Nursery World - Opinion: In My View - What kind of a job this is

My first day at nursery was a nervous one, but I relaxed as soon as I started interacting with the children. I went home feeling dazed and slowly began to feel I had embarked on something very special. That was almost three years ago.

Childcare is one of the hardest jobs I've had, but certainly the most rewarding and fun. My former job as a freelance artist was not earning me enough money, and I felt detached from reality due to the many late nights working at my computer. I saw the nursery position advertised at the job centre and it seemed an interesting option.

All my male friends say they would never consider working in a nursery. Yet when I ask them if they know what the job entails, they respond with common misconceptions and comments such as, 'The children just do stuff, like painting.' I think this explains why there are so few men working in nurseries - they don't understand what the work involves and don't realise what a good and rewarding job it actually is.

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