Childcare can be a rewarding yet demanding career, however more and more professionals are getting out. Here are the 5 top reasons practitioners leave childcare.
Paperwork
The strain of never ending paperwork is beginning to take its toll on Early Years practitioners. The introduction of the revised EYFS intended to minimise the load however it seems that this is yet to happen in practice. Practitioners are struggling to juggle the demand whilst in ratio, and with safeguarding rules prohibiting many settings from allowing the practitioners to complete paperwork at home. Many professionals feel that the high demand of paper work is taking precious interaction time away from the children and impacting on their outcomes.
Low wages
Early Years practitioners across the country are some of the lowest paid workers nationally. This can be off putting for those who are looking to pursue a career in childcare, whilst also causing many to leave the profession. The National Living Wage was introduced in April this year; providing a slightly higher minimum wage for all those aged 25 and over. This may have slightly increased wages in childcare however it has been suggested that the National Living Wage is still too low for individuals to live above the poverty line. This can force many to leave childcare in order to gain a better wage and live more comfortably.
Long working hours
Many full time day nurseries are open for around ten hours a day, with some settings offering an earlier drop off or later collection time. The average day nursery is open from 8am until 6pm, Monday to Friday. Shift patterns will vary from setting to setting, with some practitioners working slightly shorter days across the week whilst others work 10 hour days but have a short day or day off once a week. Continuity of care is vital in childcare, suggesting that the same practitioner should be available at the begging and end of the day, however this can be difficult for those who have their own families. The majority of settings will also hold regular staff meetings or parent partnership events that are run out of hours. Many professionals are unable to work in the Early Years sector due to the inability to work around their own childcare needs.
Feeling underappreciated
Practitioners in the Early Years sector can often be left feeling underappreciated by parents, managers or other professionals. Practitioners will have a great deal of responsibility in their job role however others may see them as “glorified babysitters” or “playing all day.” This can leave Early Years professionals feeling worthless and want to leave the profession. If a practitioner is left feeling unappreciated for their hard work they can gain a low self esteem, impacting on the children and the workforce.
Low morale
Low morale can be detrimental to a productive working environment. Staff members need to feel passionate and motivated in their roles in order to project a happy environment and ensure the highest ability of work. Many factors can contribute to a low morale in the workplace; it is important that managers oversee the settings morale in order to keep staff focused and working as a team. All the other factors that have previously been discussed can lead to a low morale amongst staff. This can often be the final straw for practitioners and convince them to change their career path away from childcare.
If you have enjoyed this please follow us on Facebook for more Early Years News
I can’t wait to get out of this trap. I can’t believe I studied to do this.
I’ve been qualified to work with children with my level 3 since 2006 and level 4 for just over a year, in the last 12 years I’ve seen the job change beyond comparison to the point that I was feeling stressed and unappreciated every day with co start questions on why this paper work or that isn’t completed in time, no thought at all is given by management to the stresses of completing pwprwork on children all day while trying to provide a caring nurturing environment for them. It became so bad that I just walked out a few months ago and will not return to childcare, I’m now working retail, earning more money, working less hours and am free of the stress associated with childcare, I miss the children and as a man feel for their wellbeing without a male role model, however anyone asking me if they should consider going into childcare I will direct them as far away as possible as no one needs the levels of stress this profession provides.
its a very hard job, i also did it for 20 years and in the last 4 saw my pay packet rise slightly. I was always on the go taking small groups , reading, extending learning through play and language. As well as completing paper work, after my contracted day had finished. There were 2 staff and 24 children with their individual needs. I was exhausted I could not afford a life outside my work life, due to finance and tiredness. I loved the children and supporting their families but the job was far to unrealistic. I can never return either which is sad as I always considered myself a good practitioner.
I was a childminder, then moved into a nursery. I have been a pre school practitioner for 5 years now. I had a passion for my job, I love the kids and I am really good at communicating with the parents and built up a good relationship with them and my key children. I work as part of the team and I give 100 %. The problem isn’t so much the paperwork, its the long hours and low wage and underappreciation by other professionals and the government. How many times do we hear “we’re going to invest more in early years”! 30 hour funding has made it worse financially, causing many smaller settings to close down. Also I feel that my bosses are stressed, which passes down to the practitioners. We are not respected as a professionals. I ran my own business as a childminder for 13 years, it was very successful, but I had to leave as my husband was very ill. I used to feel proud about what I did. I thought a career in early years out of my home was a good way of carrying on with the job I loved. I have my BA Honours Degree in early education. I won’t be doing my EYT qualification. I am leaving early years as I can’t afford to live on £8 per hour, which is an improvement on the £6.55 per hour I started on (I took a pay cut when I left childminding). I have my own children and I can’t commit to 45 hours per week. The job has become extremely stressful and emotionally and physically exhausting, and I find it can be a bitchy environment, which is no good for the children. The worst aspect of the paperwork is the next steps, having to plan for the next week based on their own interests, which is good, but I have my boss breathing down my neck asking why I have not completed what is on my planning sheet. It isn’t taken into account that some children are off, or some are not interested in what you planned. They may have been keen on physical play or imaginative play the week before, but don’t want anything to do with it this week, therefore I change my planning accordingly. The EYFS is a guide, not a bible. The job isn’t what it was when I joined, so I’m sad to say I am leaving early years for good. I really worry for the children.
I too am feeling quite overwhelmed with my job, have been a pre-school worker for 8 years now. Lack of understanding/awareness from management- working on ratios / income and numbers etc, but not allowing for any unexpected things which throw the whole daily routine out of order. I do feel that pre school workers are treated as second class, the lunch break (20 mins?)
I actually earn more per hour for cleaning a couple of hours a week , which as someone else mentioned is pretty stress free
So true!!
And as the profession draws in young people, many straight from high school, it will forever have a high turn over of staff whilst there isnt clear paths of development and progression.
I moved on after 7 years.
I’ve been a practitioner for 6 years now. I’m NVQ lv3 and hold a BA Hons early education degree as well as a qualified teacher status (just received this year). I plan on moving into a school eventually. However with a degree I am still paid minimum wage.
In my opinion, the only difference between teachers and nursery practitioners is wage.
I work 9 hour days 5 days a week. I end up doing at least an hour of work at home every night as our setting doesn’t allow much record keeping time. This is unpaid work.
At least as a teacher the wages are better and so are the holidays.
I don’t understand how the government can set the same expectations of nursery settings as schools yet class the job as minimum wage.
Minimum wage = minimum responsibility.
I’m concerned that after a conceivably short amount of time in the industry, I really hate the career choice I have chosen. I advise poeple away from this now…..and that is upsetting. How is this not a bigger issue being raised further?
and Teachers get teacher training days (paid).
I am a Montessori Teacher moved to Oz, have to do Diploma for recognition in Australian Standards (basically, same as UK) in order to get work. Doing my unpaid work placement and not even half way through, thorougly fed up! Lack of staff, motivation, cleaning, lesson planning own time etc etc etc and the the long 9 hour days with 3 hrs round trip travel. Soul destroying. The Room Leaders are 21 yrs, do not have a qualification but working towards, getting no support in order to get my Diploma. Over it. AND the wages when I do eventually paid.
The amount of paperwork that needs to be done is ridiculous. I have worked in an early years setting and have spent at least 1 hour or more a week doing paper work (unpaid) some parents do not realise how much we put into educating their children. When mine were little there was no such thing as free hours for nursery places nurseries didn’t have to do paper work. The “Staff” were often mum’s on a rota basis or as in my case older people who just loved children and opened their house to them. Please forget the paper work children will achieve what they want when they are ready.
I work as a cook in a day nursery and I see daily the toll the stress takes on practitioners. The vast majority of nursery staff are wondering caring professionals and they are all constantly let down by the powers that be. Things need to change drastically or we will end up losing all the ones who care about what they do.
I have been a childminder for 28 years, when I first started the purpose of being a childminder was to give the children a close to home, safe, comfortable environment.. the hours are long, and unsociable, and you have no defence sgsinst any accusations made against you. and I must have heard every excuse under the sun why a parent/carer couldn’t afford to pay me!! But still I trudged on . I’m even owed money (as much as £400 from one parent) which I dont stand an earthly chance of getting. The amount of paperwork is ridiculous, ive seen my still sat 11/12 o’clock at night writing up notes from the day. Let children be children, not statistics on a piece of paper. Let them play, get messy, have some fun
I started childminding to fit in with my family life. I find it has now taken over and I am struggling to find time to spend with my own children my house is no longer my home – it’s like a nursery. I’m so stressed with all the paperwork and completely bogged down I can’t seem to get on top of things. I often feel like I’m at everybody’s beck and call or that’s how it seems and teachers at the schools certainly see me as a glorified babysitter and nothing more. As far as they are concerned my job is not important and I’m spoken down to. I am looking into training to do something completely different that I can pick and choose my hours and not be tied down to certain times of the day.
Sadly I agree with all statements been doing this job and loving it up until a few years ago sadly the statements are felt by lots of workers city wide
I agree with both of you .. I have left my job also after nearly thirty years . I wanted to be a nursery nurse not an under paid teacher ..when I trained the job was so different from todays role . I know have a desk job ..more pay less stress and I go home and leave my job at work .. I dont make resourses or use my own money to buy things for my lessons . I miss the children …not the work .
This article reflects accurately the barriers faced by practitioners in Early Years. I have recently undertaken a college course to further my career which I have paid for by myself (there is very little scope to develop within the private sector). However if I’m brutally honest with the consistent pressures of the job it’s looking more likely that I will eventually leave the sector altogether. It can be extremely stressful trying to juggle your own families needs whilst keeping your head above water at work. So much red tape has taken the fun out the children’s learning experiences as practitioners simply struggle to find the time due to the masses of paperwork. Somethings got to give. I sometimes feel that I’ve thrown 13 years away on a career I was once passionate about and wonder how did it come to this.
I qualified in 1989 with my NNEB and have since gained my BA (Hons) in childcare and education and also i now hold my EYPS. I feel that the early years profession is not seen by parents, employers and other professionals as a profession but as a glorified babysitter. There is no progression to develop through the field and the wages and pay scale are generally very low. For example what other job field can you have 27 years qualifield working experience, have a degree in your area of expertise, have to renew first aid qualifications and safeguarding qualifications every 2 or 3 years and still only earn the same as a person who has what is often classed as an unskilled job. The public complain at the cost of childcare; possibly £150 a week but this breaks down at 8hrs a day for 5 days a week works out at an hourly rate of £3.75. What can you do or get that costs this much per hour, even an hour of keepfit or zumba costs on average £5 hour and locally people are paying £5 for 30 minutes to excercise their dogs on a secure field! This sort of puts things into perspective at how worthless our job has become.
I do here what you are saying as I believe this is the case in many nurseries.
However as an owner myself, I work within the setting on a daily basis and have done for some 17 year. I took 2 weeks maternity leave when my daughter was born.
There have been years I have worked between 60-80 hours a week and come out with well less than minimum wage, but that’s not why I opened the Nursery, again money is not why many people go in to childcare, but that they see it as a vocation.
One of our part time cooks stated to our Nursery Manager during her 3 month review only last week, that she has worked as a cook in various childcare settings and can not believe that I am the one on my hands and knees sorting the Dishwasher, tumble dryer etc.
I believe that as an employer, you should never expect anyone to do a job that you are not prepared to do yourself. This is how you earn respect, this should be eared both ways.
The majority of my colleagues have worked along side me for more than 10 years, yes colleagues, I personally can’t stand other words that some people use. Every colleague is a cog in the wheel, each as important as the next, regardless of position within the setting.
I put this down to the fact that we reward colleagues in as many ways as possible, bearing in mind that what benefits each one, doesn’t another.
To top it all off, we all attended our local village gala today, along with many wonderful parents, many who are professionals, including many Docters, GP’s, Teachers and Lawyers, one father made a statement during a conversation with a colleague that made me smile fro ear to ear, “I bet you are really pleased that you chose this Proffession, you seem very well suited to it”.
Sounds like you have a fantastic passion for the early years and your practitioners are lucky to work alongside you!
I have nearly 30 years experience and qualified to NVQ Level 4. I left child care in February this year (2016) for all the reasons listed in this article. I was stressed, mentally and physically exhausted and wasn’t feeling the love and pull of the job that I had when I was 17/18 years old. I am now a cleaner. I have no stress and have my life back. I miss just being with the children and ‘teaching’ them while they are playing with them not knowing they have learnt something. But this I have missed the last few years.
It shouldn’t be about getting the child to reach this step or to be working towards that step. Children should learn, and be taught, while they are playing. Let children be children. They are being made to achieve goals before they are really capable of achieving them because some guide says they need too. That’s why we now have so many ‘special needs’ children. Some do but the majority don’t.
Let the children play and learn social skills. The rest will come when they are happy and ready.
I totally agree with your comments.
I run a childminding setting, and have for the last ten years. I love my job, but paperwork, this step, next step, doesn’t really do much.
I love giving all the children in my setting my attention, watching them play & learn, just like we use to.
Children are not being able to be children anymore. In some aspect very sad.
I left for the exact same reason after only 7 years the fun was taken out of the job it became stressful and an effort to do each morning no appreciation was given only negativity and stress due to a large amount of paperwork
Couldn’t have said it better myself ?