To ask you to tell me about working in a nursery?

[Talllara]

I'm sorry I am posting for traffic.

Does/has anyone worked in a nursery can you tell me the good the bad and the ugly.

I'm really fed up with my current job, I've only stayed so long because it worked around my children. I feel like I want a total change.

I know nursery nursing is usually low paid and hard work but I want something busy, lively, rewarding and hands on. I'm thinking there could be opportunities for career development too much once experienced.

What might be the best route in? Volunteering alongside college perhaps?

Yes, they learn the routine and are generally better behaved in nursery! They also follow the pack a bit sort of thing. They learn that it's lunch time then nap time. I used to generally have around 7-10 (2yr olds) that would nap after lunch and all would be asleep within 15 mins:). Don't forget it a busy morning at nursery too! All that play then food makes them sleepy!

Ah I see! My daughter has always been quite keen on her sleep but something tickled me about a room full of usually boisterous toddlers being fast asleep in their little makeshift beds. A

I've worked part time at a private day nursery while I've been completing my degree in early years.
I love the children but the job is draining!
My favourite parts are relationships with the children and parents and being able to watch them grow. I can look at our current pre schoolers and think, she took her very first steps into my arms when she was in the baby room and look at her now! Or, he wouldn't settle for anyone but me when he started with us at 5 months old, now he has great relationships with most staff members. It just makes me feel happy and fulfilled. I also love the fact that parents have multiple children and you've looked after all of their children at some point and have known them since they were born.

Then there is the challenging side of it. The long hours and shit pay, for us it's either 8-5 or 9-6 depending on if you're on the early or the late. That's every day Mon-Fri for minimum wage. There is ALOT of pressure to remember to get stuff signed by parents e.g. Accident forms, existing injuries forms, medication forms, safeguarding forms, if you forget your life won't be worth living but the environment is so high stress it's really easy to forget because you're usually so busy doing a million and one things at once.

There's the paperwork, the planning the files the observations the next steps even the daily sheets. None of which we get time to do so we have to do it in our own time instead.

Overall I really like but that's because I only do 2 days a week! I've worked for full weeks at a time and it's just so stressful. When I graduate in May god knows what I'll do, I'm looking into nannying but really unsure.

I feel like my post was focussed abit too much on the negative. I suggest setting yourself up with a placement at a nursery. You won't get a proper feel for the job until you're a full member of staff with key children though as that's when you have to worry about paperwork and remembering all the stuff you need to get done. I do really like my job, give it a go if you don't mind abit of hard graft! Baby rooms are usually less stress in my opinion, I LOVE the baby room it's like a holiday compared to toddlers and pre school!

Baby room is definitely quieter
We have lots of boisterous toddlers.

Alisvolatpropiis I see some more sensible posters have answered your question. I was going to tell you its witchcraft.

I have worked in nurseries for nearly 20 years. In the beginning I loved it as the focus was more about actually looking after the children. However over the past 10 years with the introduction of learning gardens and more paperwork the workload is just too much for minimum wage. I feel we are mini teachers without the bonus of all the holidays The pressure got to me in the end and I left childcare for two years but went back last year due to only being able to find jobs that involved weekend work. I'm now in a toddler room with 14 key children as well as OFSTED looming. It's very stressful lol. BUT I love my job. It's very rewarding and the bonds you get are amazing. I think you should go for it. Nothing ventured gained. If you don't like it at least you'll know :) x

I would say a pre-school, rather than a nursery, is a better working environment because they are usually school hours rather than full day. Have you considered Montessori or Steiner? Pay is sometimes higher in those types of settings and they're more likely to be pre-schools not day care. You don't necessarily need Montessori or Steiner training (very expensive) to work in one of their settings, and many will sponsor you to train if you agree to work there for a certain amount of time.

I would go the TA route. I work in a nursery only been there a few weeks, bloody hate it. Can't wait to get out. I was a TA before this.

I have recently started working at my dd's nursery as bank staff which suits my circumstances. As for the low pay - well I'd be earning the same for any other nmw job except it would be more mundane, so it's ok for a part time job.

I'm not from a childcare background and dd didn't start nursery until she was an older toddler. I'm currently uncomfortable about how upset some of the babies and smaller toddlers are during the day. A few of them are perfectly happy as long as they are constantly held (which is exactly how my velcro babies were) and I would be happy to do it but I've been told not to pick them up all the time as they have to learn to be more independent. I completely understand that the staff can't just hold them all the time and they are still perfectly lovely to the children but it still makes me uneasy about the whole set up and I would not put my under 2 in a nursery.

The 2 and above children all seem to be having a ball though and they are fun to work with.

I used to work in a nursery and I loved it but I couldn't have done it forever. It's tiring, long days and physical and you go home covered in snot/paint/poo every day, I reckon if you have kids and had to do it all again when you get home it would be exhausting.

However loads of it is great. Cuddles on tap, kids being hilarious, you get to do crafts/be creative, it's great to find fun ways to teach them about things like the weather, animals, different cultures, holidays, etc etc. At Easter for example we used to have eggs in an incubator and hatch baby chicks, we'd have massive water fights in the summer, and we'd do sensory play with pasta/baked beans where we'd let babies roll around in it and squish it all between their hands. So gross but very fun!

Thanks again for all of the honest opinions.

I know the pay can be low. I might be getting skewed views because I know a few people who've worked in local authority nurseries or for surestart so have probably had better working conditions. Also known a few progress to TAs, NHS nursery nurses and even mentors and support workers.

Isthatwhatdemonsdo what do you hate about it?

What worries me about TA work is that from what I've seen at my children's school, TAs are expected to actually teach small maths groups, not sure if this is normal.

I'd be completely fine supervising children, helping them to read, stuff like that, but from what I gather it's much more than that.

Reading back and my post was also purely negative.

There are positives the main one being I loved being around children all day, developing a relationship with them, seeing them develop.

I think if you are looking for an entry level job and can do the qualifications whilst working then it's not so bad. My issues became more apparent the further up the chain I got.

It's not a job that has great career progression, I can't think of any other graduate job that has such low wages along with a high level of responsibility.

The pay isn't too much of an issue right now and I'd be looking to work part time anyway. It would be a pay cut for me but I'm really looking for job satisfaction which I just don't have where I am. Although I guess long term it wouldn't be ideal.

Well I did ask for honest opinions!

Everyone thinks I've got a really cushy life doing admin, and it is in many ways. It's well paid, clean, ok hours. Yet I'm so miserable, the days drag and I don't feel as though I have a real purpose always just feels like paper pushing and never seeing an end result.

Royal

Thank you for starting this thread. My DD is about to apply this week for an apprenticeship in a nursery ...

I've not worked in a nursery myself but I have two friends who gave in the past. Both worked for the same private chain. Both left due to low pay and poor working conditions. My SIL worked as bank staff for another private chain, this seemed better as they expected less from her. DH works for the same chain as SIL used to but full time. Pay is minimum wage for most staff, career progression is very slow (one member of staff who has been there 12 years has only just been made room supervisor and she is amazing at her job) as they prefer to recruit in. Employment contracts state unpaid overtime and all training is at the weekend and there are also a couple of out of hours staff meetings each month, again all unpaid. Clearly illegal as it takes those on min wage below the min wage but staff are unaware of this as most staff are young and no knowledge of these things and DH doesn't want to rock the boat.

It seems to be that private chains are the worst culprits so perhaps look outside of this and definitely read your contract very carefully! Incidentally I know a few people who are TAs and love it.

By the sounds of it if I do go down this route then I should definitely avoid private nurseries.

I'm pretty sure my little ones nursery isn't too bad to work for. I know there are a few staff working 8-3, or term time only, the full timers do either 8-4 or 10-6. Some just do 16 hours. I know they have low staff turnover so maybe those jobs are hard to come by?

OP I just don't like the nursery. I've worked in other nurseries and they were better organised than this one. Lots of staff changes, no manager etc. You will be expected to teach small groups of children for maths and English as a TA. But it's all planned by the teacher. It's really not hard.

Aw no OP don't be put off private day nurseries! Didn't mention this in my previous post as I'm paranoid about being outed, same reason for nc.... but the private day nursery I work at is owned and managed by my MIL. She owns 2, they're both fairly small but they are so well managed. I've honestly never seen someone work so hard, she goes in at 8 and is often still there till 9/10 at night. People always say private day nurseries are only in it for the money but in so many cases this is not true. It's easy to look around and think 'well, there are 30 children here and each pay X amount a day, all together that's X amount wow they must be raking it in!' But in reality their overheads are huge! They have to stick to high staff to children ratios so a lot of money goes on that to ensure however many children turn up that day, there will be enough staff to legally cover it. Then there is the nursery insurance, rent for premises, food, resources, cleaning equipment the list goes on. We spent 12 grand last year on printer ink!!!! 12 grand! That makes me want to cry. She works so hard to make everything run smoothly and staff still come in and do half a job and then complain about such tiny things. Not all private day nurseries are bad! It's just finding one that suits you! Sorry for the rant