To think nursery staff are overworked?

[Thechainsmokers12]

Not all obviously, but I worked as a temp in one recently. Full-time staff worked from 8-6 usually with only a 30 minute break, 5 days a week. No school holidays too as it’s open all year round.
There’s a lot of paperwork involved, it’s likely for Ofsted, seems like it’s all about documenting everything and ticking boxes.
It’s a very demanding job and many of them are paid minimum wage or slightly over. I’m sure they do it as they love children, but once again makes me realise how jobs that involve looking after people are so underpaid and undervalued.

Certainly at our nursery, staff don't work 5 days a week 8-6. They aren't all there every day, so work a bit more like 3-4 days a week. And they get annual leave and sick leave and bank holidays and closure days, just like most of us. Realistically, many of us work long hours. I work 7am-7pm 3 days a week and 'normal' 9-5 ish hours (plus evenings after my dc are in bed) in normal non-COVID times when I'm the office. It is a long day, but lots of people work long days and don't have school holidays off. Some people (my dh, who is self-employed) don't get any paid leave. Would I personally work in a nursery? No, because I don't really like children that much. But I also don't think it's much different from lots of jobs in teaching or hospitality or other fields where people are underpaid, and that is the bigger issue.

I don't know what hours exactly our nursery workers do but I do know I see the "early shift" staff leaving at 4, and the "late shift" staff have commented about how my DD was when she arrived "at 10" so I think ours are on 8.5-9hr shifts. I would assume they get a 30 min lunch break as it seems standard.

I definitely think they're underpaid! They do the most amazing things with the most precious things in our lives... Our nursery is amazing and I'm in awe of what they do with the children. We pay about £12k a year. From a personal perspective it's a lot of money but as a pp has broken down the costs, it's not a lot really when you think about everything it has to cover (especially with the ratios for the youngest children). We could pay a bit more but I know that's a luxury a lot of people don't have and to put every staff members wages up by a meaningful amount it would have to go up a lot more so would then become difficult to pay. The only answer is more government subsidies, which I definitely think should happen, but will also not be holding my breath on!

Very underpaid. And I suspect there's a shortage right now, as I've seen several signs requesting staff referrals for finders fees.

Yes! Minimum wage, a few pence more for room leaders. Massive responsibility, more and more expected of us all the time. 10.5 hours days, 30 minute unpaid break during which you can't leave the building. Most training is now done online in our own time- the same for paperwork like school leavers reports.

Government need to help somehow. People are leaving. 6 have left my workplace just in 2021 and every one has moved away from childcare. I've never known it so bad.

I agree. They're massively undervalued.

Not only are they working bloody hard for low wages but many nurseries don't pay the staff if they have to isolate due to coming into contact with Covid at work so it's a dreadful situation now more than ever.