To wonder why my job is so low paid and feel frustrated by it?

[eggsontoast9]

I’m a nursery nurse and I earn £8.72 an hour (minimum wage for over 25’s, I’m 26).
I’ve been in this job for the last three years and do enjoy it apart from the odd day but I’ve always wondered why it’s so low paid. It’s a hard job. I know a lot of people assume we just sit on our bums all day and play with children but that’s really not the case. I work in the baby unit and we can have anywhere up to 15 babies on a busy day, which in itself is bloody hard work. We have to deal with sick, poo, unhappy/unwell children, difficult parents etc. We have to complete paperwork now, normally whilst looking after the children because we’re short staffed and can’t always have time away from the room. We work long hours not because we want to but because we have to as the wages are so low (I work 7:30-6:00 four days a week and 7:30-5:00 another day). Holidays aren’t very generous. I guess the only bonus is we have weekends off unless we have training. I suppose it’s the same as health care jobs such as care assistants.

I like the job and work with a good team but can’t see myself staying here long term just because of the money which is a shame as it’s really hard to find a job that you enjoy sometimes. I was speaking to my younger cousin who’s 18 and she told me she’s just started a job in Asda earning £9.20 an hour and whilst I’m extremely happy for her and proud of her, it has made me realise my job is incredibly low paid and not very well respected in terms of how hard we all work. Before anyone jumps on me, I’m not saying my cousin shouldn’t earn that amount as I appreciate working in a supermarket is hard work to and any job should be paid a fair wage.

What is more frustrating is that we have to complete training each year and work towards gaining qualifications yet our wages are based on our age, so IMO there isn’t any progression available.

AIBU?

@zeddybrek yes I have noticed this to with private run nurseries. I've worked in two including the one I'm in now and both owners are very money driven and IMO couldn't care less about the children and the care they receive. I remember the last nursery I worked for desperately needed new outdoor equipment/toys - we were always told "no, sorry it's not in the budget" whilst driving around in their flashy new cars.

@zeddybrek have also looked into LA run nurseries which pay slightly better and overall appreciate their staff more I think but job opportunities are few and far between unfortunately.

@zeddybrek sorry for the constant tags but your message has reminded me of a funny story. In the last nursery I worked for the owners use to hold charity events every couple of months (on a weekend and apparently we had to attend even if we already had other commitments otherwise we'd face a disciplinary ) - anyway, we arrived and the owners gave a speech, poured their hearts out about this particular charity and urged all their staff to donate. In their words "there are a lot of people worse off than us". Yes, there are but asking your minimum wage workers to donate money when you own a mansion and drive 6 cars surely takes the biscuit! 😂

Could you set up as a child minder or look for a nanny position?

I agree it's poorly paid for the level of responsibility you have.

[quote Redolent]@Sinful8

Also, it is commonly argued in the field of AI that the last jobs to be automated are those that rely on uniquely human capabilities...ones machines cannot replicate - skills such as emotional engagement and creativity. The first jobs to be automated? Anything computational - accountancy is a prime example.[/quote]
That is why I said eventually.

It's terrible that such a job is lower paid than retail work - as a parent though and despite being on a good wage nursery fees are nigh on unaffordable as they are - if you have 15 babies in the baby room as one of your earlier posts suggests then that is likely fees of minimum £15,000 a month for that one room. Babies don't get any funded hours so this is all paid by the parents.....I'd be wondering where £15k a month goes if the nursery owners can only afford to pay minimum wage?

I agree OP, it's not right it's so low paid for such an important job. Same with carers.

Definitely deserve to be paid more, such an important job. Are you part of a union?

if you have 15 babies in the baby room as one of your earlier posts suggests then that is likely fees of minimum £15,000 a month for that room.....I'd be wondering where £15k a month goes if the nursery owners can only afford to pay minimum wage?

I can take a good guess.

If the OP is working 11.5 hour days for most of the week, at £8.72 an hour, then each month, including NI and pension contributions, she will cost the business around £2,500.

Let’s say that there are three members of staff in the baby room (I don’t know the industry well). Call that direct staffing costs of £7,500 per month.

The building will have to be paid for, in rent and rates, as will utilities, cleaning and insurance.

The baby room will have to absorb its share of nursery managers’ costs, plus other admin costs.

Then, if it is a private business, the owners will hope for some profit. I understand that childcare is not an easy sector to make a profit in (I too work in finance).

Ultimately what the business owners will pay staff is determined by what they can charge parents. I regularly see complaints on this site about the cost of childcare and why is it so expensive etc., but the reality is that it should actually be more expensive so that the nursery staff can be paid better. However, as a PP points out, more expensive childcare = fewer parents working = lower tax receipts and lower GDP, so that ain’t happening. Nor is further government subsidy of childcare.

I'm quite shocked by this. As a mum that uses a nursery you guys do an amazing job, it's not a job I'd be up to doing. So no inthink you should be paid more xx

Yes, but would YOU pay more, as a mum who uses a nursery?

Skilled and attentive childcare is incredibly important and something we desperately need to encourage in the UK. Other countries do much better.

^ This! YANBU at all op. What you do is so undervalued and comes with a lot of responsibility too. I think your wages should be hugely subsidised as good quality early years care of children is an excellent investment for the country as a whole. I wouldn't mind my taxes going up if I knew it was going directly towards the pay of staff in state nurseries.

I have never worked in childcare myself but I can tell you, every morning when I drop my lovely DD off at daycare and see the chaos I think to myself "I could not do that job". Anyone who tells you that you're sitting around playing with kids all day is a bloody idiot, and has probably never actually looked after a baby/ young child by themselves for any length of time!

As a PP has said, how hard you work and how much you get paid aren't really related. That's not unique to childcare. I do, however agree that it's a huge shame that you aren't paid more. I think the modern world has devalued the role of a care giver in general. Just look at the flack that SAHPs get! Looking after babies and young children is a very important job, it's very hard work and it benefits society as a whole to strive to raise decent human beings. I think that some people have forgotten this.

Its an absolute disgrace how low paid it is. It is such an important job. My DD goes 3 days a week and loves it. She doesn't look back and runs in the door to hug the staff.

A start would be the Government funding the 'free' hours properly. Good early years provision can help so many children develop and it should be seen as part of the education system rather than a babysitting service.

@sarahc336 so how much more would you pay a month for your childcare to facilitate that? Because, sadly, that’s what it comes down to.

I was a SAHM for years because it didn’t make financial sense for us. The wraparound care we now use means that 1/3 of my salary is spent on the cost of facilitating me going to work, and that’s with doing all kinds of jiggery pokery to minimise it as far as possible.

It’s shit how low wages are for childcare workers, but the money for higher wages is going to come from either the government or parents and I don’t see either as being likely to happen.

You're clearly underpaid. This is a very responsible job. I wouldn't want anyone looking after my baby to be so poorly paid. But obvs parents still need to be able to afford child care. So as people have pointed out the problem is structural.

The Women's Budget Group is calling for building a 'caring economy' after the pandemic. I suggest we all get behind their call: wbg.org.uk/analysis/creating-a-caring-economy-a-call-to-action-2/

It’s a low paid job not because it isn’t hard work but because of the skill set. If most of the population can do your job it’s minimum training it’s generally a lower paid job. Yes it’s hard and you inspire the next generation etc but it doesn’t require years of training to be able to do the role. I really appreciate nursery staff and think they do a wonderful job.

Jobs are like supply and demand. The less people there are likely to be able to do a job the higher paid it is. I.e like a brain surgeon, hardly anyone in the population can do that and it requires a lot of training.

I don’t think pay equates to how hard anyone works, working in a supermarket or a pub is very physically demanding and hard work but also low pay.

You're totally right.

Nursery nurses must be one of the lowest paid jobs out there for the level of qualification and responsibility.

I guess the level of government funding in settings combined with the issue thst working parents need to be able to afford it are problematic.

It is a HUGE paradox though as you are not 'just' caring, but also educating young children during one of the most critical stages of their lives. It's a job that should be much more akin to teaching in salary and status and I'll never understand why it's not.

@Sparkles715

I run a nursery and so wish I could pay the staff more but government funding and parental willingness/ability to pay are limited so that means pay is limited to. It’s rubbish.

I've paid £1000 a month for a nursery place (20 years ago now) yet the staff were mostly low paid and all were female. The family who owned it and lived on site in a huge house with an indoor swimming pool most have been raking it in. Some, not yours PP, seem to be under the living wage.

YANBU and shouldn’t feel like you have to defend your view although you sound so eloquent.

It’s appalling this job isn’t paid more. All of mine went through nursery and we got to know staff well.

It’s also v expensive for parents. I firmly believe government should assist more so that pay is better and quality is also maintained.

But @ilovesugar it's not equivalent to many minimum wage jobs on the qualification front.

Caring in adult settings/supermarket work/cleaning etc can be done with very few qualifications. Childcare practitioners have to have college level qualifications and often do years as apprentices to gain them.

Its not the same level of qualification required for brain surgery, but its not equivalent to a lot of other minimum wage jobs.

Definitely a supply and demand issue though that nurseries are filling their posts despite the pay.

All the reasons here are why I chose a childminder for my children. By removing inflated rent & facilities costs, admin overheads, nursery managers fees and profit to a chain owner, my CM can actually earn a reasonable amount - 3 children at £6 an hour is £18/h, plus she has some kids for before & after school. I provide all nappies and wipes. Her main cost is food and mine don't stay for tea.i think she probably keeps a good £15/h after costs. Based on being paid for 9 hours a day (8-5) and working 48 paid weeks a year that's a salary of over £30k a year which is not bad.

The other thing that drives down wages in the nursery sector is that there are lots of very young staff.because an NVQ 2 can be done in a year post 16, there are lots of qualified staff who are only 18 or so, for whom the minimum wage is only £6.45.

If you want to stay in a similar job would you be better off being a nanny, or becoming a childminder?

Childcare is poorly subsidised and service users typically either don’t want to pay a fair price, or can’t afford to pay a fair price. If a £50 a day place was now £80 the nursery would lose custom.

My partner and I would like a child together in the future so we have been talking about the practical bits. We’re in North London, my sons nursery was £65 a day, its now £80 per day at the same nursery. Where my partner is from the maximum you would pay for nursery is around £120 a month.

You're doing a very important job and one which is underpaid. Unfortunately, families can't afford to pay more for childcare which is why your wages are kept low.
In some countries there are more government subsidies for childcare and people pay more tax but the general public here wouldn't support that.
If you enjoy the work then I'd suggest working your way up to management and possibly try to get a job with a local authority nursery.