What does a nursery nurse do?

Nursery nurses work with children from birth to eight years old. They work in day nurseries and crèches, supporting teachers in schools and as nannies in private homes.

Responsibilities may vary according to the age of the children and the work place. With babies, a lot of the work involves physical care. With older children, the work involves a mixture of childcare and early education.

This will involve supervising meals and sleep times, toileting and changing nappies, as well as planning and supervising play activities and helping to develop children's language skills.

The work is largely restricted to being indoors, but nursery nurses also supervise outside play and sometimes accompany children on outings. Liaising closely with parents is an important part of the job.

What qualifications will I need?

You don't always need academic qualifications, but it's useful to have 3 GCSEs/S grades at grades A-C/Levels 1-3 or equivalent. The following qualifications allow you to work with children under supervision:

• CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Child Care and Education
• City & Guilds Level 2 Progression Award in Early Years Care and Education
• BTEC Certificate in Early Years Care and Education
• BTEC First Diploma in Early Years
• NVQ Level 2 in Early Years Care and Education awarded by CACHE, BTEC, and City and Guilds

Further qualifications allow you to work unsupervised:

• CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Child Care and Education. Many colleges ask for GCSEs/S grades or the equivalent
• BTEC National Diploma in Early Years. You may need four GCSEs/S grades (A-C/1-3)
• NVQ Level 3 in Early Years Care and Education awarded by CACHE, Edexcel, and City & Guilds
• SVQ Level 3 in Early Years Care and Education or the HNC in Childcare and Education

In Scotland, the usual requirement for working as a nursery nurse is the Scottish Child Care and Education Board's Certificate of Registration.

As a nursery nurse you can continue your professional development at work and progress to more senior roles by undertaking further training. At present there is no upper age limit for the job.

Do I have the right skills?

As a nursery nurse you must be prepared to give a very high standard of professional care for children, and to be able to earn and keep the trust of parents and carers.

You will need the following qualities:

• To love and understand children, and be able to relate to them.
• To be patient, adaptable, firm and consistent.
• To be physically fit with great stamina.
• To be observant, imaginative, enthusiastic, lively and fun-loving.
• To be able to communicate with parents, carers, children and other professionals.
• To be aware of health and safety issues.
• To be able to work in a team and be trustworthy.
• To be able to stay calm at all times.

What kind of hours would I need to work?

As nurseries often cater to working parents, they generally stay open well past normal working hours. Working as a nursery nurse you can choose to work full- or part-time.

What can I earn?

The figures given below are guidelines: exact figures will depend on the employer.

Salaries for nursery nurses normally start at £7,500 - £10,400 per year.

Experienced full-time nursery nurses can earn £8,200 - £13,000 per year.

Those employed in senior posts such as nursery management can earn £15,000 - £20,000 per year.

Where should I look for a nursery-nursing job?

Vacancies are advertised in many places, including local newspapers and specialist magazines. You can also find them online: try www.nurseryworld.co.uk or www.childworks.co.uk.

Based on an article by Sangita Panday

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