Daughter starting nursery job, expected unpaid early starts and late finishes

[Nurserynewby12]

My daughter is looking forward to beginning a new job this week in childcare. She interviewed really well and will be studying for a qualification too. This all seems great. I work in accounts so do not know much about nursery care work but she has told me she has to start fifteen minutes early every day and will have to stay later than her finish time if parents are late or cleaning needs to be done. Both of these early and late instances will apparantly be unpaid. I do not know about nursery things much but did think this is unpaid work and not legal? Is there different rules for nurseries? I think if this happens all time she is being exploited whether she gets a qualification or not? She does not know as she is new to this area of work. I want to protect her from being exploited but need views from childcare/employment lawyers? Anyone around from employment law or a nursery manager to advise?

I'm a teacher. My contracted hours are 9 -2.45. I am expected to be available to meet parents both before and after school whenever the need arises. I'm also expected to wait with any child who is not picked up in time.
After-school clubs don't start until 3.15 which means the children who are going to them, are still my responsibility until that time.
If there's something on at the weekend, I'm expected to come. If we're putting on a play in the evening, I have to be there.
In childcare, these things are considered normal, unfortunately.

Marking and planning are all on my own time too. Moving classrooms at the end of the year (a 3 day job) is on my time too.

Teaching contracts and salary and pay are very different from those of nursery nurses and TAs. Surprised you've never noticed.

As a parent the nursery my kids attended charged £15 for every 10 min you were late - this was explicitly stated as being to cover the costs incurred (staff).

UK workers lost £28.5 billion to unpaid overtime in 2025, with 3.5 million people (12% of the working population) regularly working additional hours without pay.

So it it exploitation to a point..if she is under 18 I assume she is on £8 an hr, so thats £20 a week in lost wages. 1k a year net (£720 in take home pay after tax)

If you're teaching in a school, your salary will cover all that.

Not in terms of specified hours.

It's totally different 🤔

In terms of HMRC it is not different between a teacher or nursery staff. The actual difference is that a teacher isn't on minimum wage already. If the additional unpaid hours a teacher did brought their wage below minimum wage it would be just as illegal. No employment contact can overrule the minimum wage law. Any contract that tries to do that becomes invalid (or certainly that portion of the contract)

Why?

When I was in my first year of teaching at £23,000, there was no way I way being paid above minimum wage per hour nevermind that I had spent years gaining the qualification.

If you're on minimum wage?

OP, I have worked in 2 nurseries. One was terrible and they didn't expect this. Where I work now, we come 30 mins early to set up and we're paid for that, leave on time as we tidy/ clean around the kids (eg. One person dies story and singing whilst 2 tidy up) and proper cleaners come in later. To be fair, I frequently leave 5 mins late but 30 mins per day is a lot and to be honest doesn't bode well for how she's going to be treated. If I were her I would keep looking. Nurseries are crying out for staff. She can surely find a better one.

Because a teacher's contract is both for directed hours, and reasonable additional hours to complete the job, and they're paid a salary for this.

A TA or nursery nurse is paid hourly only for their contracted working hours.

I will probably get piled on but it doesn't sound like your daughter has any interest in this job apart from being paid. Of course they need her there ready to work at her starting time, that's pretty normal and doubtless there will be times she needs to stay a bit later. I think reporting them to hmrc is not going to help your daughter. As an employer they are taking her on without her having any experience or qualifications and are going to be supporting her with those. They sound really good, in the current job market not many would. In my long career in many jobs there's were often extra minutes here and there, but then I always had good relationships with managers and built my career on the opportunities.
Are they giving her time to go to college for her qualifications? You haven't mentioned that OP.

They may be giving her time to go to college but she will not be paid for it!

This is why no one wants to work in nurseries. You get paid minimum wage. It's very hard work physically plus you are expected to underrated child development, how to help different children develop and grow in a targeted way, how to communicate all of that to parents, deal with parents expecting the world to revolve around their child. Not to mention keeping them safe!

My son worked in B & Q and earned more on entry to B & Q than I did after 7 years working in a nursery alongside plenty of other qualifications and work experience. I do it because I live working with kids, but you won't find enough people that feel that way to staff all the nurseries and preschool.

Everyone in nursery is there because they need the job to get paid 😂

I’m not saying it’s right but it is pretty standard I’m afraid- especially in childcare/education.

I work in a school & we’re paid for ‘contact time’ ie, the hours the kids are in, but obviously we can’t/don’t walk in the door the exact same time as them - we’re expected to be in & prepared in time to hit the ground running as soon as they arrive. That amount of time isn’t dictated but in reality, it’s around 15-30mins each morning. It’s less in the afternoon but we’re expected to wait for a ‘reasonable’ amount of time with any kids whose parents are late collecting before we hand them over to the office staff. It is what it is. 🤷🏼‍♀️

So are you saying you are paid minimum wage but come in 30 mins early to set up! Of course 5 mins early to put your bag and coat away and 5 mins after kids leave, but not 15 mins of unpaid tidying/ cleaning. 30 mins is way way too much if the expectation is that you're working during that time (seeing up, tidying up, cleaning) and not faffing about getting your coat bag, chatting.

It is what it is because you are willingly paying the school, what £10 every day? Crazy.
Come in at your start time, and leave when you're contracted to.
If someone tells you that you need to be in earlier, tell them you will need your contract and pay amended.
I bet if you asked the Head for overtime pay or TOIL they would tell you that you are not required to work any additional hours, you are choosing to come in early and stay late.

They sound really good, in the current job market not many would.

Nurseries are desperate for staff including apprentices. They are doing her no favours whatsoever.

I didn’t say anything about minimum wage - I said we come in early to prep for the day - it’s definitely not cleaning & tidying, nor is there any faffing or any idle chatting going on! There are a million & one jobs to do in a teaching environment apart from the actual stand up delivery of lessons.

If you want to come in 30 mins early for no pay - you're free to do so. The teachers will be getting paid though.

This really annoys me, as parents are charged for late pickups.

The point of earning minimum wage and being paid hourly is that if you work extra hours then you are going below minimum wage.

I don’t get paid minimum wage, thanks. Not the point I was making.

I'm aware of that. But you're commenting on someone that is earning minimum wage, as if the expectation of extra work time is somehow normal and OK. It is not OK to expect extra hours from someone on minimum wage.