Careers: Nursery manager

What does a nursery manager do?

The manager is usually the most senior person at the nursery and has overall responsibility for the setting. They will be responsible for managing the nursery workers as well as administration staff. They will also have responsibility for the educational performance and financial success of the nursery.

It is the nursery manager's role to ensure that all the children are kept safe while in the centre's care. Therefore, they need to ensure that there are always sufficient numbers of staff to monitor the children and make sure that the setting has robust safeguarding procedures in place.

Nurseries are run by a range of different providers, including local authorities, charities, faith groups, social enterprises and private organisations. They are usually open between 8am and 6pm on Mondays to Fridays to allow parents to drop off and pick up their children before and after work.

Laing & Buisson's 2010 Nursery Sector Report estimated that there are around 15,000 nurseries in the UK and that the sector is worth £3.88bn a year.

What skills and qualifications do you need?

A qualification such as an NVQ Level 3 in children's care, learning and development, or equivalent, is usually required by employers. The Children's Workforce Development Council has also devised the New Leaders in Early Years programme for students who have at least a 2.1 honours degree and a high level of early years knowledge and skills.

Nursery managers will usually be required to have three years' post-qualification experience and two years' relevant supervisory experience in a relevant setting.

They will also be expected to have an excellent knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage, the government curriculum for under-fives that is currently under review, and an understanding of the Ofsted standards for nurseries.

What are the challenges of the role?

Pay levels in the nursery sector are notoriously low, with some nursery workers earning less than £14,000 a year. This can make it difficult for managers to attract and retain the best staff.

Nurseries have to abide by many regulations and are subject to Ofsted inspection at least once every four years, which can make the manager's role stressful. Nurseries are also on the frontline of spotting problems with the children, including suspected cases of abuse, which can bring managers into conflict with parents.

Rising costs and dwindling numbers of parents who are able to afford childcare has led to a significant number of nursery closures over the past two years.

What are the main benefits of the role?

Although largely an office-based role, the nursery manager still gets to spend a lot of time working directly with the children and watching them progress. The manager will usually be the person who decides the level of support to offer a child who might need extra help in areas such as speech and language development. Helping children who are in danger of falling behind can be hugely rewarding. With so many young children around, nurseries can be a fun environment to work in.

How much can you earn?

Managers can expect to earn between £25,000 and £40,000 a year, depending on the number of childcare places the nursery offers and where it is located. Nursery managers will usually be paid to work around 37.5 hours a week, although many will work more since staff meetings tend to take place after the nursery has closed. Managers may find that they cannot fit all their work into office hours so will have to take tasks home.

Where can I find out more?

The Daycare Trust (www.daycaretrust.org.uk) provides a range of support for the childcare sector, including advice on training. The Children's Workforce Development Council (www.cwdcouncil.org.uk) website includes details of its early years training programmes.