Despite the many current challenges, an early years career can take an individual a long way. Diverse roles such as nursery room manager, first school leader, SENCO or nursery business owner can all be incredibly rewarding.
But in today’s climate, it takes staying power and job dedication to reach a well-rewarded position. Pay remains stubbornly low in junior roles, and those with higher level qualifications, may have to temper their salary expectations.
That said, many travel far in the sector and love their job. Most of these individuals have progressed by grabbing opportunities for training and continuous professional development (CPD) that have fired up their passion.
While training and CPD are key to workforce development and career success, access is in short supply. Back in 2020, the Social Mobility Commission reported that many early years staff considered their current access to CPD ‘inadequate’, citing lack of training budgets and limited time. Things have worsened since then.
Continuous revisions to qualifications over the years have aimed to support workforce professionalism but have ultimately created confusion. Now the Government is re-booting Level 3 as part of its Education Recovery Plan.
Following the April publication of its sector consultation response, new criteria will be implemented in September 2024. Ahead of this, training organisations and training
providers are being asked to adapt their existing Level 3 (and above) qualifications and courses to be approved to the new criteria.
Any new Level 3 (and above) courses and qualifications developed will need to be designed to fit the new criteria in order to be approved.
Level 3 practitioners will not be expected to complete any top-up to remain qualified. This is just as well considering the sector has lost so many of its Level 3 practitioners in recent years. Hopefully the new criteria will be a spur to more undertaking the Level 3.
GROWING SPECIALISMS
With a widening sector remit, job titles are becoming more varied.
Many settings now avoid titles like ‘nursery nurse’ because they don’t reflect the scope of the job and sound old-fashioned. The title ‘early years educator’ has increased in popularity since the Level 3 Early Years Educator qualification was launched but continues to have low status compared with Early Years Teacher. Some employers such as London Early Years Foundation (LEYF) avoid the term ‘practitioner’ and call their staff ‘teachers’.
The variation in titles reflects the greater number of specialisms and early education disciplines within the sector, of which SEND is increasingly becoming an important part.
Grass Roots Private Day Nursery in Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, is typical of many nurseries which have had to focus on upskilling staff to manage special educational needs. Manager Lucy Pottinger
an early years career can take an individual a long way. Diverse roles
such as room leader, nursery manager, Forest School leader, SENCO or nursery business owner can all be incredibly rewarding.
But in today’s climate, it takes staying power and job dedication to reach a well-rewarded position. Pay remains stubbornly low in junior roles, and those with higher level qualifications, may have to temper their salary expectations.
That said, many travel far in the sector and love their job. Most of these individuals have progressed by grabbing opportunities for training and continuous professional development (CPD) that have fired up their passion.
While training and CPD are key to workforce development and career success, access is in short supply. Back in 2020, the Social Mobility Commission reported that many early years staff considered their current access to CPD ‘inadequate’, citing lack of training budgets and limited time. Things have worsened since then.
Continuous revisions to qualifications over the years have aimed to support workforce professionalism but have ultimately created confusion. Now the Government is re-booting Level 3 as part of its Education Recovery Plan.
Following the April publication of its sector consultation response, new criteria will be implemented in September 2024. Ahead of this, training organisations and training CPD, training and study are underpinning the career progression of passionate staff in the early years says, ‘We are seeing more children in our setting with special educational needs and members of our staff are training as portage workers and then completing the Level 3 SENCO qualification.’
Becoming a SENCO can open doors to a whole range of new interests and specialisms that place the individual on a reinvigorated career path.
Pottinger also points to the expectation that staff are now expected to be confident using technology. ‘Software systems are increasingly sophisticated,’ she says. ‘We have had practitioners come to us from settings that were paper- based, and they have had to spend time developing their skills to use our apps and cloud-based systems.’
Meanwhile, apprenticeships can be a solid basis from which to learn and grow in an early years career, particularly with the development of the higher Level 5 apprenticeship and a Level 6 on the horizon.
But as one nursery recently said, ‘Just as our apprentices are qualified, they up and leave us!’
Providing more in-house opportunities, as part of a longer term career path, has to be a priority for employers.
CASE STUDIES:
T-Level student: Abbigail Parkin is an NCFE Education and Early Years T Level student on placement at Kinder Place, a Scarborough day nursery and pre-school. She says, ‘The idea of the technical side and learning in placement, as well as gaining knowledge and skills from professionals, for me, was key in choosing a T-Level qualification. I like how you can apply the knowledge you gain into practice. 
‘Through my placement at Jitterbugs Childcare, I learnt how to manage children’s behaviour, and during my time in the baby room, I learnt how to make bottles of milk and how to provide good-quality care for the babies.
‘I got on well with the room leader and she gave me tips on how to work with children and would always support if I needed help. I also learnt a lot about policies and procedures, and gained experience with being able to handle medical situations, such as diabetes, and at my current nursery, Kinder Place, I have learnt how to handle first-aid situations.
‘I would recommend T-Levels as you gain a lot of opportunities and experience and the course provides you with skills and knowledge that will last a lifetime. You will also create great memories with your peers and teachers.
‘Going forward, I have accepted an unconditional offer from the University of Roehampton to study therapeutic psychology. Then I want to do a postgraduate in play therapy at the University of Roehampton. Once I have nursery, Kinder Place, I have learnt how to handle first-aid situations.
‘I would recommend T-Levels as you gain a lot of opportunities and experience and the course provides you with skills and knowledge that will last a lifetime. You will also create great memories with your peers and teachers.
‘Going forward, I have accepted an unconditional offer from the University of Roehampton to study therapeutic psychology. Then I want to do a postgraduate in play therapy at the University of Roehampton. Once I have graduated I would like to work in the NHS as a play therapist and then eventually open my own play therapy centre.
Operations manager: Saudaa Nadat is operations manager at LEYF.
She says,‘I have been working at LEYF for more than 15 years now. My present role involves line managing nursery managers, providing support through all areas of nursery life. 
‘I started my early years career at LEYF as an Early Years Teacher, progressing through deputy manager, then manager. I recently finished my Level 6 BA degree through the LEYF training academy, which took four and a half years to complete as I was studying while working full-time.
‘It was hard work, but I really enjoyed the study and there was lots of support from training staff and fellow students, which makes all the difference. I now intend to have a bit of a break – I’ve got young children of my own – before starting work on a Master’s degree next year.
‘You have to balance everything
– work, study, home life – to be able to study. I was lucky that I had the support from LEYF, which meant if I couldn’t get part of my studying done on time, I could catch up later. It was a challenge but so worth it.
‘Everything I’ve learnt I can relate back to practice; for example, as part of my study I collaborated with colleagues to compile a research report, “Rethinking how we use bikes in the nursery”, which is available on the LEYF website.
‘By reflecting on my study and experience in this way, I aim to continue trying to improve outcomes for children. I have no plans to leave LEYF’.
Early years manager: Becky Watanabe is early years manager with a focus on implementing quality, and trainer/ consultant at Acorn Early Years Foundation.
She says, ‘I was always interested in working in early years, and in 1996 I started studying for my NNEB – qualifying in 1998.
‘I started off with a planned career path, which included time to have children. I always wanted a family, so I started by working as a nanny to get experience of working with children. From there, I went on to become an early years practitioner, then manager at Acorn, before starting a family of my own. 
‘After I had my second child, I started childminding as I could stay within the childcare sector and take care of my own children. Working in this role, I could see there was a need for support throughout the childminding network and I always supported fellow childminders where I could, so when I was asked to champion the Milton Keynes Childminding Association, I was happy to take on the role.
‘Although I was happy being a childminder, I had always been encouraged to study by both my family and Zoe Raven (Acorn’s CEO), so I decided to enrol with The Open University to give me the flexibility to study around looking after children. I completed study in childcare qualifications at Levels 4 and 5, then a bachelor’s degree, then honours. It took me over eight years from start to finish as there were six-month breaks between courses, plus I had two more children in between it all.
‘After all the training and with my previous work supporting others, I decided to work at a training and consultancy company – but it wasn’t for me. Then, someone from Acorn heard I was looking for a job in training and that’s when I rejoined as trainer and consultant. That was all great until Covid struck, then, as a non-essential visitor, I swapped roles back to manager, but still kept up with my consultancy work outside of Acorn.
‘Last year I went to an Early Years Matters conference in London looking at neuroscience. This is definitely an area of early years I want to further explore and one which I feel is being somewhat overlooked in early years training at the moment.
‘I plan to go on to take my Master’s degree – this will be in the next couple of years. And along with neuroscience, I’d like to explore emotion coaching.
‘I continue to build confidence in my training and as a keynote speaker all the time – it took a bit of a knock over the Covid lockdowns. Recently, a nursery manager took me by the arm after I’d given a training session and thanked me for my help – that meant a lot. This is why I do the job I do – to make a difference.’
Nursery managing director: Charlotte Bateman is managing director at Little Barn Owls Forest & Farm School Nurseries.
She says, ‘I started my journey by cleaning a nursery when I was 16 while training in college for my childcare diploma. I read the signs/ info on the walls while hoovering to learn more about the inner workings of nursery environments. 
‘At 17, I started studying for Level 2 and Level 3 early years diplomas while working in a nursery – much preferring to work with children on nursery placements versus a traditional classroom education, and since the age of 18, I’ve worked for Reggio Emilia-inspired and outdoor-learning-inspired settings, all gaining Ofsted Outstanding ratings while I was there.
‘I’ve been working at Little Barn Owls for ten years this July and in that time I’ve held eight job titles, ranging from educator and practice leader into management to head of learning, then to managing director. I see my current role as a leader of our vision, to provide consistency and ambition across the group. I work with the teams to create an inspiring, innovative culture, so that we can live our values and beliefs, to enable children to learn to live well.
‘I’ve since gone on to acquire a foundation degree in early learning and development, and I engage
in CPD most days, whether it’s a podcast about leadership, reading a book about latest research, or searching for innovative ideas
and theories.
‘Little barn Owls has taken me across the globe to learn and share what we do – I’ve travelled across the UK and to Italy, Canada, New York, and China twice. In China I had the pleasure of presenting the EYFS to 2,000 conference delegates.
‘Ninety per cent of our management and leadership teams at Little Barn Owls started in entry-level roles – something I am particularly proud of. I aim to continue to strive to support our team to reach whatever career goal they set for themselves.’
SALARIES SNAPSHOT
How much can you expert to earn working in the early years sector? The following salary examples are taken from the Nursery World Jobs board.
Nursery manager
- Greater Manchester £35,000-£40,000 pa (+ up to £9,000 performance-related bonus – up to £49,000 package)
per annum - Greater London £38,000-£45,000 pa
Assistant nursery manager
- Greater London £21,842-£22,991 pa
Luton, Bedfordshire £16,465-£17,532 pa
Early years educator
- Greater London £27,426-£27,572 pa
- Tipton, West Midlands £22,090 pa
Early years practitioner Level 2
- Inner London £22,500-£23,200 pa
- Greater London £18,626-£20,696 pa
Early years teaching assistant
- Leeds £15,442-£16,010 pa
- Surrey £21,267 pa
Further information: