This month we cover stand-alone nurseries and nursery chains in the private sector as well as charities and pre-school playgroups in the voluntary sector. But first we take a look at pay in the private and voluntary sectors.
Pay
Individual employers set pay scales within the private sector but these tend to be in line with local authority rates, which start at around 9,500 per annum. The Professional Association of Nursery Nurses (PANN) can give advice on the pay and conditions package being offered.
In the voluntary sector, many pre-school playgroups will only be able to offer the minimum wage (4.10 per hour from October), although others offer qualified staff 5-6 per hour. Starting salaries at large charities are usually on a par with local authority rates but there are opportunities to earn more (see below).
VOLUNTARY SECTOR
Charities
The charity NCH Action for Children is currently crying out for nursery nurses. Basic nursery nurse qualifications are highly valued and, with additional training provided for you, you could end up working in one of the charity's family centres as an early years team leader on a salary of around Pounds 23,000. Those at managerial level could earn up to 33,000 heading up a Sure Start programme.
There are other openings too. Daksha Samani is operational manager at the charity's Warren Park residential home for disabled children, in Kingston, Surrey. 'I am not actually employed as a nursery nurse, but I am one by training and it was very much the foundation which set me on this career course,' she says. 'We have other trained nursery nurses working here in different capacities and I would say, no matter what the project is, or the age range of the children, we all draw on the basic nursery nurse training on a daily basis. We just could not do this type of work without it.' Daksha used to work in a mainstream school but she found that the opportunities for promotion were limited by educational cutbacks and went into a hospital setting. She finds the voluntary sector a breath of fresh air in comparison.
'There's much less red tape and more openness to new ideas,' she says. 'I think you can look more creatively at how you provide the service.' As the home offers respite care for special needs children, the hours for staff can be long and unsociable - you may be on call at Christmas - and the job emotionally and physically draining. 'But that is reflected in higher pay and the job satisfaction is immense,' says Daksha. 'Another plus in working for a large charity like this, is that there is a wide variety of projects and training you can get involved in and, unlike a single operation in either the private or voluntary sector, you have the back-up of a large organisation and can tap into shared experiences.'
Pre-school playgroups
For those keen on the voluntary sector but unable to work the long hours required for Daksha's job, a local pre-school playgroup could be the answer. The Pre-School Learning Alliance (PLA) - the sector's umbrella body - reckons such groups now provide for around 800,000 children across the country.
Pre-school playgroups are very much geared to local needs so the nature of the job can vary widely. Christine Hooper caters for more than 50 local village children at the pre-school group she runs in Great Eccleston near Preston in Lancashire. In addition to Christine, there are three other qualified nursery nurses and one has yet to qualify. It offers five sessions a week of two to three hours each and the group is run with help from local parents. It operates out of the local village hall and is presided over by a committee of volunteers. Wages are low but the hours are short and holidays are in line with schools.
'The introduction of the nursery grant for three-year-olds has had a huge impact,' says Christine. 'We have been able to raise wages slightly and we are also looking to extend our hours now and introduce lunchtime sessions and a breakfast club. The nature of this sector means you often get people juggling a couple of part-time jobs. They often come in through helping out when their own children are small, which is how I started 18 years ago. For that reason, it doesn't tend to attract the newly qualified youngsters, although I think it's an excellent training ground for them.
'The success of an operation like this can depend on your volunteers and the strength of your local branch, but you have that extra sense of achievement in setting things up. I also really enjoy being my own boss and I feel we have just as many training opportunities as in the other sectors. We are looked on very favourably by the local community so the relationship with parents is strong.'
PRIVATE SECTOR
Stand-alone nurseries
Lizzie Williams reckons that the local, private, single nursery can be a cornerstone to the local community, too. She is supervisor at the 35-place private Bunny Park Nursery in Hanwell, London. She's been with the operation for 15 years and wouldn't dream of returning to a local authority nursery where she worked before.
'We work a 39-hour week, split into three shifts to cover our opening hours of 8am-6pm. We have half an hour for lunch and, on top of statutory holidays, an extra five days at Easter and Christmas and ten days to take when we want,' says Lizzie. 'Private, single nurseries obviously do not measure up to the state sector in terms of pay, holidays and working hours, but I have never regretted moving into this sector.
'You are very much part of the community and you get a more personal relationship with the children and parents. People have chosen to send their children to us, and we are not seen as 'the system'. I just got the feeling that the state nurseries were that little bit more remote from the children, their families and the local community. We also have the children from aged two, so we can really get involved in their development over a longer period of time.'
Lizzie finds the feeling of control more satisfying. 'I just had a feeling when I was working in a state nursery that you had 'the powers that be' above you and decisions would be made by people who'd never set foot in a nursery. Here, you have total control over your surroundings and if someone has an idea about something, it's listened to and can be tried without waiting months for it to be approved.
'We also have good links with local colleges and training bodies and can match any other sector in terms of training opportunities,' she says.
Private chains
For Sue Hodgson, the package offered by a large, private chain, can't bebettered. Sue joined the 80-place ChildBase Highfield Day Nursery in Birmingham as deputy manager, just two months ago, having previously worked for an LEA school nursery.
As a nursery teacher, she has come up through the teaching, as opposed to the nursery nursing, ranks, but has always worked alongside nursery nurses and says the job security, training and promotion opportunities for nursery nurses within large private chains are tremendous.
'One main advantage is that you can see a clear career path when you come in as a modern apprentice, says Sue. 'Having the back-up of a large, successful chain gives you that feeling of job security as well as having the support from other nurseries in the chain. I don't feel we are as vulnerable as a single, private operation or something in the voluntary sector.'
'We average a 40-hour week and you may also have to work extra hours occasionally, but you do get paid for them - unlike being expected to work after hours on a goodwill basis.
'I did enjoy working in a school, but felt when I was looking for promotion that it was a very static environment. I also felt a private, single nursery couldn't offer the same kind of competitive pay and promotional opportunities that a chain could.' Working with children from birth to school age is also great for those looking to broaden their experience, she says.
However, she adds, 'There are some positive aspects to all of the sectors. If they are a good operation and having a positive effect on the children that's all that counts.'
Look out for the second part of the feature - working in the maintained sector - next month.
