Early Years Practitioner Jobs

1. How to become an Early Years Practitioner?

Early years practitioners are also known as nursery nurses. They are specialists who look after the social and educational development of babies and young children up to the age of five years old.

Often nursery nurses start their career by working as a nursery assistant under the supervision of more experienced staff.

To become a qualified nursery nurse, a Level 2 or Level 3 childcare qualification is valid if you completed it before September 2014. Examples include Level 2 Certificate for the Children and Young People’s Workforce, Level 3 Diploma for the Children and Young People’s Workforce or Level 3 Diploma for the Early Years Workforce.

If you don’t already have such a qualification, you will need to complete a Level 3 early years educator award which has been available since September 2014. Examples include:

• Level 3 Diploma in Childcare and Education
• Level 3 Diploma for the Early Years Practitioner
• Level 3 Diploma in Children’s Learning and Development
• Level 3 Diploma in Montessori Pedagogy – Birth to Seven

Early years educator qualifications are widely available through local further education colleges and other training providers. Depending on how your course is funded, you may be required to have GCSEs (A*-C) in English and maths. Ask your training provider whether you need GCSEs to start the course or whether you can do these alongside your training.

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2. Early Years Practitioner Key responsibilities | Job Description

• To deliver a high standard of learning, development and care for children aged 0-5 years.
• To deputise for the Senior Early Years Practitioner.
• To ensure that the preschool nursery is a safe environment for children, staff, and others.
• To develop partnerships with parents/carers to increase involvement in their child’s development.
• To be responsible for any tasks delegated by the Senior Early Years Practitioner.

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3. Early Years Practitioner Salary

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• The average Nursery practitioner salary is £19,254. This is 44.1% below the national average advertised salary of £34,434.
• Year-on-year pay for Nursery practitioner jobs has gone up 7.6% year-on-year, compared to an annual change of 1.0% for all jobs.
• Meanwhile, the number of Nursery practitioner job ads is 16.1% lower than last year, with 2,317 current vacancies.

SOURCE & STATS: Adzuna March 2019.

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4. Early Years practitioner Career

The table below outlines some of the accredited training you might consider undertaking as you progress your career.

Level	Example Job Roles	Qualifications
Level 2 – for front line practitioners	Nursery Assistant Pre-school Assistant Playgroup Assistant Nanny	Level 2 Certificate for the Children and Young People’s Workforce
Level 3 – for front line practitioners with experience or working at a supervisory level	Nursery Supervisor Nursery Nurse Pre-School Leader Deputy Manager Playgroup Leader Childminder Nanny	Level 3 Early Years Educator (England) Level 3 Children’s Care, Learning and Development (Wales)
Level 5 – For experienced practitioners with responsibility for planning and delivery of services	Nursery Manager Nursery Nurse Area Manager Nursery Owners Childminder Nanny	Early Years Foundation Degree Level 5 Children’s Care, Learning and Development (Wales)
Level 6 – Graduate / Degree Qualifications – For practitioners in senior positions, lead/professional roles	Nursery Manager Nursery Nurse Area Manager Nursery Owners Local Authority Worker Childminder	Early Childhood Studies BA (Hons) Degree Qualified Teachers Status in Early Years

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