Any ex-nursery staff who have changed jobs/careers?

[BurntOutNurseryNurse]

I have worked in nurseries since 2008.
I used to absolutely love it. I still love it, but bloody hell, I am really, really, struggling mentally 😢

The long hours and very little annual leave are just burning me out. 8am-6pm may seem like nothing compared to other jobs, but it's actually wrecking me the older I am getting it would seem.

I am struggling to keep 12 precious, wonderful babies happy, fed, amused, clean and take photos with very detailed observations to go along with them for each individual child. Plus keep the app updated and clean all the toys, clean the play room, do planning, activities, artwork, accident forms, medicine forms, display boards...it goes on and on,and I'm just really, really struggling with it.

There's day where my colleagues and I are up to our necks in unsettled babies who need cuddles and a baby who is sick, a baby who bites and needs to be shadowed etc. And we can't get photos done or planning done. And we are just made to feel like shit from mangement (who are in the office all day and could maybe, I don't know, help us once in a while). Over the years I have had 2 major work-related mental breakdowns, 1 of them was so bad I actually had to leave work. My depression and anxiety has got so much worse over the years too.

Obviously nobody goes into childcare and stays for the money, because let's face it, the pay is shitty, but that's not even why I am fed up. Its because I am so burnt out and am sick of the lack of respect and understanding from the higher ups.

Has anybody been in my position and went on to do another job or maybe even a brand new career? I really want to leave childcare for the sake of my mental health. I just don't know what else to do, I haven't really done anything else and to be honest, I am a bit afraid to take the leap and try something new even though I want to.

Any words of advice or success stories, or even any understanding would be greatly appreciated

I've been doing the job for so long and feel like I should be "better" at coping with all this stuff. Feel so incompetent and weak 😟

Check out the civil service. Some great jobs and progressions available. Once you are in it opens up 100’s of internal vacancies.

Focus on your transferable skills!!!

You can do this, I struggled for many years in a career, took some time away from it and now thriving!! There is light at the end of that tunnel…. pinky promise!!

I worked with a TA who had worked in a nursery for 12 years. She loved the change (worked in EYFS) and is now doing teacher training.

However you get a LOT of the same issues as you've described, as a TA. Shorter hours (which obviously also means less pay) but the same relentless workload. TAs tend to be given the responsibility for children with behavioural needs, because the teachers have to teach the rest of the class. You will often end up as a 1:1, without the pay increase that should be applied to that. Not always a huge amount of support from SLT either. It can be amazing and fun and rewarding, absolutely, but if you're burnt out already I wouldn't recommend it.

I used to work in nursery’s, then as a TA for 6 years - now work for the civil service - much prefer it :)