Anyone here that works in a nursery that can advise me?

6 replies

sweetheart · 18/01/2019 15:14

My daughter started work in a nursery 18 months ago. At her interview she was told that after 6 months probation they would put her through her level 3 qualification.

This has never come about - they keep saying they have too many staff in the nursery training and when 1 finishes she can start, that paperwork has been filed etc etc

As well as this my dd regularly does additional work at home updating paperwork of her key children which she does not get paid for. She seems to think it comes with the territory of the job but for a minimum wage job I would not expect her to be doing additional unpaid work at home.

She is young and this is her 1st real job. She loves it there and doesn't want to leave but I can't help feeling they are taking the absolute piss out of her. The nursery seems understaffed and they are always advertising for recruitment - the latest advert was for apprentices to study level 3. DD is not an apprentice and gets paid more than an apprentice would.

Before anyone asks I have checked and it is not a problem with her work - she often comes home from staff meetings with awards for good work and I have met the manager and she always says lovely things about dd. I would like to raise it with the manager but dd is an adult and I don't feel it's appropriate for me to speak on her behalf.

Can anyone offer an insight - especially into the additional free work she is doing - is this usual practice for nursery workers?

OP posts:

blimppy · 18/01/2019 15:18

My DD works in a nursery too and it sounds par for the course. They often treat the staff pretty badly, although some are better than others. Minimum wage, long hours, hard to get agreement to take leave because they have to maintain ratio numbers and, yes, taking paperwork home with them because it's simply not possible to do it while looking after young children.

Madein1995 · 18/01/2019 15:20

I've not worked in a nursery for a few years but when I did, taking work home was banned. I was working towards my level 3 (had a degree in early childhood but still had to complete a level 3) so did that homework at home, but not actual work.

It's against confidentiality - writing reports on children outside the nursery is a data protection issue and a safeguarding one if nothing else - for eg anyone walking past the kitchen table can read that Elsa is 3 and likes playdoh and hates football. It's definitely a safeguarding concern and should not be happening.

Also it's unpaid work. She gets paid presumably, by the hour. It isn't salaried and it is in no way enough pay to do additional work outside hours. She should have the opportunity to write the reports in the day, when the kids are sleeping. This shouldn't be happening

In terms of the qualification - it is a legal requirement that every nursery nurse has, or is working towards, her level 3. Her manager is breaking the law

Original poster

sweetheart · 18/01/2019 15:23

Madein - do you have any further info regarding this? She is not a nursery nurse - she is a nursery assistant (which I would suspect is some kind of wording loophole). She is level 2 qualified.

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SushiMonster · 18/01/2019 15:26

This is just not true.

Original poster

sweetheart · 18/01/2019 15:28

I thought exactly the same about work coming home - GDPR and all that!

Part of me wants to go into the nursery and raise it all but I don't want to do any damage to my dd's reputation or career. She had such a rough time with school and she is finally doing something she loves and is good at.

OP posts:

BarbaraRoyale · 18/01/2019 15:28

Nursery is hard work, the paperwork is horrendous. I agree with Maidein1995 that no work should be taken outside the nursery because of confidentiality
It may be worth posting in legal, if she is on minimum wage but she is doing extra work outside her hours it takes her hourly rate beneath the minimum wage, hope that makes sense

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