Could I train as a nursery nurse at age 47?

[worriedhidinginplainsight]

I have been out of work for around 5 years. I previously worked as a qualified nurse with adults, and then children & families.

I left my last job due to bullying and then I experienced an extremely traumatic, non-work related event which affected my mental health. It's been a slow road to recovery

I'm not quite ready to get back to work yet, but I'm thinking about what job would suit me and I have been doing some voluntary work ( I haven't done any voluntary work with children/babies yet).

I don't have any children of my own but I love kids. I adored my last job which involved a lot of interaction with babies, toddlers and their parents. I am really interested in child development and psychology, and also really enjoying working with parents. Even though I don't have children I was able to make good relationships with parents.

I've recently got a qualification in basic (level 2) counselling skills and I'm about to start an art & design course.

I imagine that I would really enjoy working with young children and babies. I'm aware that the pay is very low, but after the last few years of my life, I am not interested in going after a high paid career. I'm fortunate to live in social housing so my rent is low. Obviously I want to have enough money to get by, but I don't need a lot. I'm only saying this because if I had been able to continue working as a nurse (rgn), I would have been earning a lot more (that ship has sailed!).

I think what puts me off is that I have this idea, that I would be going into work and training with a lot of colleagues who are much younger than me. I don't mind at all working with younger people, but how would I be perceived by them? Also, would I still be able to do this job in 10/15/20 years? I will be working that long!

I imagine that it is a rewarding job. I would like the opportunity for progression, such as working with children with sen, or children/families who have experienced adversity/dv. But that's not essential. I also imagine that once you have some experience it could be quite a flexible job, as in being able to do agency work, holiday clubs etc.

I'm definitely not going to return to being a registered nurse. Does this career idea sound like it could work? Or should I think about something else (I do have some ideas about other jobs I would like to do)?

I'm especially interested in hearing from nursery nurses and also parents of young children. Thanks

Hi. Please do! You sound perfect. I would really encourage you to look at Sure Start nurseries or community nurseries or any non-profits. Partly because they are often much more interested in real training, and they do broader community engagement but also because they often have much older (and better qualified) staff. Watch out for the nurseries with lots of fresh out of college minimum wage staff - generally a fairly good indicator that they couldn't give a shit about the kids.

I understand that it might feel strange training with a younger group, but I don’t think your age should hold you back or be anything other than an advantage when it comes to work.

I always greatly preferred and was reassured by nurseries that had staff of a range of ages and avoided any with all very young girl staff.

in fact the best thing about my middle child’s nursery was the granny on reception who frequently had a hard to settle infant on her knee helping her type away. That nursery also employed two older ladies as extra and ‘ratio ‘ cover on a part time basis. One of these ladies was an enormous favourite of the children and again, frequently helped with upset or unwell children who needed a bit of extra looking after or when required to allow other staff a break and keep permitted ratios at the right level. It was the older ladies who knew what to do and reacted most quickly when a child choked too. Greatly reassuring.

@Corksoles thank you so much for your positive reply!

In my last job I spent a lot of time at a local sure start and really liked it, I really liked how the staff knew every child and family so well, and went out of their way to meet the needs of each individual child/parent.

I also experienced some of some of the nurseries that were not so good (imho). I think it is those ones that put me off. I met lots of young college leavers working there, and I just imagine that I wouldn't fit in, turning up as a late 40's newly qualified nursery nurse.

I also spent some time at some small, independent nurseries, which I thought were amazing and the children were treated so well. And they were managed by people who were so incredibly dedicated to the children.

I just want to make the right decision going forward. I'm not getting any younger. My local council have funded training for nursery nurses. And I'm thinking about applying.

@EvelynBeatrice thank you for your reply. It's very inspiring. I'm not quite an old lady yet, but this is exactly what I wanted to hear. Because if I go down this route, I hope that it will be my job for the next 20 years! I don't want to have to change careers again....so I probably will be 67 when I retire....will it still be okay then?!

Another idea is a play specialist.
The NHS have a huge amount of apprenticeships, ranging from entry level to band 9, so you might find something else you hadn't considered there too. You would be a huge asset OP and well done for coming through what sounds like a dark time for you x

At the moment I'm volunteering with an organisation which supports adults who have experienced addiction or homelessness. I love the work and I think the clients are amazing and inspiring. I really miss working with children though.

We have a mix of ages where I am and you can train while working, I did this when I started in childcare in my mid 30’s. You will generally work like usual but have 20% of your work time to spend on the coursework and meeting your tutor.

The younger staff members have gone down the college with placements route but most older staff have done the working route.

There is a lot to working with children in a nursery these days and we have gradually taken aspects of Salt roles, HV roles, and SEN roles with children we work with. It’s rewarding but can be hard work, especially if you have children with behaviour or SEN needs in the group.

If you’re creative though there is plenty of things you can enjoy learning and doing with the children.

The suggestion about looking into sure start/children's centres is really good.
In my city they employ child development workers who work within the early help team. They run playgroups, stay & play sessions as well as working with families who need extra support with parenting.
The training is amazing and it pays way better than day nurseries etc
They're not looking for particular qualifications etc and often take on former nhs or teaching assistants etc due to the wealth of experience they have.

Have a look on your local council job site op and feel free to ask me anything further about the role!

Play therapist is a great idea too.

Also have you considered looking at work in children's hospices?

As a nursery manager, you sound lovely and perfect for working with small children. I wouldn’t worry about training with younger people. You could find a job as an apprentice (not just for young people at all!)
Or as I assume you already have a nursing degree, you could go straight on to do the EYIT https://www.bestpracticenet.co.uk/eyitt

I think the age thing is irrelevant, the only reason I am looking to move on from early years in my early forties is because I have done this for the last 20+ years and it’s time for a change. I still love the industry though and have so much respect for people working in early years. It is so so rewarding, however it is hard at times for many reasons. Early years needs more enthusiastic, life experienced, genuine caring types and if I was in your position I would go for it.

Thanks for all the advice here. I didn't know about all of these different options and I'm so pleased to hear about them! I'm feeling very positive about this.

Yes, do it!
My son used to go to a very small rural nursery, where the staff had been the same for over 10 years. There were 6 ladies and 4 were 40+ years old, infact 2 were fairly close to retirement age and absolutely marvellous with the children. It made it very homely, and nurturing.

The nursery where I work has 5 staff. 2 job share teachers who are both about 40. 1 x TA who is 23, 1 x TA who is late 40s, 1 x TA who is mid 50s. Not every nursery is staffed by younger people. We looked for staff who were passionate about the role, regardless of their age. Experience in other fields was seen as something very positive.

My dsis went in to it at 48 and loves it, she has found it physically tiring but very rewarding and her age has definitely been a positive for her. Go for it.

Go for it! You sound perfect. My daughter's nursery is crying out for staff. It's a local authority one so I'd have a look on your local council's website for vacancies. Mix of ages across the staff, but the ones who are the best are the older ones and are all 40+.

Go for it !
working with kids is what keeps me young 😁
and if it’s being funded by the council it’s a win all round

The world needs more kind people like you op!

go for it 💐 and very best wishes

I'm a 50 year old Nursery Nurse. You're as old as you feel (apart from physically). Working with younger people help keeps me young, lit AF, and full of rizz.

Go for it. The sector if desperate for staff. Common sense and a caring attitude will get you far.

I volunteered at the Preschool that my son had attended, when he left. I was 45 and had no experience of working with children (having tun my own business before kids)...but volunteered as thankyou for the great care they had given him.
They persuaded me to do an NVQ Level 3 and I took on a role as a 1-1 for a child with SEND. I really enjoyed working there, but had to stop when Covid hit as my son was shielding, and I had a stint of ill health.
Once lockdown was done and I was better, i took on a job as a lunchtime helper at a local school. I've been there for 3 years and now, at 55, work there full time having trained as an ELSA, and qualified as an HLTA. I love it, and whilst it is tiring, I love working with kids, especially with art (I studied art at college), and love the people I work with.
Go for it... age is just a number (and increasingly creaky knees!)

...oh and one of the reasons I loved my sons preschool, was because of the older women who worked there... mostly between 50 and 60.

You sound perfect, please go for it 😁 good luck !

What about a childminder? Own your own business! You can do the course via internet, plus first aid and local safeguarding training. A lot of LAs provide the course. The government was doing start up grants too, I think they're still available.

I must admit to having a vested interest. I’ve thought about this as a job when I’m much older / retire from a fairly demanding profession. I think - selfishly maybe - that it would make me happy to work with small people part time. I really love children. And - perhaps not so selfishly- I think I could make them happy too.

And my cousin who runs a nursery in another country and is a lovely empathetic type lady loves older employees because she thinks they relate to ‘her mums’ more easily.

You're not too old. But are you a generally fit and healthy 47 year old, with lots of energy?

My friend's mum had to retire early as the physical part of the job was getting too much for her. Sitting on tiny chairs, bending up and down and lifting children to change nappies, assisting with toileting etc.