How to become a nursery worker: Lucy's story

Meet Lucy, 18, a nursery worker. Part of our Bitesize world of work series.

How would you describe your job?

I look after young children in a nursery. It’s amazing. It’s so much fun. There is never a dull moment. I’m on my feet all day. We are playing and learning. In the morning we organise breakfast, get nappies ready and open the garden. Sometimes we sit down as a group and sing nursery rhymes, look through stories and do counting. We also do arts and crafts. We learn through play. We are developing children's language. It’s a learning journey.

What key skills do you use?

A lot of communication. We work as a team as well. The language I use, talking at the same level as the child so they can understand, is also important. We also work together with the parents to ensure that the children are happy and are getting the support they need.

I also need to be organised. We keep track of nappy changes, teething gel, how they are eating etc. Everything is recorded so the parents know what is going on at nursery. We also need a lot of patience, as children can get emotional. Instead of getting cross, I talk to them softly and distract them.

Was this what you always wanted to do?

I enjoy being with my nieces and nephews so much, and realised how nice would it be to do a job that I love and get to see other people’s children developing and create those observations so their parents can see as well.

What subject do you draw on from school?

I studied Child Development. It enabled me to understand that you don’t just come into the nursery and play all day, there’s a lot of responsibility.

How did you get this job?

I studied Maths, English, Child Development, Geography, History and French. Then I went straight into sixth form for six months, then I had a back operation, so I was off for nine weeks. It was hard to catch up but, because I fell behind, I was looking for other options. Then I found this apprenticeship. I played with the children as part of the interview and they could see that I was good with them.

Was it a smooth ride?

It is an exhausting job but 100% worth it. You don’t always get a job where you can spend the whole day laughing. Children are so much fun! You can have days that are more challenging, but that’s the fun of it.

Top tips

• Try work experience. Stay and play for a while, because there are so many aspects to this job and you’ve got to be willing to do all of them (including changing nappies)

• There are so many different options regarding getting qualified and it’s best to look into all of them

• Be patient, be understanding and be positive, as that affects the children.

What to expect if you want to be a nursery worker

• Nursery worker average salary: £14,000 to £24,000 per year
• Nursery worker typical working hours: 38 to 40 hours per week

What qualifications do you need to be a nursery worker?

You could get into this role via a college course (such as a Level 2 Certificate in Childcare, a Level 3 Diploma, or a T-level in Education and Childcare - England-only), an apprenticeship, volunteering, working towards the role or applying directly if you have the relevant experience or qualifications.

Sources: LMI for All, National Careers Service, GOV.UK

This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the National Careers Service website for the latest information and all the qualifications needed and the GOV.UK website for more on T-levels.

For careers advice in all parts of the UK visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).

Find out more

Work experience in your area
Find work experience placements with Workfinder.

Tips and advice
Help with interviews, writing a CV and all things work experience related.