Salary by experience
View as table
| Experience | Salary (CHF) |
|---|---|
| 0-2 yrs | CHF 104'000 |
| 3-5 yrs | CHF 93'000 |
| 6-8 yrs | CHF 100'000 |
| 9-11 yrs | CHF 120'250 |
| 12-21 yrs | CHF 140'000 |
| 21+ yrs | CHF 183'000 |
Top HR
Swiss professionsEducation & Social Work
Leiter/in Kindertagesstätte
You lead day care centres and help shape early childhood education.
01 · Overview
What this profession is about
As a manager, you oversee educational and operational processes in a day care centre. You also lead your team.
Day care centres are the first learning places for young children. As Leiter/in Kindertagesstätte, you take responsibility for smooth operations here. You develop educational concepts, lead your team, and manage finances and infrastructure. In larger centres, the focus is on management. In smaller ones, you also support direct childcare. Your work ensures optimal development conditions for preschoolers.
FieldEducation & Social Work
Education pathSpecialisation / Professional Function
IndustryAccompaniment & Support
Swissdoc 0.731.18.0
02 · Salary
What you can earn
✓ Strong salary match
Salaries reflect Swiss market data. Range covers entry to senior. Salary reference based on Leiterin Internetmarketing. Based on 175 observations, updated 7 months ago.
Salary trend
+29% over decadeView as table
| Period | Salary (CHF) |
|---|---|
| 2014-2016 | CHF 100'000 |
| 2017-2019 | CHF 111'800 |
| 2020-2022 | CHF 124'500 |
| 2023-2025 | CHF 129'350 |
Top earning cantons
View as table
| Canton | Salary | Obs. |
|---|---|---|
| Geneva | CHF 135'750 | 14 |
| Zurich | CHF 130'010 | 50 |
| Vaud | CHF 106'250 | 13 |
Top paying industries
View as table
| Industry | Salary | Obs. |
|---|---|---|
| Banking / Financial institutions | CHF 150'000 | 8 |
| Medical Technology | CHF 150'000 | 5 |
| Education | CHF 148'000 | 5 |
| Industry various | CHF 134'000 | 7 |
| Consulting various | CHF 129'350 | 9 |
| Retail trade / Wholesaling | CHF 126'500 | 20 |
03 · Pathway
How to enter and grow
Swiss training pathway available in the full profile
- 🎓 Zertifikate der jeweiligen Bildungsanbieter
- ⏱ Je nach Bildungsanbieter ca. 1 bis 2 Jahre berufsbegleitend
Official education path
Further training is provided through certificate courses from the respective training providers.
Typical training path
Zertifikate der jeweiligen Bildungsanbieter
Prerequisites
- Ausbildung auf Tertiärstufe (HF, FH, Uni) als pädagogische Fachperson in Kindertagesstätten oder schulergänzenden Tagesstrukturen
Requirements
- Verantwortungsbewusstsein
- Geduld
- Beziehungs- und Kommunikationsfähigkeit
- Belastbarkeit
- Führungseigenschaften
Where this can lead
Career changers can enter directly if you already have tertiary education in education.
04 · Skills & fit
What it takes
Required skills
- Leadership skills and team management
- Strong communication skills
- High organisational talent
- Educational insight
- High resilience
Personality fit
- Swiss career path
- Career transition
- Professional growth
05 · Daily reality
What the work feels like
Typical day
You stand at the entrance in the morning. You greet the children and parents. Then you agree on the daily schedule with your team. In between, you check finances, plan working hours, and discuss educational goals with your staff.
- You develop an educational concept and a mission statement together with the owners.
- You recruit, plan for, and lead all day care centre staff.
- You monitor finances and organise daily operations.
- You support childcare staff in implementing early childhood education.
- You maintain contact with parents, authorities, and local businesses.
- You ensure quality and continuously improve operations.
- You lead team meetings and support the training of apprentices.
Working conditions
You work in private, municipal, or company-owned day care centres. In large organisations, you often share leadership with another manager.
Where to learn
- kibesuisse Verband Kinderbetreuung SchweizJosefstr. 53, 8005 Zürich
- bke Bildungszentrum KinderbetreuungVulkanstr. 106, 8048 Zürich
- Marie Meierhofer Institut für das Kind MMIPfingstweidstr. 16, 8005 Zürich
- ARTISET WeiterbildungAbendweg 1, 6000 Luzern
Strengths
- Leadership skills and team management
- Strong communication skills
- High organisational talent
- Educational insight
- High resilience
Trade-offs
- High responsibility
- Administrative workload
- Emotional strain
- Wide range of tasks
06 · Similar
