), start date, pay rate, and reporting manager
- Set the probationary period length (recommended: six months for childcare roles)
- Review the offer letter preview to make sure all details are correct
- Click Send Offer to email the offer letter directly to the candidate for electronic signature
3 Send the welcome email through EH Recruitment
In the Recruitment module, go to the candidate's profile and select Email Candidate, then choose your Offer Letter Template. This sends a warm, personalised welcome alongside the formal offer, keeping everything in one place so the candidate receives both messages through EH.
If you do not have a welcome email template yet, go to Recruitment Settings and open Email Templates. Create a new template with your welcome message and save it. You can then select it from the Email Candidate dropdown each time you make an offer.
When the candidate signs the offer letter electronically in EH, their status will automatically update to "Offer Accepted." You will receive a notification. This is your trigger to begin the onboarding setup in Step 2. If you are not using EH Recruitment, you can skip straight to Step 2 once the signed contract is returned and add them manually.
Add the new team member
- Go to People in the left menu
- Click Add Employee (top right)
- If the team member came through EH Recruitment, select Onboard from Recruitment to pull their details across automatically
- If adding manually, enter: full legal name, personal email address, start date, job title, employment type, and location
Enter basic information
- Enter the team member's first name, last name, and personal email address
- The personal email is where their onboarding invitation will be sent
- Click Continue to move to the next step
Complete the employment details
- Employment type: Select full time, part time, or casual
- Job title: Use the exact title from their contract (e.g. Educator, Lead Educator, Educational Leader, Early Childhood Teacher)
- Start date: Must match the contract
- Probation end date: Set to six months from start date (or as specified in the contract)
- Reporting manager: Select the Service Manager or team leader they report to
- Location: Select the correct service location
- Team: Assign the team member to their service team so the correct onboarding checklists are triggered automatically
Complete pay details and issue the contract
Once the employment details are complete, move on to Section 6 below to set the correct award classification, pay rate, and pay cycle. This ensures the team member is paid correctly from day one and their contract reflects the right terms.
Once onboarding is triggered, the new team member receives an email from Employment Hero inviting them to create their account. They will be guided through completing their TFN declaration, super choice form, bank details, emergency contacts, and uploading required certifications. You do not need to collect these documents separately. They upload everything directly into EH as part of the onboarding process. You can track their progress from the People section.
Getting the award settings right in Employment Hero ensures pay rates, leave entitlements, and penalty rates calculate correctly. It also means your compliance reporting is accurate from day one. Take the time to check the classification level against the role before saving.
1 Navigate to the pay details
- Go to People and select the team member
- Click on the Pay tab (or Employment tab depending on your EH version)
- Scroll to the Award and Classification section
2 Select the correct award
Most childcare services will use one or both of the following awards. Use the toggle below to see which one applies to each role.
Children's Services Award 2010 (MA000120)
This award covers most educators and support staff in childcare services. Use it for any team member who does not hold a four year early childhood teaching degree.
- In EH: Search for "Children's Services Award" in the Award dropdown
- Classification levels:
| Level | Typical Roles | What to Select in EH |
|---|---|---|
| Level 2 | Unqualified educator, assistant educator | Children's Services Employee Level 2 |
| Level 3 | Certificate III qualified educator | Children's Services Employee Level 3 |
| Level 4 | Diploma qualified educator, room leader | Children's Services Employee Level 4 |
| Level 5 | Educational leader (diploma), second in charge | Children's Services Employee Level 5 |
| Level 6 | Service Manager, Director (no teaching degree) | Children's Services Employee Level 6 |
Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2020 (MA000076)
This award covers early childhood teachers who hold a four year bachelor degree (or equivalent) in early childhood education. If your service employs qualified teachers, use this award for those roles.
- In EH: Search for "Educational Services (Teachers) Award" in the Award dropdown
- Classification levels:
| Level | Typical Roles | What to Select in EH |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Graduate early childhood teacher (first year) | Teacher Level 1 |
| Level 2 | Early childhood teacher (2+ years experience) | Teacher Level 2 |
| Level 3 | Experienced early childhood teacher | Teacher Level 3 |
| Level 4 | Lead teacher, educational leader (degree qualified) | Teacher Level 4 |
3 Confirm pay rate and pay cycle
- Once the award and classification are selected, EH will auto populate the minimum pay rate
- Check this matches the rate in the team member's contract
- If you are paying above the award rate, enter the actual rate (EH will flag if it falls below the minimum)
- Set the pay cycle (weekly, fortnightly, or monthly) to match your payroll schedule
- Set the ordinary hours per week (38 for full time, pro rata for part time)
Employment Hero will automatically calculate penalty rates, overtime, and leave loading based on the award you select. If you see a warning that the pay rate is below the minimum, stop and check the classification level. The most common error is selecting the wrong level for the role.
When certifications are set up correctly in Employment Hero, new team members are prompted to upload their documents as part of the onboarding process. You do not need to collect these separately via email. EH tracks expiry dates and sends automatic reminders to both you and the team member before anything lapses.
1 Set up certification types in EH (one time setup)
Before you can collect certifications from team members, you need to create the certification types in your EH settings. You only need to do this once. Every new team member added after this will be prompted to upload these during their onboarding.
- Go to Settings (gear icon) in the left menu
- Select Certification Settings under the People section
- Click Add Certification
- Create each of the mandatory certifications listed below
- For each one, select Mandatory (this means employees will receive weekly reminders until they upload it)
- Set the expiry type: select Expiry Date for certifications that expire, or One Off for qualifications that do not
- Tick Require Supporting Documentation so team members must upload a copy
- Tick Approval Required if you want to review and approve each upload
2 Mandatory certifications for childcare
These are the certifications you need to set up and collect for every team member in an early childhood service.
| Certification | Required | Expiry Type | Renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working with Children Check (Blue Card in QLD) | All staff | Expiry Date | Renew before expiry |
| National Criminal History Check | All staff | Expiry Date | Every 3 years (or as required by service) |
| First Aid Certificate | All educators | Expiry Date | Every 3 years |
| CPR Certificate | All educators | Expiry Date | Every 12 months |
| Asthma and Anaphylaxis Management | All educators | Expiry Date | Every 3 years |
| Child Protection Training | All staff | Renewing | Annual (required by default) |
| Relevant Qualification (Cert III, Diploma, Degree) | Role dependent | One Off | One time upload |
| Right to Work in Australia | All staff | Collected automatically | Verified through the EH employee onboarding flow (with TFN, bank, super, and contract) |
3 Assign certifications to the new team member
Once certification types are set up, you can assign them to individuals or apply them to all employees by default.
- Go to the team member's profile in People
- Click the Certifications tab
- Click Add Certification
- Select each required certification type and assign it
- The team member will be prompted to upload their documents when they log in to complete their onboarding
- If they have already provided them, you can upload on their behalf and enter the expiry date
A team member must not commence work in a childcare service without a current Working with Children Check (Blue Card in QLD). Check this before their first day, not after. EH can track this for you, but the responsibility to verify it before they start sits with you as the Service Manager. Use the Compliance Dashboard in EH to check certification status across your team at any time.
This is separate from the onboarding checklist (which tracks your tasks as the manager). The onboarding email workflow is an automated sequence of emails that Employment Hero sends directly to the new team member after they sign their offer letter. You set it up once, and it runs automatically for every new hire.
1 Create a new onboarding workflow
- Go to Workflows in the left menu
- Click Create New
- Name it: New Team Member Onboarding Emails
2 Set the trigger (WHEN)
Employment Hero workflows follow a WHEN / IF / THEN structure. Set the trigger to fire when a new employee completes onboarding (signs their offer and sets up their profile).
- In the WHEN field, select Employee Has Completed Onboarding Setup
- This means the workflow starts automatically once the new team member has signed their offer and completed their onboarding details
3 Set conditions (IF) (optional)
If you want the workflow to only apply to certain roles or locations, you can add conditions.
- In the IF field, you can filter by location, team, or employment type
- For example: IF location is [Service Name]
- If you want the workflow to apply to all new team members, leave the IF field empty
4 Add your email actions (THEN)
This is where you add each email in the sequence. For each email, click Add Action and select Send Email Notification.
- Click the THEN field
- Click Add Action
- Select Send Email Notification
- Set the recipient to the new employee
- Add a subject line
- Write the email content (or paste the emails below)
- Use the data fields icon to insert dynamic variables like the employee's first name, start date, or manager name
- Set the timing for when the email should send relative to the trigger
Emails to Add to Your Workflow
Add each of these as a separate email action in your workflow. Copy the content below and paste it into the email body in EH. Replace the placeholder fields with EH data fields where available.
When pasting these emails into Employment Hero, use the data fields icon (comment/merge icon in the content editor) to insert variables like {{first_name}}, {{start_date}}, and {{manager_name}}. This means you only set it up once and EH personalises each email automatically for every new team member.
5 Add the pre-start phone call as a manager task
The day before the team member starts, you should make a personal phone call. This is not automated. Add it as a task action in the same workflow so you receive a reminder.
- In the workflow, click Add Action again
- Select Create a Task
- Set the task name to: Make pre-start phone call to [employee name]
- Set the timing to: 1 day before start date
- Assign the task to: Reporting Manager
- Hi [First Name], it's [Your Name] from [Insert Service Name].
- I just wanted to give you a quick call before tomorrow to say we're looking forward to having you start.
- Just confirming you're all set for [Time] tomorrow. When you arrive, head to [Location] and ask for [Name], and we'll get you settled in.
- Day one will be a mix of introductions, a run through of the role, and getting you set up properly.
- Before I let you go, do you have any questions for me before tomorrow?
- Perfect. See you tomorrow at [Time].
These emails and scripts are for you to send personally once the team member has started. They are not part of the automated workflow. The personal touch matters on day one and through the first week.
Day 1 Check ins (in person)
Do two short in person check ins on day one. One around midday, and one before they leave.
"Quick check in. How are you feeling so far? What's been clear, what's been unclear, and what do you need from me this afternoon?"
"Before you head off, what do you need from me to feel set up properly for tomorrow? Anything you want to clarify while I'm here?"
- Thanks for your first week. I know there's a lot of information early, so I want to make sure you feel clear and supported.
- First, how are you finding the role so far?
- What's been clear, and what's been unclear?
- What do you feel confident doing now, and what do you need more support with?
- Any roadblocks I need to remove for you?
- For next week, the focus will be [insert focus areas].
- By the end of next week, I'd like you to be confident in [insert outcomes].
- If you get stuck during the week, I want you to come to me early rather than sitting on it.