Nursery World - Whatever happened to my brilliant career?

Further to Tracy Jones' letter 'Go back to go in the nursery pay scales' (1 February), I am also facing a similar problem with Lincolnshire Education Authority. I qualified as a nursery nurse 15 years ago and have always worked with young children in a wide range of workplaces. I consider myself to be highly qualified, experienced and competent in my job. Like all nursery nurses, I do more than my contract states and take on extra responsibilities, because of my dedication and good nature. Despite all this, my salary is 7,844.62 for working in a full-time post alongside a special needs pupil. This compares poorly to Tracy's salary, which would be nearing the top of my scale.

I qualified as a nursery nurse 15 years ago and have always worked with young children in a wide range of workplaces. I consider myself to be highly qualified, experienced and competent in my job. Like all nursery nurses, I do more than my contract states and take on extra responsibilities, because of my dedication and good nature. Despite all this, my salary is 7,844.62 for working in a full-time post alongside a special needs pupil. This compares poorly to Tracy's salary, which would be nearing the top of my scale.

Lincolnshire also operates a system whereby you go down to the lowest pay scale when you start a new contract. This means I am working more hours for less money than when I worked part-time three years ago. Another frustrating issue is that other staff in our school who are less qualified than myself, earn more because of their length of service.

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