Julian Grenier said in his feature on men in childcare ('A matter of opinion', 14 August) that qualified childcarers can earn as little as 5.32 per hour. Try more like the minimum wage of 4.20, or 10p above that if you have experience - and, yes, that is common practice. Julian comments on making sure that good nurseries provide good training, but some nurseries seem to expect the nursery nurse to pay for further training, so one whose first aid has run out can then find it hard to get another job. Many nurseries also have the minimum staff with a Level 3 or above qualification, as someone with a Level 2 qualification will often accept less money to do the job.
Julian Grenier said in his feature on men in childcare ('A matter of opinion', 14 August) that qualified childcarers can earn as little as 5.32 per hour. Try more like the minimum wage of 4.20, or 10p above that if you have experience - and, yes, that is common practice.
Julian comments on making sure that good nurseries provide good training, but some nurseries seem to expect the nursery nurse to pay for further training, so one whose first aid has run out can then find it hard to get another job. Many nurseries also have the minimum staff with a Level 3 or above qualification, as someone with a Level 2 qualification will often accept less money to do the job.
Taking all this into account, it hardly provides for quality childcare. I love working with children but have seen too many examples of bad management and poor childcare. Considering these drawbacks, and not including the prejudice they face, it is no wonder childcare is unattractive to many men.
A Macfadyen Felixstowe, Suffolk
