To not enjoy working in nurseries

Exactly.
100%.

@bylemonfishthe after school DD went to (in a nursery) tried to give her tinned spaghetti, she’s coeliac. Luckily she was old enough to realise but they told her off for refusing food!

It probably depends on the nursery. DC1's first nursery in the UK was great. Small, building a little run down but wonderful, caring staff and run by two qualified teachers.

We then moved abroad, and he went to two private nurseries here. Not so great but I had to work and these worked best for my hours.
I'm about to go back to work now and DC2 is at a council-run nursery. They are fab, well-staffed and the adults are lovely with DC. Her room is operating at a 3:1 ratio and they are really flexible. DC didn't have a key worker to begin with because they basically wanted her to choose her own. It's much cheaper than our private ones here and the coordinator at the council is incredibly helpful. They do have training days and when someone's off sick, they will have one of the designated cover staff members, who is working in one of the six council nurseries here in town. Most of the staff members have been there for several years.

However on the other hand my son goes to a nursery my eldest went to five year ago and I feel it isn't as good as it used to be. I am not sure I would use it if I were to have another child. Sometimes it seems the bare minimum is done. Luckily he is leaving soon.

A quick chat is fine but this was often for over an hour with barely a glance at the kids.

I'm a NNEB nursery nurse and was shocked how things have changed in nurseries in recent years.

I was deputy manager at a nursery/after school club. Left in 2003 when we moved to a different part of the UK.

I worked as a childminder until 2015, which I loved but could be lonely.

So I returned to nursery work. It was horrendous. Lots of very young staff with little idea of what they were doing. After 6 months I moved to another nursery. Appeared better. But after a year of working part time I just couldn't stay.

The room leader (now the manager) gave a child with a pasta allergy tinned spaghetti. She thought it was the same as tinned beans!!. Children didn't spend much time outdoors on cooler days as staff didn't like being outside.
Art work was to impress parents.

I could go on

Again young staff with inadequate training

I took a job cleaning in a care home and then set up my own cleaning business

I pity parents who have no choice other than to place children in nurseries.

Tony Blair phased out the NNEB qualification, he has alot to answer for.
Plus job now only pays minimum wage and it's bloody hard work

My nursery wasn’t great but several of the staff sent their children there.
i sent DD to a nursery as my experience with CM also wasn’t great, at playgroup I saw several of them being horrible to the children and saying horrible things about them.
My friend was one, she had a waiting list, great reviews, she hated the children. It just fit her life at that moment, the moment she could stop she did.
I don’t think any childcare js ideal, you just have to look at each option individually.

Both my dc adored their childminder. I’m sure she must have nattered at playgroup, don’t parents?

They were both with her until they were 11 or so. Dd went from a baby to first term at secondary. She loved her.

I have seen childminders more interested in having a natter and a cup of tea at play groups and not paying attention to any of the children they were meant to be minding. It put me off a childminder plus I didn't want my child dragged on school runs.

I totally agree there needs to be a total mindset switch away from the current ‘these are the default jobs for those who need to find work due to UC or haven’t got any other qualifications’. It needs to be a highly valued career choice to work with the youngest or oldest in society.

i think there need to be new specific courses and qualifications and much much higher basic pay for even entry level to these roles.

I trained as an NNEB years ago and my placements put me off working un a nursery. Not so much the busy two years olds and older, but the babies. All in a room the majority of the day with a couple of bored 18 years olds,who just chatted between themselves. Pretty soul destroying. I ended up nannying and then becoming a childminder for fourteen years when I had my own DC. Now I'm a cleaner and do a bit of after school nannying and gardening!
Theres a nursery which always advertises on my local fb but the pictures look so bleak,all grey rooms and grey carpet and blinds down on all the windows. Hardly warm and enticing.

Yet some people have kids who attend the nursery they work in.

Working in one or a few rubbish nurseries doesn't mean that they are all the same. Some nurseries are excellent.

We loved DS's old keyworker so much that they are now our go to babysitter.

All my children went to nursery, how else would I pay the bills?. My DS attended the nursery I worked in.
My DDs absolutely loved nursery. They still remember their key workers and favourite activities
Maybe we were just super lucky or maybe some of you have been very unlucky but this just isn't my experience of using or working in a nursery.

Just like anyone who has ever worked in an elderly person's home would shudder at the thought of putting a relative in (especially one who can't fully express themselves or tell you what goes on).

Nobody who has ever worked in nurseries for even a day would put their own kids into one.

What parents see (or want to see) and reality are two very different things.

this was a well known chain

If you work in a rubbish nursery then you will experience this but if you work somewhere decent with other supportive workers and management it is a truly rewarding job. Helping the children to develop, watching them learn to do something they previously struggled with really is rewarding to me.

@secretbinger3its a pity you had this experience, it’s not something I relate to. We are always in ratio and only very rarely use agency (as in maybe once every 6 months!) Dietary requirements are absolutely strictly followed and there is good hygiene. Unwell staff are always allowed to leave and actually my boss has let me come in late for my children’s school events and I’ve still been paid for it! Making me think I am very very lucky. I would hope most nurseries are like this (although I have heard of others not being as good from co-workers). The long hours and hard work yes, low pay. But rewarding on the whole.

oh rules were bent regularly. very easy to be on your best behaviour when ofsted visit. a lot of 'qualified' (use that term loosely) staff couldnt even use a computer and i agree with the poster who mentioned grammar etc. and the poster who mentioned the cheap value food brands, considering the fees they charge. dietary requirements not adhered to. parents blatantly lied to when given feedback. the daily influx of agency workers due to the constant staff shortage. the bitching and gossiping behind other staff's and parents' backs was next level. the ongoing pest problem and lax hygiene. a ridiculously hard job physically that will push you to your limits, constantly catching every bug doing the rounds. not allowed to leave when you are genuinely ill because there arent enough staff to cover ratios. long hours and minimum pay. hmmm...so so rewarding.

Not true. Unless all the nurseries are breaking the rules. 50% of staff have to be level 3 qualified
And really really insulting to say it's a job anyone can do. It's incredibly hard work and a lot of people can't do the job.
What an insult to decent nursery staff. I bet you wouldn't talk about a teacher that way without expecting backlash. Or are us nursery nurses not good enough for MN.

When Dd was born 19 years ago, there was a lot of stuff out about how childminders are better than nurseries as children need a home environment with one person to relate to.

I had a lovely cm and Dd also went to a pre school which was amazing.

ld never put a child in a nursery, DS went briefly but it was only for a short time and only mornings.

100%.

most couldnt even string a sentence together.
it's a job you get when you cant get anything else.
so desperately short staffed they are scraping the barrel with unqualified staff.

Why has this zombie thread been resurrected?

Chronically understaffed. How can one staff member safely look after 4 babies? Imagine doing that yourself at home.

They are like nursing homes for children. Lack of interaction and one on one time which is imperative.

Terrible staff that are incompetent, I’ve seen nurseries in my area now advertising for “none qualified” nursery workers. Nobody wants the job so I can understand why they are having to resort to that.

Major health and safety risks etc

But what are they like with the kids?