Jester Posted June 22, 2015 Posted June 22, 2015 I've just seen an advert for a nursery apprentice locally, they need GCSES in maths and English, 6 hours of study allowed and setting will pay for training, they need to be available for work from 7.30am-5.30pm, hourly rate is £2.56 an hour! Is this even legal? Quote
tish501 Posted June 22, 2015 Posted June 22, 2015 I've just seen an advert for a nursery apprentice locally, they need GCSES in maths and English, 6 hours of study allowed and setting will pay for training, they need to be available for work from 7.30am-5.30pm, hourly rate is £2.56 an hour! Is this even legal? Yes afraid it is, although I would never insult a human being by offering that low a wage..... Quote
Jester Posted June 22, 2015 Author Posted June 22, 2015 Yes afraid it is, although I would never insult a human being by offering that low a wage..... Gosh! That surprises me! I earned more than that working in a coffee shop at 16! Quote
Mouseketeer Posted June 22, 2015 Posted June 22, 2015 I thought it was £3 something, but maybe as you are going to be paying for training, students training via placement don't need to be paid anything really Quote
Jester Posted June 22, 2015 Author Posted June 22, 2015 I thought it was £3 something, but maybe as you are going to be paying for training, students training via placement don't need to be paid anything really There is that but in that case I think I would rather go to college and do my 3 days placement a week and then get a part time job that earns considerably more an hour. I think it's pretty shocking that a 17 year old would be expected to work those hours for that wage exploited comes to mind. 1 Quote
Panders Posted June 22, 2015 Posted June 22, 2015 There is that but in that case I think I would rather go to college and do my 3 days placement a week and then get a part time job that earns considerably more an hour. I think it's pretty shocking that a 17 year old would be expected to work those hours for that wage exploited comes to mind. Well you have said "be available" from 7.30 - 5.30 they wouldn't necessarily have to work ALL of those hours, just be available during those hours, so maybe they would do a shift system Quote
Mouseketeer Posted June 22, 2015 Posted June 22, 2015 I wasn't saying I agreed with it Jester, but maybe for some it is a better option than staying on at school for another 2 years now, it'll be £3.30 from Oct. Quote
tish501 Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 New McDonalds opening near me soon...a friends son just finished his GCSEs starts there soon on £4.50 just for the summer to start and poss after school when he returns in September.... Quote
Jester Posted June 23, 2015 Author Posted June 23, 2015 I wasn't saying I agreed with it Jester, but maybe for some it is a better option than staying on at school for another 2 years now, it'll be £3.30 from Oct. It's ok I didn't think that, I was just pretty shocked that one could be paid so little. Quote
Stargrower Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 Sorry everyone, but we have apprentices and yes, they do start on the apprentice wage. They get experience at a good setting, lots of support and mentoring and come out with a level 3 qualification after 12 - 18 months. Is that such a terrible alternative to going to college? 5 Quote
sunnyday Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 Sorry everyone, but we have apprentices and yes, they do start on the apprentice wage. They get experience at a good setting, lots of support and mentoring and come out with a level 3 qualification after 12 - 18 months. Is that such a terrible alternative to going to college? Don't apologise - I'm with you on this one! Apprenticeships have always attracted a low wage - it's all part of the 'deal' :1b If I provided enough hours I would certainly happily take on an apprentice at the given wage....... 2 Quote
lsp Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 We employ an apprentice on the apprentice wage. We get a grant to cover around 16 hours a week. She is completing a level 2 qualification by distance learning so basically we are teaching and mentoring. We pay for first aid, food hygiene, child ptotection courses and dbs check. Yes her wage is low but to be perfectly honest we could not afford and would not employ anyone if it was not for this scheme. She ends up with a qualification and years good experience to show prospective new employer. We have an enthusiastic young person, additional pair of hands for a year. She has another part time job which allows her to run a car etc. 3 Quote
Joanne123 Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 Don't apologise - I'm with you on this one! Apprenticeships have always attracted a low wage - it's all part of the 'deal' :1b If I provided enough hours I would certainly happily take on an apprentice at the given wage....... Me too, we put an apprentice through at this wage and then offered her a job at the end of it. She was very happy with this. If we had to pay higher we couldn't have offered her the apprenticeship in the first place! 1 Quote
Stargrower Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 If we had to pay higher we couldn't have offered her the apprenticeship in the first place! Exactly! As Sunnyday says, that's the deal! 1 Quote
Jester Posted June 23, 2015 Author Posted June 23, 2015 Oh crumbs sorry, I didn't mean to cause any upset, I just would have thought the hourly rate would have been slightly higher than that, that's all. Just shows that I don't have a clue! Quote
sunnyday Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 Oh crumbs sorry, I didn't mean to cause any upset, I just would have thought the hourly rate would have been slightly higher than that, that's all. Just shows that I don't have a clue! Please don't apologise - this is a great place to discuss such matters :1b 5 Quote
Stargrower Posted June 24, 2015 Posted June 24, 2015 No don't apologise Jester. Everyone has different points of view, different ways of working and a melting pot of experience that we share. I've been working in early years a long time ( :blink: ) but I have learned soooo much from this forum and all the lovely people who post and share their ideas and wisdom. The apprentice wage IS very low, but in a lot of cases, they get a lot of 'perks' in the way of training and experience. Mind you, I bet there are lots of workplaces where they are treated as cheap labour! 4 Quote
Jester Posted June 25, 2015 Author Posted June 25, 2015 Please don't apologise - this is a great place to discuss such matters :1b I think it just shows where my knowledge needs updating! No don't apologise Jester. Everyone has different points of view, different ways of working and a melting pot of experience that we share. I've been working in early years a long time ( :blink: ) but I have learned soooo much from this forum and all the lovely people who post and share their ideas and wisdom. The apprentice wage IS very low, but in a lot of cases, they get a lot of 'perks' in the way of training and experience. Mind you, I bet there are lots of workplaces where they are treated as cheap labour! i guess I just have been victim to cheap labour in the past and I have seen others being treated badly in the past but I'm sure that there are plenty of settings out there who do not do that. Quote
lsp Posted June 25, 2015 Posted June 25, 2015 Most of us in childcare can probably be classed as victims of cheap labour??? 2 Quote
Jester Posted June 26, 2015 Author Posted June 26, 2015 Most of us in childcare can probably be classed as victims of cheap labour??? Good point, but there's cheap and there is really cheap. Quote
Inge Posted June 26, 2015 Posted June 26, 2015 In the past we used to take on apprentices who worked as volunteers , unpaid, 16 hours a week while doing their training... so being paid something is a step forward.. We could not afford to pay them, but they were never counted in ratio.. so hence extra hands and they got a good training and hands on experience.. if we needed to count them in ratio they then got paid the going rate , usually near the end of training.. I have recently found that the first apprentice I took on in this way now owns and runs her own nursery.. its good to know we did something to help her along the way, she really was a hard worker but never academic..needed lots of support but she came through really well.. 2 Quote
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