Nursery World - Career objectives (1)

Early years practitioners are enjoying their work more this year despite the drawbacks of low pay, long hours and poor status. In last year's survey, 7 per cent said they wanted to move out of the sector, while 41 per cent of their colleagues said they were content with their current roles. There has been a slight shift in this year's responses, with a drop to 6 per cent wishing to quit and a rise to 42 per cent saying they were happy with their lot.

In last year's survey, 7 per cent said they wanted to move out of the sector, while 41 per cent of their colleagues said they were content with their current roles. There has been a slight shift in this year's responses, with a drop to 6 per cent wishing to quit and a rise to 42 per cent saying they were happy with their lot.

While respondents speak of their delight in working with children and helping them grow and develop, they also complain bitterly about paperwork, which may be the profession's biggest bugbear.

The manager of a pre-school in the south-east voices the complaints of many when she says, 'Seeing children develop is satisfying, and helping them to enjoy their childhood is important to me. Seeing them learn through play and have fun is the main advantage of my job. There is far too much paperwork. Rules and regulations are constantly changing and staff have to go off on courses taking them away from the continuity of childcare.'

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