Nursery worker
Nursery workers help babies and children up to 5 years old to develop and learn in a safe and supportive setting.
Typical Salary
£16,000 – £24,000
per year
Working Hours
30–40
hours per week
Day-to-day tasks
As a nursery worker you could:
- plan and supervise activities like arts and crafts, music and cooking
- help children to learn numeracy and language skills through games, singing and storytelling
- take children on outings
- feed and change babies
- keep indoor and outdoor areas clean and safe
- record children's development and share with parents, carers and nursery staff
Skills needed
- sensitivity and understanding
- the ability to work well with others
- to be flexible and open to change
- excellent verbal communication skills
- customer service skills
- the ability to understand people’s reactions
- active listening skills
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
How to get into this role
You can get into this job through:
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
- volunteering
- applying directly
Career progression
As an experienced nursery worker you could specialise in working with children who have difficulties with learning, physical disabilities, or need support with their mental health.
With further training, you could:
- apply to be a room leader or senior nursery worker
- move into management as a nursery manager
- become an early years teacher