To ask how you view nursery staff?

[NancyFrank]

I work in a nursery and love my job. However I sometimes feel it isn't viewed as a 'good' job or there is maybe a stereotype of who works in nurseries and pre-schools ect. The money is pretty much minimum wage (for caring for and educating children in their earliest years, but that is another debate) and the hours are long but I love working with children and struggle to think of a 'better' job that would give me the same satisfaction. I get comments quite regularly on what I will do 'next' aibu to view this as a career, albeit a badly paid one with not much progression..?

I think they are amazing

I think it’s a really tough job, and I know I couldn’t do it

Well done I bet the kids and parents love you

Oh and term time. A few hours a day in term time

My daughters nursery staff are amazing! I often look at them and think not only do you do a fantastic job with my daughter you also look after several others at the same time!
They are patient and quite frankly like baby whisperers! I think they do a wonderful job and are often under paid and under valued!

I view them as people who have an Incredibly responsible job and aren't paid nearly enough. I ask their advice about a lot of things as they have a lot of experience and qualifications in early childcare.

Wow some really lovely comments thank you! I have fantastic bonds with some of the parents and feel very valued by them others not so much but I suppose that is similar with most things in life! There just aren't many options if you want to work with babies/young children (hands on), I suppose it shouldn't really matter what people think I just wish it was a more valued role in society (and better paid for it)

It's a really important job - parents entrust their children, the most precious beings to them into the care of nursery staff and the work you do is incredible. It's so hard to look after and nurture children especially when they're young and I really admire the nursery staff at my DS's nursery. I don't think you guys are paid anywhere near enough for the work you do!

DD (she’s at school now) and DS2s nursery were literally life changing for us, they helped us get diagnoses for the bairns, they were there during the darkest days our family has been through (my Mum’s cancer treatment and eventual, very traumatic death) and supported us every step of the way. They helped DS2 learn to talk, they supported us with hearing referrals and learned Makaton to help him communicate before he could talk, they cried the day he said Mum for the first time.

I swear there aren’t enough ways we could show them how grateful we are, for everything they have done and continue to do.

I wonder if we started another thread what nursery workers generally thought of their collegues, what the consensus would be?

My opinion is not positive, I've worked in over 100 nurseries over 20 years (due to the nature of my work) and was so disheartened about what I saw.

Would totally agree with above who said preschools had the best staff. Would add I found the private nurseries most difficult. Because if you pay someone peanuts and make them work long days - they are probably to busy struggling to live than to focus on being some sort of Florence Nightingale.

There were a few which were good. I could count on one hand the ones I'd use for my own children though.

It’s really nice to hear how so many of you value the staff at nurseries - I’ll say thank you in case any of you are my key children’s or nursery’s parents! :)

I’ve certainly had a few times in my career where I have felt completely looked down on, felt no gratitude and have had my fair share of parents being rude. Times when I personally have felt my lowest:
When Ofsted gave their inspection warning, and a parent just laughed at us and scoffed “well what exactly are they looking at? How you play? Not exactly hard to get an outstanding when all you have to do is sing a few songs and play catch all day”
When I sat with a vomiting child, who’s parent was adamant they couldn’t come for a few hours (despite one working from home and other on maternity leave). I sat with him while he persistantly puked up everywhere for about 3 hours Until my boss rang them and said he would go into an ambulance with social services if they didn’t turn up soon - the dad came to get him, then said to me “I guess all you want is to make your own lives a little easier, palming off children who have paid to come. Maybe if you actually attempted to distract him instead of being lazy and calling us he would feel a bit better”. Karma is sweet- son then puked on him.
The parents who said maybe funding should be available for babies too, and if we didn’t expect such big bonuses then it would help parents a lot.
Anyone received a bonus?
Parents who constantly say “it can’t be that hard” to keep children spotless, to prevent them from falling over, to keep track of the matchbox sized toy they love so much and can’t be without that goes walk about.

Thankfully, this is the minority!
Most days, parents make me feel great. I’ve had some lovely gifts and I’ve got a box full of the most amazing cards that parents have written when their child has gone. Parents thanks is the most morale boosting part of the job.
One family have invited us all to the child’s christening and wedding invites and birthday party invites have been received.
I’ve had parents say how much they love the journals - they never realised just how much we have to do.
It means the world to me when parents just say how much they appreciate the little things. I like it when parents see the state of us at the end of the day and express gratitude for the effort we put in for the children to have fun and learn.

I don’t know what else I would do for a living. My problem is unfortunately the same as so many early years practitioners - the pay and general lack of benefits (minimal pension, mine has no sick pay, statutory maternity only, minimum leave as required by law) means that in the long term I won’t be staying around.

It is a really important job. Unfortunately, because it's not well paid and never will be, it doesn't attract enough high calibre workers.
Sadly my experience of nursery staff, both as a year 11 tutor looking at my form's next destination and as a mother using a nursery, is that generally they have below average intelligence and generally after a short while in the job, not much enthusiasm for it either. There are occasional exceptions, often mums changing career after having their own children.

I think they do a vital job. Lots of respect for them. The amount of hard work they do is crazy! Like anywhere, you get good and bad workers but I wish never consider it a "bad" career. I think it's really worthwhile!

To be brutally honest, before I had children I did look down on nursery workers. I thought it was an easy job, just painting all day or waiting whilst they napped (how little did I know?!!). Since having my son I have totally changed my mind, you are incredible!! I couldn’t look after that many children and still have a smile on my face by the end of the day.

MeYouWye I’ve snapped at parents who’ve spoken to our nursery staff like shit before.

One in particular took a really shitty attitude with DDs keyworker and I just looked hard at her and asked who exactly she thought she was to talk to her that way. It enrages me.

I've limited experience of nursery workers but the number of times I've said "I have NO idea how you do this" is ridiculous. They have my utmost respect and gratitude

I view the staff in my son’s nursery as people with a vocation, a calling. They have amazing skills and give so much. I really fail to understand why they are paid so little when child care costs so much. They really do deserve more.

I think absolutely nothing about nursery staff as a group, having had experience of amazing ones, well educated, patient, fun and at the other end of the spectrum some who were barely literate, lazy, didn't engage with the children. So I reserve my judgement for each individual. Hats off to great nursery workers, it's hard work for little money.

I adore them!
-They look after my kids' every need so I can work.
-They cuddle them when they need love
-They do gross messy play so I don't have to do it at home!
-They are massively underpaid considering the responsibility they hold

• They treat my kids like family
• They are funny brilliant people who enjoy a few wines and are secretly a bit sweary when there are no little people around!!

I love them. I show my love my buying them sweets and treats at every opportunity, if one of them has a baby I buy little baby booties

I've had my 3 DC spread out over 10 years and they all went to the same nursery - the youngest is still there, in fact. I really admire the nursery staff and my children have had amazing bonds with many of them. I think the staff are truly devoted and wonderful, especially when you think how poorly paid they are. It seems so wrong when they are doing such a vital job involving huge responsibility.

When DD2 leaves the nursery to go to school I think I'm going to feel bereft, and really miss some of the staff.

I wish it was better paid. I love the staff, especially my DS's key worker. They do an amazing job and I feel confident leaving him there.

I certainly dont look down on anyone.

I think we’re being fed a line re: how they could be paid more if only parents were willing to pay more. A group of nurseries mums had this exact conversation so we downloaded ouf nurseries annual accounts from companies House. They made a £600k profit last year. That’s an enormous profit for an outfit that size.

I have huge respect for the people at the nursery I take my daughter to. They get paid ridiculously low wages and they are AMAZING. I love knowing that she is in safe hands and that they are helping her to grow and develop. I don't look down on them at all, as a first time mum I'm a bit intimidated by them, I know they know so much more than me about children! 😆

YeTalkShiteHen you sound like a good manager. I often wonder what an slaving world or would be of parents respected the staff, universally. The staff all deserved that respect, and that they were paid living costs.

It grates knowing that you are basically allowing someone to go to work and earn a whole lot if money so they can live in huge houses and go on foreign holidays - yet begrudge paying the staff a decent amount to look after their kids.

When my ds was in nursery I thought the nursery staff were absolute super heroes for managing to take good care of so many other people's children, and still be lovely with them at the end of the day.

When I found out that they were paid basically minimum wage I thought they were criminaly underpaid.

I've had no reason to change my views on this

I've worked in nurseries for a lot of years, a chunk of that time I worked while getting my degree in early years and part of it was full time after graduating. I recently left my private day nursery due to the extremely low pay, despite my first class honours degree! Along with the long hours and extreme stress. None of that is the children's fault!

In my experience there are 2 types of nursery staff. The clueless ones who just muddle through the day, are usually a massive hinderance to the other staff and don't benefit the children much.

Then the second kind who are amazing at their jobs, amazing with the children, organised, brilliant with parents and just overall superstars. The sad thing is that these members of staff get all the stress put on them, all for minimum wage and eventually end up burnt out.

It's a thankless job, people DO look down at you for being a nursery nurse. Probably because everyone knows how much hard work it is and how little you get paid for doing it. It's lovely when you get parents who are appreciative, makes you feel nice inside.

I left at the same time my group of gorgeous pre schoolers went off to big school, I felt like I'd loved and cared for them from them being babies and I'd done my bit and was able to take the next steps in my career. I'm much happier for it! And much MUCH better paid! Such a shame nursery nurse get such a crappy deal.