To have expected to have easily got a job,,,

[Hando]

Working in a nursery?

To paint you a picture. (I need a rant, so this may get long). I am mid twenties studying a BA Hons degree part time and will be a qualified social worker once I graduate. I have recently completed a training course covering Every child matters and safeguarding young children, hold a full enhanced crb check and have done a first aid course too.

I left school with fantastic GCSE's, have excellent communication skills, both verbal and written and lots of experience working with people. I have my own young daughter, I'm happy, friendly and enthusiatic and love being around children.

I want to work in a nursery for the experience and to complete my NVQ 3 which will complement my degree nicely. I am applying for jobs which pay between 9-12k, much less than half what I was earning in the job I have just left!

However, because I have never worked in a nursery before I have so far found it impossible to even get a nursery manager to view my cv or have me in for an interview. It's so frustrating!

My daughter attended two nurseries when she was younger and at each all the staff were about 17-20 years old apart from the manager. Her key worker at both nurseries lacked social skills and didn't interact very well with the children (the reason we left both) and all the staff who had ever written in her daily diary could hardly string a sentence together and couldn't spell. I know being a kind and caring person doesn't require a degree in English language but I would have thought a basic knowledge of English would have been essential for liasing with parents. Anyway,

AIBU expecting to be able to get this job? I (perhaps wrongly) thought it would be easy.

Also, on a side note - Why on Earth do the people who we entrust with our most precious "things" get paid so utterly low wages. I will only be doing this for a year or so whilst studying, so I am lucky, but someone doing this as a career shouldn't have to work so terribly hard long hours for such a meagre wage!

I can get a job (have been offered a maternity leave cover role) working for the local councils' social services team paying double that of a nursery assistant and still be able to do my NVQ, but it won't be anywhere near as interesting and rewarding as working in a nursery for a year or so would have been

Opinions greatly appreciated....

i assume you are looking for a nursery assistant job, what nvq are you doing?

They may well pick up on the fact that you are planning on using the job as experience and to just leave once you have got what you need.

TBH, if I was such an employer, that alone would put me of your application. I would want to find someone who was planning on statying a bit longer term.

You also say you have no relevant workplace experience. Many of these younger girls may well have work experience fromt heir time at school. Y10/11 and college all do work exp and nurseries and primary schools are very popular choices esp for young girls - so the competition may also have relevant experience.

It may not just be your level of qualification, etc. though.

Last year I applied for some level 3 TA jobs - well one anyway. I am a qualifed teacher, have other L4 qualifications, have 10 years teaching experience and a year's worth of voluntary primary school experience. My application was very clear on these and how they would relate to the TA work, and my intentions of being there long terms were clear also.

I applied for one job, got the interview with another 3 or 4 people, and got the job that day. Been there since January.

Being overqualified is not always a disadvantage.

I think what i took most offence from was the intial comment that it should have been easier, (then any other job) to me it made me think that nurseries wouldn't have any standards, especially how you described the carers in your daughters nurseries, and it felt like a general accusation to all nursery workers.

Yes your right, you didn't say it was easy, i think i prob mentioned that because i was on a roll, and that is an issue brought up in other arguements that angers me. Sorry about that

Also bear in mind that although the posts may state temporary, in reality, they may not be. My post was temporary for 6 months. However it was very clear from the interview that they were intending to ahve somene they could keep on longer. My contract has been been extended indefnitely.

are you actually getting as far as an interview for these jobs? maybe ditch the professionally written CV which is getting you nowhere and write your own, in your own words. help the person get to know you better.

i imagine an egotistical you plus a professionally written CV PLUS a lack of experience, is really quite off putting.

You haven't been for an interview - so that says to me that the problem is with your CV and covering letter / application form.

Are the jobs you are applying for actually jobs that you are able to do? May seem a silly question but nurseries will often either want someone already Level 3 qualified, or someone who will take a trainee position. To me you seem to be between those.

I would also suggest trying supply work, though you may find supply agencies won't take you on, as without Level 3 you can't go into a nursery as room leader.

What happens with your daughter whilst you work? Are they perhaps deciding against interviewing you due to you having a child. Are you saying that you have a child... if so, miss it out. It's not relevant in the recruitment decision. Avoid putting anything non-relevant to the specific position you are applying for. At interview you can then provide further information if they ask.

Playworker/ Family support worker at a surestart centre? They all seem super switched on and go getting. I don'tthink you soundsuperior BTW, just flumouxed (sic?!)

You do know that most NVQ funding bodies will refuse to fund somebody who is at uni? That is the problem I had, so I couldn't get a promotion because I was more educated than the people above me. It was very annoying, but you can kind of see their point - they need to concentrate funding on the people who really need the NVQ.

you are unqualified with no experience and have never worked within the eyfs, why would you get a temporary job when you are going to have to have so much basic training and then you will leave?

Its a great job, but you need experience if you really want to get in to it you will have to either do some volentary work or agency work or both.

I want to work in a nursery for the experience and to complete my NVQ 3 which will complement my degree nicely.

No mention there about needing a job for the salary. So how about doing voluntary work? Playgroup/Pre-School may be more suitable than full day care nursery... as it will typically be only for one session per day, as a volunteer you could probably do whatever sessions you like - with agreement from the preschool supervisor, you could then have time to do study work. May also fit in with school hours, assuming your daughter is at school.

Agree with idea of voluntary work if you can afford it.

When I decided I wanted a move into primary educaton I volunteered for 2-3 days a week in DD's school, working as an unpaid TA in effect, but most importantly gaining me the experience required for any jobs I applied for.

I truely belueve that it was this experience that enabled me to get a job so quickly doing what I wanted to do, at least for now. My previous teaching qualifications and experience were benefical obviously, but as that was ins econdary, the primary school experience was the key.

Good plan guys. Perhaps I could write to local nurseries/ childrens centres offering my services as a volunteer. I did try offering at my daughters primary school but the head has refused help from me and others due to the schools damn stupid policy of not having parents in the school!

School hours isn't a probalem as I have my mum to collect my daughter from school. I have been mentioning that I have a daughter in my covering letter, so perhaps I will leave that out. Terrible really as having children shouldn't be off putting to an employer should it Nick?

LissyGlitter- You are right there, I am not entitled to funding so I am paying for it myself.

Thanks everyone, it really has been a huge help having lots of other opinions and new ideas. Will try and work on it all and change a few things.

"Playgroup/Pre-School may be more suitable than full day care nursery..."

Interesting thought - OK for a volunteer post but tbh I am the business manager of an organisation that includes a sessional preschool and would be expecting the same from paid staff as would a day nursery - we are all working to the same quality standards. i.e. I would expect you to be qualfied (at least level 2)with experience of eyfs and a genuine passion for working with children in an early years setting.

Hando I think you need to be realistic that at the moment it is a buyers market on the employment front. I have had people apply for a variety of jobs (admin/childcare) but steer clear of anyone doing a degree as it is obvious to me that they will be off and away as soon as they graduate and I will be left going through the whole (expensive in time and money) recruitment process again in a year or two.

As has been said before, even with temporary jobs the employer will be thinking long term and will be looking to get someone to develop for the future - I know that's what I do.

If you are looking for the experience rather than a wage then volunteering may well be the way to go as, without being rude, NVQ students looking for work placements are ten a penny.

Hope you find what you are looking for.

oops Xpost

AGS - I meant more suitable in terms of having more time to do the paperwork side of things, as they would be working a session, rather than say 8am-6pm. Agree though with you that if it were a paid position, then you would be wanting the same... ideally level 3 but at least level 2.

Hando - I would suggest local privately owned/committee run playgroups/pre-schools. No bit corporate bosses to ask then!

Hando - your CRB check isn't portable between jobs, so a pre-school may need to apply for a new one which may cost them. So keep that in mind should you get an interview, as the more you are willing to pay for the more chance they will let you gain experience by helping.
If your CRB check was done by Ofsted (see where it says which registered body processed the check) then it will be far easier in that regard, as Ofsted may consider that a new check does not need to be done for the volunteer position.

Apply for your local Surestart staff bank.

As a graduate you would also qualify to train as an Early Years Professional, for which you would get £5000 bursary. EYPS is a full-time course i.e 4 days in a placement, one day in college and results in a level 6 qualification. There are various pathways, but you would definitely qualify for the 12 month one.

Maybe better to put minimum information on further applications and not send the professional CV in at all.

I've no experience either in Personnel, or childcare, but one sister was a head and another started as a nursery nurse (working in Belgium for a couple) and went on (after she married) to go into Social Services over here (but has often felt restricted in the promotion stakes - despite years of experience seems younger people have jumped a few rungs past her).

I guess some of the "I am, I want" enthusiasm might come over as a "superiority complex" but until you've applied for 10 to 20 jobs, it's awkward to feel you've given it enough tries, especially in the current economic climate where there may be people with suitable experience returning to work if they can, to ensure there's something to put away into savings, or bolster family income if short-time working is forced on a partner, and future redundancy is looming over them.