staff pay

[principalitygirl]

Just saw a job advert for a level 3 nursery nurse in my son's nursery which is part of a large, international chain. £13,200 for full time!! Am absolutely shocked!

[pussycatdoll]

I thought it was well known that child care wasn't well paid?
That's why is often young girls working in nurseries who still live at home, they're usually straight out of college

[principalitygirl]

yes but didn't realise it was quite so low!

[HSMMaCM]

There are nursery manager jobs needing full qualifications only paying £20k.

[Wishuponastar011]

I work as an unqualified nursery assistant (currently studying my level 3) for a very large nursery chain for about £10,500 - minimum wage for under 21yo! It's really bad, I do the exact same job as a level 3 and there's a £3000 a year difference :(

[breatheslowly]

I do wonder why nursery staff are so badly paid compared to nannies. I appreciate there is a different level of responsibility, but I have met many nursery nurses who would make excellent nannies.

[Kez171271]

I earn 14k and im the deputy manager! The manager earns 10p an hour more.

[TiggyOBE]

part of a large, international chain. - That'll be Bright Horizons then!

[Cindy34]

Probably a difference in the number of hours worked between a nursery nurse and a nanny.

Any nursery nurses prepared to say how many hours they are paid for per week?

A full time nanny could be doing 50 to 60 hours a week. A part time nanny may well be doing 35 or more.

Though it is still probably a lot higher paid often. Nurseries often seem to try to pay close to NMW when they can. It's a business, they need to make profit and some parents do moan about the cost of childcare.

[lilyaldrin]

Most private nurseries pay very poorly, around minimum wage. Many "better" nursery nurses/early years practitioners move into the public sector which is much, much better paid (though funding is being squeezed) - where I am Children's Centre and nursery school/class practitioners are paid between £16k-£20k, more for management.

Alternatively nannying is paid much better too - from about £8 gross an hour outside London up to £13 gross an hour in London. Many nursery nurses would struggle nannying though - the lack of management and colleague support, having to make decisions, plan days, no policies to rely on, time management.

[readyforno2]

In my last nursery I was on 11,500 for 40 hrs a week, SVQ 3.
My son was also at the same nursery and his fees (more than 1/2 of my wage) came straight out of my wages.

[Wishuponastar011]

I'm on a 40hr week contract, but it's never just 40hrs because we can't leave at the end of our shift half the time because of ratios!!

[principalitygirl]

Yes, it's BH! The person leaving which has created the vacancy is moving to the public sector - can't blame her!

Something needs to be done about childcare sector wages! Parents need affordable childcare definitely but how can it be right that staff caring for our children earn about the same as a refuse collector??!

[Cindy34]

Nursery nurses moving into nannying comes up as a topic over on the childminders,nannies board from time to time. Some make the transition others do not. Going from being part of a team to being sole provider is tricky.

Interesting to know that a 40 hour week is probably typical for a nursery nurse, it compares with part time nannying, probably does not compare with full time - 40 hour a week mon-fri nanny jobs are not that common in my view.

Not surprised to hear that nursery staff can not leave at their finish time - childcare is not a job which fits with set hours, thing happen which make parents late, children can't be left alone. It is an issue in nannying, as the nanny can't walk out at end of shift unless another adult is there to take over.

How is it possible for public sector to pay more... Is it due to initial funding, which may have mean unsustainable salaries were offered?

[lilyaldrin]

Public sector pays more as Children's Centres and state nursery schools don't rely only on fees for their budgets.

[lilyaldrin]

Also, they don't have to make a profit for an owner. It's the reason you tend to get better quality staff, buildings, resources etc.

[readyforno2]

For me it's not having to pay for childcare throughout the holidays when ds isn't at school.

[BackforGood]

Bin men earn a LOT more than that, OP

[principalitygirl]

BackforGood - yes, having checked with DH (not a bin man but knows about public sector pay) he says the same. Is truly awful.
Wish I had a public sector nursery I could use but as not in a deprived area there are none close by.

[principalitygirl]

ready -
did you get discounted rates? hope so!

[Onesleeptillwembley]

I don't know about now, but childcare used to be a final option for people who didn't have the academic ability to do anything else. Hence the historically low pay.

[UriGeller]

Wonder if that's where the low opinion (of some) of SAHM comes from? Same as nursing in the old days.

These days of course, like everything, nursery work is academised to the hilt. You can't get a job as nursery staff unless you have nvq quals, my son is trying for apprenticeships in nurseries (to further his education into child psychology) but hits a brick wall every turn.

[InMySpareTime]

I used to work as a senior Nursery Nurse, with a Foundation Degree in Early Years. I earned £6.40 an hour. Once, I had to have a meeting with my boss to let her know that NMW had gone up, but since my wages hadn't I was below it. That's the only pay rise I got in 4 years working there. Technically it was 24 hours a week, but staff were expected to arrive early to set up, work through lunch, and stay late for ratios. I got called in for extra days a lot too, often working full time.
I'm well out of it, I left and set up a storytelling business. It doesn't pay well either, but it's a lot better in terms of working conditions!

[TiggyOBE]

These days of course, like everything, nursery work is academised to the hilt. You can't get a job as nursery staff unless you have nvq quals - But the qualifications you need now are a lot easier to get than the old ones. The old ones were fairly easy to fail: you really had to work and know your stuff. The new one are really hard to fail. (But lots still seem to manage it somehow)

[readyforno2]

Yeah. 10% discount. Nothing to shout about really

[insancerre]

in our nursery the hours are 37.5 a week starting on minimum wage
I do 40 hours a week, I've got a degree and am an EYP and I only get £8.50 an hour
sometimes I feel so undervalued
BUT, I know I make a huge difference every day to lots of children and their families, and that difference will last a lifetime
that's why I do it