Working with children can be extremely rewarding for you and the children you help. If you are looking for a career that really does make a difference, and which you can be truly proud of, working with kids might just be the answer to your prayers.

Of course, there are so many jobs that enable you to work with kids that it can be difficult to know where to start. Well, take a look at these very rewarding (both mentally and financially) child-orientated careers:

An Early Years Educator

If you love preschool children, getting into early childhood education could be the best move you ever make. Preschool teachers are at the forefront of developing the minds of young children. Teaching them the basics they need to get ahead in life, building confidence and ensuring that they are always happy and stimulated.

As an early years educator, you could earn between $32,500 and $52, depending on your experience and qualifications.

A Child Social Worker

I’m not going to sugar coat it, working as a social worker is hard. You will be thrown into a lot of tough situations and see some pretty harrowing things, like child abuse, negligence and abandoned kids, but if you’re mentally tough and determined to make a difference, it’s definitely worth considering.

Good child and family social workers save kids from bad situations and help them to grow up happy and healthy. When you look back on your career as a social worker, one thing’s for sure – you’ll be proud of what you’ve achieved.

As a child and family social worker, you could earn between $46,610 and $73,400.

An Elementary School Educator

Teaching elementary school is more challenging than being an early years educator, but less challenging than teaching high school. So, it’s a good option if you would like to get into teaching more than the basics, but you don’t want the stress of dealing with unruly teens.

You’ll be able to watch young kids grow into well-rounded teens, and you’ll be able to use your skills every day teaching a range of subjects.

As an elementary school educator, you can expect to earn between $58,000 and $85,550 in most states.

A Pediatric Nutritionist

If you have a degree in nutrition or your qualified dietitian, setting up a practice to help parents and schools feed their kids better could not only be very rewarding, but it could be quite lucrative too. So many children are overweight and obese right now, and that’s largely because the adults in their life don’t know how to feed them for optimum health.

By working with them, you could change an unfit kid into a healthy one, and that has to be worthwhile.

As a pediatric nutritionist, you could earn between $58,000 and $80,000 annually.

A Nanny

Working as a private nanny is a good option for those of you who don’t have many commitments because you will normally be expected to live with the family whose child you’re looking after. You will spend your working time caring for their needs, feeding and playing with them, taking them to appointments and generally ensuring that they’re happy and well.

On top of (often) getting free room and board, you can expect to earn between $27,790 and $40,000 or even more if you’re working for a particularly affluent family.

Museum Educator

If you love history and you love getting kids enthused about their studies, a career as a museum educator beckons you. Working this job, you’ll be expected to take tour groups around museums, telling them stories and putting out interesting tidbits of information about the exhibits they see.

You’ll need to be very enthusiastic and knowledgeable to get them interested, but when you see them really absorbed in the experience, it will all be worth it.

Your salary as a museum educator could be between $37,000 and $50,000.

Art Therapist

If you have a degree in fine arts or similar and you’re wondering how you can make a living with it, which lets you help kids, but which doesn’t involve teaching, becoming a qualified art therapist is the answer. As an art therapist, you will help sick and troubled children to heal, grow and live happier lives by letting them express themselves through art.

Art therapists typically earn between $42 and $60,000 annually but could earn more if they own their own practice.

Do you work with kids? Job not listed here? Let us know what you do and how rewarding your career is.

This post has been contributed by Ryan Gatt, it may contain affiliate links.