Translated by DeepL Translator
It was eight months after her retirement when Maritta Opas’s phone rang in February 2021. The caller was a former colleague, a familiar kindergarten director. The message was that we are short of educators, apply to Seure and come work for us.
When she retired, Opas swore that she would not go to Seure, and certainly not to work in her own region. 43 years as a kindergarten director was enough. But a phone call in February changed everything.
– I’m totally hooked on this whole substituting thing. Nowhere else do you get such immediate feedback on your work as here, when the kids look me in the eye and run to hug me when I come to work, sighs Opas.
Just the right amount of everything in a week
Maritta Opas made up her mind and sent her job application to Seure. Now she usually works two to four days a week. The new week starts with checking the calendar and shifts.
– I’m not a technical person at all, but even for me Seure’s system is easy. All you have to do is press the green button, laughs Opas as she explains how to book shifts.
In addition to her work, her life includes dance classes, her relationship, her children and grandchildren, and her friends.
– If I’m asked to fill in, I’ve learned to say no if it’s not a good fit. I like to have the right amount of everything in a week, not too much of anything, says Opas.
During the first few gigs, even the expert was nervous. Despite a career of more than 40 years in early childhood education, Opas found herself wondering if she could live up to the expectations of Seure’s substitutes. The nervousness quickly dissipated, though. Soon, the fresh-faced gig worker was off to try out new day-care centres in addition to the familiar ones.
– Once I accidentally booked the wrong gig. At first I tried to cancel it, but then I decided to give it a try.
Working for the best of the child
Promoting the welfare of children has defined Maritta Opas’s career and life. Now retired and a Seure gig worker, she is not only a former kindergarten director, but also a work counsellor with a degree in family psychotherapy in her pocket.
For Opas, the best thing about working in early childhood education is the awareness that one’s actions have the potential to affect perhaps the entire future of an individual child.
– A child’s childhood is unique and made up of moments. I can offer moments in which the child can feel valuable, says Opas.
– As the director of the kindergarten, I felt that together with the educators we were able to make a difference in the lives of a large number of children.
In gig work, a child’s trust is redeemed one encounter at a time. Opas says that when you find yourself on the floor more often than standing, children will come to you, make contact, bring a book and come into your arms.
Work gives you energy and euros in your travel wallet
Opas is grateful to have lived a healthy life and still be able to work. A genuine passion for her work also fuels her. She laughs that gigging is still very different from her previous day job.
– Now I’m on holiday 24/7 and work as a hobby, it’s very enjoyable.
Working as a gigger makes for a nice travel fund, for example to a dance camp in Madeira early this year, where Opas is going with her partner. She says that her salary has always arrived in her account correctly and on time.
Opas recently reached her official retirement age of 68. She expects to keep working as long as her enthusiasm remains.
– Luckily, I have a friend who will tell me when it’s time to stop if I don’t realise it myself, says Opas, laughing sweetly.