Salary

The starting salary for a trainee nursery nurse, or one who has very limited experience, is around £9,000 to £11,000, which varies according to its geographical location. Once qualified, the average wage is around £14,000 to £17,000 with nursery officers or managers earning up to £32,000.

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Responsibilities

Nurseries often look after a variety of different aged children at one time, so responsibilities co-ordinate according to the age group the worker is caring for. Main responsibilities include:-

• Designing activities for the children to engage in. These will usually include games or arts and crafts, with these having an educational or developmental aspect, like improving number skills through the use of counting games. Once these activities have been designed, the nursery nurse will also have to supervise them.

• The day will often include story time, which aims to develop language skills and encourage the children to read. The nursery nurse will have to read aloud to the children, making sure that they remain entertained and interested. Usually the nursery manager will choose which book is read according to the childrens’ skills and to promote maximum development.

• Older children will sometimes be taken on outings to places such as the zoo or to parks. The nursery nurse will be responsible for looking after a certain number of children on such events, usually about three each, so they are able to care for all of them at all times. The nursery manager will be in charge of getting parents’ permission to take the children on the trip, but the assistants and nurses may be involved in helping co-ordinate the day.

• It will also be the job of the nursery nurses to help the children to learn skills such as dressing and using cutlery. An awareness of all health and safety procedures is needed to guarantee that the child is safe. The nursery nurse will also have to be familiar with the Protection of Children Act 1999 so that they are aware of all appropriate boundaries.

• As the nursery nurse is involved in many developmental aspects of their charges, they will have to observe the children and write reports on their progress, and then relay this information with parents. Advice may sometimes be given to parents, so a close relationship is often formed in order to aid the child’s development. The nursery nurse will also have to report to their manager if they are concerned that the child is showing signs of abuse from home, but it will be the manager’s duty to follow these up.

• If the nursery also caters for babies, the nursery nurse will be responsible for feeding, bathing and changing them.

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Qualifications

Formal qualifications are not always necessary as experience can sometimes be a suitable substitute. A good standard of basic education is usually required though, with most employers requiring Maths and English G.C.S.Es, with a minimum of two other G.C.S.Es or equivalent qualification, grade A-C.

To gain the experience necessary to work up to the position of a nursery nurse, it is possible to work as a nursery assistant first. However, some qualifications are required for this, namely: -

• CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Child Care and Education
• City & Guilds, CACHE or BTEC Certificate in Children's Care, Learning and Development
• NVQ Level 2 in Children's Care, Learning and Development (a work placement is usually needed for this which you will have to arrange yourself.)

If you want to start working as a nursery nurse without prior experience the main qualifications needed are:

• CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Child Care and Education
• BTEC National Diploma in Children's Care, Learning and Development
• NVQ Level 3 in Children's Care, Learning and Development – you may need to arrange a relevant work placement.

All these courses are available either part or full time, and so can be completed at the same time as gaining relevant work experience.

Some nurseries run apprentice schemes although this is rare. For a list of available schemes see this website

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Skills

Nursery nurses need to be hard-working, good with children, tolerant and able to multi-task efficiently. Parents will often want to know how their children are getting on so good communication skills are also required.

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Working Conditions

The average day of a nursery day is likely to start early to accommodate parents who have to work. Shift work will sometimes be needed, with some nursery workers coming into the nursery early to guarantee it is set up before the children arrive. Some nurseries will open as early as 7am to give parents enough time to get to work after leaving their children. Again, the nursery will usually close in accordance with the needs of working parents which will usually be no later than 6 o’clock. Shifts will not last for more than 8 hours though, so nursery nurses will not be required to stay for the full day. Many nurseries will have a period in the day when the children sleep, which gives the workers the opportunity to take a break too.

The nursery is a noisy place, with children making lots of mess and noise. The job can often be physically demanding and nursery nurses will be required to stay on their feet for most of the day.

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Experience

Some nurseries will allow you to volunteer for a few hours a week in order to gain some experience, otherwise working as a dinner lady will also provide some experience. However, working as a nursery assistant is the best way of getting to know what is required of a nursery nurse, (see above for details of necessary qualifications).

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Employers

There are often local nurseries so the best way to find out about ones in your area is to look in Yellow Pages or The Nursery Search and approach them about job opportunities. Major nurseries which are represented across the country are:-

• Leapfrog Nurseries
• Tree Top Nurseries
• Asquith Nurseries

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Career Progression

Whilst working as a nursery nurse it is possible to complete further qualifications including:-

• CACHE Level 3 Certificate of Professional Development (CPD) in Work with Children and Young People
• BTEC HNC/HND in subjects such as Advanced Practice in Work with Children and Families, or Early Childhood Studies
• A degree or foundation degree in, for example, Early Years or Early Childhood Studies.

If management responsibilities have been undertaken whilst working as a nursery nurse, it is possible to complete the NVQ Level 4 in Children’s Care, Learning and Development or to do an Open University course like the Level 4 Certificate in Early Years Practice.

The government has set a new aim to have all day care centres employing Early Years Professionals (EYPS) by 2010 which greatly increases career potential for people working in these places. There are four main routes of entry to work in such a position depending on previous experience and qualifications; see the Children’s Workforce Development Council for more details.

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