To be jealous my nursery teacher friend is on more than me

[Nurseryh]

I'm a nursery manager on £23,000; have a been in the job a couple of years. My friend is a nursery teacher and comparing wages, I'm shocked. After having a chat, we literally do the similar things. I feel a bit put off by it but I suppose I'm the stupid one for not qualifying.

What is it with the UK government and loving to have staff on the cheap? Why am I on so much less for literally the same job apart from the different name??

Theres an article in the Guardian today about the risk to nursery services due to poor pay

Its an utter disgrace.

It also makes me so angry when you get people on here saying 'well upskill and get a better job, why are you such low wages'

Yet just like OP she has a degree she is a nursery manager, who is going to do that job if no one wants to work for that money

There was a nursery manager in that article today who has a degree in Early Years who is on 11k a year (must be part time I assume). Horrendous. Many staff are using food banks.

Private nursery work is an absolute joke. Minimum wage mostly, for what I consider to be an essential and very difficult job. But unfortunately it’s the job you took - I’m at uni now moving away from it because it simply isn’t enough to give a good standard of living.

I will say though - stop letting them take advantage of you. Don’t stay late. Don’t pay for equipment. If the owner comes round and says ‘why is there no sand’ you say ‘I emailed that we needed sand, I have not yet had money for it so there is none.’ If they ask ‘why hasn’t xyz been done’ you say ‘unfortunately the rooms were left out of ratio due to staffing issues so I had to cover to ensure we could stay open, so of course I wasn’t able to finish xyz before my home time.’ Don’t make a martyr of yourself for it!

OP just become a private nanny. Nursery teachers/workers etc are paid pittance and it's unrelenting. You'll earns waaay more.

Don't disagree with you but I think Pp are trying to be helpful to OP. Her specific circumstances sound like she could do a teaching qualification relatively pain-free and be earning more by next year.

@bellac11 that's what I don't understand; I don't want to teach year 5 or 6 or even year 3; I'm an expert in the early years. My friend has never taught KS2, she's only ever taught nurseries;
I love my job in the nursery, I just don't think the pay matches skill level. The role of nurseries are changing and it's no longer "let's just get the paint out", it's much more than that; we observe the children using tapestry and link them literacy, maths, art and understanding of the world;
I have high standards for the nursery and my poor pay won't reflect on the children; I'd just like to be recognised for once

You can qualify as an early years teacher and you will only teach those children

Find a company that supports staff training and they will pay you to qualify! Also - where are you in the country? That is not a south east nursery manager salary!

The government doesn’t control the private sector pay.

@Kanaloa totally agree with what you say but the children love art and the stuff we had in nursery was naff and running out

I think people on this thread are being helpful, I more meant people I see on various threads who are snotty about people on low incomes and ask 'why arent you earning more, you're 35 why are you earning NMW'

that sort of thing.

You're definitely underpaid but you shouldn't be on the same salary as a qualified teacher. You don't do the same job because a qualified teacher has the benefit of their teaching qualifications informing every decision they make. Much like a plumber who charges £100 ph. You're paying for their expertise that enables them to fix the leak.

Please don't martyr yourself.

Either go do a PGCE and move to the state sector. You can move back to the private sector but it will be private schools.

Or go and work in Lidl/Aldi and then become a supervisor. You will earn more money with less stress.

When I did a PGCE you could specialise in EYFS but it was still a primary teaching degree so you were qualified to teach the full primary range. It just so happens that if you apply for a nursery teaching role, you teach nursery and may end up teaching nursery for many years to come.
But because you're employed as a teacher, you are paid teacher wages.

I'm not saying it's right, but if OP wants to get the same wage she'll have to do a teaching qualification and join the public sector.
That said there aren't alot of school based nursery jobs as a lot of schools don't have nurseries.

It does by the back door because in this case funding for early years and nursery places has been cut to the bone

Peoples wages are low so they cant afford nursery places, but they need to work because benefits wouldnt pay enough to allow them to afford their rent without resorting to food banks/debt etc, but they cant work without arranging nursery provision.
We also have families whose children need access to nursery but who cant afford it because they cant or dont work.

I'm not making a martyr out of myself? I recognise I don't do the same job as KS1 or KS2 teacher and I'd never want to teach the KS2 age range but I genuinely don't see the difference between what I do and what a nursery teacher does?

You may do as much work if not more than her, but it's the qualification that gets you a higher salary! It's a well known fact people with degrees usually get higher pay

There may be no difference in your job and a pre-school teacher job. You possibly manage more staff and worker longer days. But they have a qualification. That entitles them to a salary scale. It's pretty straightforward for you to attain that and with your experience, have an in stressful teaching career.

Childcare IS poorly paid and you should be on more OP. It’s a disgrace, you do a hard job and deserve a lot more for it.

I won’t tell you what I earn as a nanny 😳 and I don’t do as much as you do. I’m not as qualified either.

Because of her teaching qualification, her ratio of children can be higher than yours. Simple as that

I did think about nanny when I was younger but with children and DH, I wouldn't be able to live-in haha!

You can do an early years PGCE and get QTS to teach nursery-year 2 (3-7 year olds) or EYTS and teach 0-5.

Because on paper she is more qualified than you. That commands more £££. She has precise professional standards that must be followed, specific to maintaining QTS, that effects all she does. Her training and qualifications make her privy to much more scrutiny.

Some European countries won’t let you teach nursery children without a masters degree. Even if we aren’t as strict, I am pleased that teaching nursery children is held to high academic standards.

You aren’t a qualified teacher. I feel that you are underpaid vastly for what you do, but no- she should be getting paid more than you.

I don’t believe in devaluing qualifications just because people like you are willing to do the same work for less.

Lots of nannies and married with homes and children, you don't have to live-in.

Oh Christ I don’t live in!! Noooo way.

i have a baby too, it’s a lot to juggle. But currently able to squish a full time week into 3.5 days to have more time with DS and pay less nursery fees. I’ve earnt loads more in the past but was not compatible with family life.