Expect A Star
Expect A Star is an Australian education-specialist recruitment agency, founded in 2004, placing early childhood educators and K-12 teachers into childcare centres and schools across Australia and New Zealand via a mobile-app-enabled platform. It operates as a subsidiary of PeopleIN Limited.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersSydney, Australia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Expect A Star does
Expect A Star is an Australian-owned specialist recruitment agency founded in 2004 that provides staffing solutions exclusively to the education sector. The company connects childcare centres, long day care providers, OSHC services, preschools, kindergartens, family day care operations, and primary and secondary schools with qualified educators, teachers, and support staff. It serves both demand-side (employers needing casual relief, emergency coverage, ratio compliance, or permanent placements) and supply-side (educators seeking flexible work) markets, with operations across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, and Wellington, New Zealand, operating as a subsidiary of PeopleIN Limited.
The company's core technology consists of a cloud-based recruitment platform comprising the Active App (a mobile application for iOS and Android enabling educators to manage availability, accept shifts, clock in/out, update payroll details, and communicate with consultants) and a Client Portal for childcare centres and schools to list vacancies, manage bookings, monitor schedules, and access compliance documentation. Supporting offerings include a Job Board Platform, an International Jobs Portal for overseas candidates with visa sponsorship guidance, a Travelling Educators Program for regional staffing, and a Refer-a-Friend incentive program ($50 casual / $300 permanent). Authentication is integrated with LinkedIn and Google OAuth.
Expect A Star's business model operates on a dual-sided basis with no listing fees for employers and free services for candidates. Revenue is generated through placement fees — either as the employer-of-record for casual placements (handling payroll, taxes, and compliance while charging a margin to clients) or through one-time permanent placement fees. The company claims 4,300+ business clients, 100+ educators onboarded weekly, and 100,000+ shifts completed, supported by an 11-50 person consultant team and distribution leverage from PeopleIN's infrastructure (1M talent pool, 40 locations).
Expect A Star firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Expect A Star
- Legal name
- Expect A Star
- Website
- https://expectastar.com.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Expect A Star is an Australian education-specialist recruitment agency, founded in 2004, placing early childhood educators and K-12 teachers into childcare centres and schools across Australia and New Zealand via a mobile-app-enabled platform. It operates as a subsidiary of PeopleIN Limited.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Expect A Star is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sydney
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices8 records
Markets served
Expect A Star business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Employer Recruitment Fees: Fees charged to childcare centres and schools for recruitment services. For casual placements, Expect A Star acts as the employer handling payroll, taxes, and compliance. For permanent recruitment, they source candidates who become ongoing employees of the client.
- Candidate Services: Free services for job seekers - no cost to educators seeking work. The recruitment service is completely free for candidates.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | No listing fee for employers |
| Freemium | Monthly | Free for job seekers |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Expect A Star product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Expect A Star is a specialist education recruitment agency that connects childcare centres, early learning services, and K-12 schools with educators and teachers across Australia and New Zealand. It provides both casual staffing (acting as employer of record for payroll, taxes, and compliance) and permanent placement recruitment, with 24/7 bookings, no listing fees for centres and schools, and a free service for job-seeking educators. The agency differentiates through its 20-year exclusive focus on education, the Active App for shift management, and a Client Portal for employer workforce management.
Product overview
Expect A Star operates as a recruitment agency platform offering staffing solutions across early childhood, primary, and secondary education sectors in Australia. The core product portfolio consists of the Active App (mobile application for shift and availability management), Client Portal (all-in-one management dashboard for childcare centres and schools), Job Board Platform (searchable job listings), and specialized recruitment services for both childcare and school sectors. Additional offerings include a Refer a Friend incentive program, International Jobs Portal for overseas candidates with relocation assistance, and the Travelling Educators Program addressing regional staffing challenges. The platform is available through iOS and Android apps and offers LinkedIn and Google authentication for job seekers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Active App Mobile application for educators to manage shift details, availability, clock in/out, payroll details, bank information, and communicate with recruitment consultants. Available on iOS and Android platforms.
- Client Portal All-in-one portal for childcare centres and schools to list vacancies, manage bookings, monitor staff schedules, access compliance documents, report incidents, and communicate with consultants.
- Job Board Platform Online platform for searching and applying to childcare and school job positions across Australia, with filtering by location, classification, work type, and work model.
- Childcare Recruitment Services Recruitment agency services connecting childcare centres with educators for casual, permanent, and emergency relief positions, including 24/7 bookings and no listing fees.
- Schools Recruitment Services Education recruitment services for primary and secondary schools, providing Casual Relief Teachers (CRT), permanent teachers, teacher aides, and support staff.
- Refer a Friend Program Referral incentive program offering $50 Visa Prepaid Card for casual referrals and $300 for permanent placements.
- International Jobs Portal Specialized portal for international educators and teachers seeking employment in Australian childcare and schools, including relocation assistance and visa sponsorship guidance.
- Travelling Educators Program Regional staffing solution connecting educators from nearby areas to childcare centres facing staff shortages and ratio compliance challenges.
Quantifiable outcome
- 100% of regional centres reported improved operations through Expect A Star's travelling educator program
Companies that use Expect A Star
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Expect A Star technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature2 records
Expect A Star partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- PeopleINcoreExpect A Star is powered by PeopleIN, the largest Australian workforce solutions company. This partnership provides access to a complete workforce solution, secure and efficient systems and processes, and commitment to workforce wellbeing, safety, and regulatory compliance. PeopleIN operates across Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore with 1M talent pool, 4,000 diverse clients, 10-15K weekly payroll, and 40 locations.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Expect A Star competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Programmed (Persolkelly): Major Australian workforce solutions provider with an education staffing arm; large generalist that competes in casual and permanent education placements using scale advantages.
- Randstad Australia: Global generalist staffing giant with a dedicated education division in Australia; offers broader portfolio but competes directly in casual relief and permanent teacher placements.
- Hays Education Australia: Global recruitment firm with a substantial Australia education practice spanning primary, secondary, and higher education — competes in the same placement categories as Expect A Star but as part of a much wider portfolio.
Direct peers
- anzuk Education: Australian specialist education recruitment agency covering early childhood, primary, secondary, and special education with both casual and permanent placements — directly comparable business model and customer base to Expect A Star.
- Tradewind Australia: Australia-based education recruitment firm focused on early childhood, primary, and secondary staffing; operates a similar B2B/B2C dual-sided marketplace model with both casual relief and permanent placements.
- Frontline Education Australia: Education-focused recruitment agency serving early childhood, primary, and secondary schools across Australia with casual relief and permanent teacher placements.
- Knight Street Education: Specialist education and childcare recruitment agency in Australia providing casual, permanent, and contract staff to early learning centres and schools — closely mirrors Expect A Star's value proposition.
- Sugarman Australia: Australian recruitment firm with dedicated education and childcare division placing casual and permanent educators and teachers into centres and schools.
Others
- Only About Children: Integrated early childhood education provider that operates its own centres and recruits educators; adjacent rather than directly competitive, but a key demand-side participant in the same candidate pool Expect A Star serves.
- Goodstart Early Learning: Australia's largest not-for-profit early learning provider and a major direct employer of educators; a key client/account in the same market segment and an indirect benchmark for educator compensation trends.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Expect A Star social profiles
Digital presenceExpect A Star financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Expect A Star leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Expect A Star funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Expect A Star M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Expect A Star
What does Expect A Star do?
Expect A Star is a specialist education recruitment agency that connects childcare centres, early learning services, and K-12 schools with educators and teachers across Australia and New Zealand. It provides both casual staffing (acting as employer of record for payroll, taxes, and compliance) and permanent placement recruitment, with 24/7 bookings, no listing fees for centres and schools, and a free service for job-seeking educators. The agency differentiates through its 20-year exclusive focus on education, the Active App for shift management, and a Client Portal for employer workforce management.
Is Expect A Star a public or private company?
Expect A Star is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Expect A Star founded?
Expect A Star was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Expect A Star based?
Expect A Star is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Expect A Star make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Employer Recruitment Fees are the primary driver. The others are candidate Services.
Who are Expect A Star's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Programmed (Persolkelly), Randstad Australia and Hays Education Australia. Direct peers are anzuk Education, Tradewind Australia, Frontline Education Australia, Knight Street Education and Sugarman Australia. Others are Only About Children and Goodstart Early Learning.
Does Expect A Star have an API?
No public API is recorded for Expect A Star.