Guest Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 Would anyone be willing to help...... At our playgroup there are two supervisors. Both NNEB and one of us has the ADCE....We both share the education side of things, eg planning and profiles etc. We have just had our contratcs (from our manager-who also works as a playgroup assisitant), this has been a long time coming, anyway........ Our salary is currently £5.80 per hour. We are interested in how this compares to others in the same sort of situation with the same responsibity. The playgroup assistants get only a little bit less than this. We do get paid for planning but not for staff meetings. Anyone willing to help, I have tried to find out info from PANN but with little sucess. I reliase this is an issue for many of us, but we really feel we are worth more than £5.80 per hour ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 Hi Jo I would agree wholeheartedly that you are worth more than £5.80 an hour, especailly if you are planning etc. But there are many factors to take into consideration when looking at wages. Are you a committee run group? Do you have many children on the nursery grant? What are your fees? I'm not asking you to actually reply to these questions but bear them in mind when considering wages. My pre-school is privately owned and we have about just over a third of the children on grant. The rest pay fees. We have struggled in the past to keep our heads above water and my staff have not had the pay they deserve. They still don't but they are a lot better off now than previously. My assitants get paid more than you. Then I have a senior assistant and a deputy manager, who both get paid more. All the staff are involved in profiles and planning, in that we discuss what we are going to do etc. and we have staff meetings to plan. But I do the actual weekly/daily planning. My staff are paid for any extra work they do and any meetings they attend, such as senco meetings etc. They don't get paid for training. Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 Thanks for your reply Linda, We have about 33 on the register and 23 are funded. We do get paid for training, but not for staff meetings or early years cluster group meetings. Arrghhhhh....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hali Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 Hello i am the supervisor of my pre school when i started 3 1/2 years ago my salary was £7.500 per year .... now is £11.500 working 7 sessions of 2 1/2 hrs .. i again dont get paid for staff meetings and other work i do at home e.g planning, waiting lists etc.... my staff get different wages per hour depending on thier qualifications....we are a committeee run group but acording to other groups in pour area we get paid a lot!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helen Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 Hi Jo, At our nursery, inexperienced or unqualified staff are paid £5.25 ph, experienced NVQ3 qualified staff are paid £6.50 ph and the nursery supervisor is paid £7.25. I don't expect any of them to do work in their own time (apart from the one who is training and hoping to achieve NVQ3 in the summer). They are paid for staff meetings and any paper work they undertake, eg maintaining children's records, on a hourly basis. Hope this helps, and that I haven't given away any trade secrets!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 Thanks for that, it's really helpful information. Trade secrets eh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 The reason I don't pay staff for training is because they will benefit their own professional development and it would work out very expensive, especially those doing NVQ's etc. I will pay for the course or part pay it depending on the cost and what it is, eg a first aid course or behaviour managment etc. We have quite good free training in Stockport so what we do pay for is minimal. My pre-school assistants are paid £6 an hour, senior assistant £6.60 and the deputy £7. The last two would be in charge when I am not there. Both have a level 3 qualification, one has just worked for me longer than the other. They all are paid term time and 4 weeks holiday pay. Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 hi joe365, at my preschool (committee run) are staff salary structure is based on qualifications. A basic non trained staff gets £4.50 per hour (minimum wage) staff with level 2 get £4.60 per hour, Level 3 £5.00 per hour, Assistant leading practitioners (must be level 3) £5.80 per hour and the leading practitioner £6.40 per hour, who is currently undertaking the foundation degree. We do pay staff for 2 hours per fortnight for staff meeting. The leading practitioner (thats me) gets 5 hours extra per week for paperwork. Cluster meetings are also covered. Staff undertaking training on a day they are salaried for also get paid for the session missed due to training. We do not pay for training at weekends or evening. Apparently this is quite good pay for our area (norfolk) although a friend in cambridge does exactly the same job, same type of provision as me and she get £8.50 per hour. As foundation stage practitioners, i feel we have a much more demanding job than some teachers and look how much they are paid. I think its because we are still not seen as professional people, and i dont think have the parents or committee's really know just how much work is involved. I dont know about everyone else, but i cant remember a day i came home from work and could just forget about the job untill the next morning. I do think i am lucky to get 5 hours paid paperwork time per week, its better than nothing, but if i only done 5 hours extra a week it would be a piece of cake, when my committee once asked me to justify my 5 hours, i wrote down the times i started, when i finished and what i was doing, on an average week i was doing around 18 hours work at home. We do have to rely on funding and fee's to pay salaries, and im lucky to have good staff ratio's, although i did forego a pay rise when the new minimum wage came in in october because they said they wouldnt be able to afford it and i would have to cut my sessions, keeps me in their good books as well, you never know when you can use it to your benefit! I hope this helps, i do agree that child care worker are payed very low salaries, one day someone will wake up and see us as the highly qualified, experienced practitioners we are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helen Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 We do the same as you Linda, and pay for the subsidised course that a member of staff has chosen to go on. If the course is at the same time as a nursery session, that member of staff gets paid normally, but if it's in the afternoon, evening or weekend, s/he is not paid. I think you're correct in saying that training benefits the practitioner, as well as the setting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 27, 2004 Share Posted February 27, 2004 I think that staff should be paid when they go on a course as it will benefit the preschool .The staff member will increase her knowledge as well . I have always been lucky and able to claim for any courses I do even in my present job the preschool will pay the enrolement fee and we get a bursuary .If we were working in any other business courses would be paid for. Can any one tell me if their is a requirement by Ofsted that staff attend so many courses a year?? Although only working three mornings a week I am keen to increase my knowledge and keep up to date with the latest thinkings! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hali Posted February 27, 2004 Share Posted February 27, 2004 Hi If our courses are not funded then we pay for the staff to go on them, and obviously if that then increases their qualifications they get a payrise to match. we have not been informed that each staff member has to do so many courses each year.. although i try to find at least one suitable one each term for them to do.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helen Posted February 27, 2004 Share Posted February 27, 2004 I agree with you, Oldtimer, that staff should be paid to attend courses, but I'm afraid the money is just not available to do that in many settings. As you say, in virtually any other sector, we would be! Down to funding early years adequately again..... Good to hear you're working regularly again....did you not like supply? Are you back in the thick of paperwork again?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 27, 2004 Share Posted February 27, 2004 Only found the site and registered yeaterday so I'm new to all this but thought I was hard done by until I read though some of you wages. I am supervisor on £6.50 per hour, four weeks paid holiday and £15.00 per term planning and progress insentive. No paid courses though. Not so bad!!! we are committe run and I don't think they realise just how much work goes into childcare now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest suziees Posted February 27, 2004 Share Posted February 27, 2004 hi all i co own and supevise a preschool, we pay unqualified £5ph nvq 3 etc get £6ph and when we had a deputy she got £7ph currently we can no longer afford a deputy!!! we get what ever is left after expenses, which sometimes has been less than staff. we are not committee run its just us, our rent is over £1000 per month (london) and we do not pay staff for courses attended, or staff meetings (wish we could) and as far as our eydcp tell us, staff should attend a minimum of 4 days training per year. which we must allow time off for. when possible we will pay for courses, but again we are lucky some are free or subsidised. i too think my staff deserve more wages but not sure how we can ever pay more without rasing fees yet again. suziees Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 29, 2004 Share Posted February 29, 2004 Thank you all for your replies. It seems a small but welcome pay rise may be on the cards. We do get paid for 3 3/4 hours of planning and preparation each week. I've been adding up my time and seemes to have done an extra four hours preparing the home corner resources and other bits and pieces, that's without spending any time on profiles.......... I have managed to delegate a considerable amount too...... Anyone else spend endless hours slaving over planning etc ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 29, 2004 Share Posted February 29, 2004 hi joe365 it seems your not the only one who slaves away in their own time. I do, and am sure most of us do to. But as we know, its all part of the job and thats why we all do it. As i tell my husband who says i should get a "proper job" i dont do the job for the money, its because I want a job i love to go to every morning, something to stimulate my mind and body. I wouldnt change my job for the world, pay rise could help, but their we go. At least your delegating, i still have problems their. Ive got to let others take over some of the responsibilities, i still have the "do it yourself and the job gets done properly" problem, but im working on it. Someone told me "if someone can do the job 80% as good as you, then delegate it" maybe i should. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 29, 2004 Share Posted February 29, 2004 At the moment, I can feel rather smug. I do my 3 sessions per week (at minimum wage). My setting does not want my input into observations, planning, etc. I am doing the EYFD, without the setting's backing or support (SureStart are funding it). At my last, and only, staff appraisal two years ago (I instituted these at the very end of my committee days), I asked for further training (having only done the IPP) and I hit a brick wall. I have it all (nearly). I work in a setting and I am doing funded training. OK, it would be better if I had a key worker post (we don't do this), and it would be better if my setting was supporting my training. I just keep saying "onwards and upwards". Committed practitioners have a future in early years. Those of us who are committed will work together. Sometime soon I will find a post where I can work AND train. (the two together, where what I am learning is to the benefit of the children). Until then, I will count my blessings (minimum wage and government paying for my training - the latter is a huge bonus). Diane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 1, 2004 Share Posted March 1, 2004 Hi!!!! I'm currently studying my level three dce course, with all these poor rates of pay it's making me wonder why i'm working my socks to gain the qualification!!! I attend placements 2 days a week and have 3 days a week in college(which is an hour away on the bus) and i have 3 children and luckily, a very supportive full time working partner. If children need a professional person to help them learn then it's about time people started paying professional wages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 1, 2004 Share Posted March 1, 2004 I agree with you dcechez, don't get down hearted. It is a worthwhile and rewarding career ( if not financially lol) I love my job (most of the time) and I've carried on working with children even though I could get paid more as a cleaner or a checkout girl in tesco, because it's what I'm good at. Money isn't everything anyway...... but it does help LOL Good luck with your course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 1, 2004 Share Posted March 1, 2004 I agree that early years workers should be paid a lot more than they are. But, it all depends on fees charged as to how much committees and owners can afford. I would love to pay my staff triple what they are on now, they deserve it as they work hard when they are in pre-school. I have to say though, as the owner of a group, I get less most of the time than my staff and work just as hard in pre-school and 100% harder outside! I enjoy my work and do it because I love to see the children in my care grow and develop. I'm sure that my staff are the same-if not they wouldn't have stayed at it for so long. Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubblejack Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 Hello Linda, You sound like me I don't even take my wages out weekly. I leave it in the bank in case I desperately need to buy or replace equipment .When the end of the tax year arrives it looks as though I have got a lot of money!! Suppose I am lucky because I don't need to rely on a wage for myself.I am still as enthuisiastic to be at pre-school so off I go with my my "frozen bear" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beau Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 I don't think any of us can be in it for the money! I can cope with low wages and having to work long hours unpaid. I really enjoy the work I do. However, it would be nice to be told that the amount of effort I'm putting in is apppreciated though. <_< Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 Well, the only person who can do that for me is myself as I am the owner! Seriously though, the fact that our pre-school is always busy, we have a very healthy waiting list and parents putting their child's name down as soon as they are born tells me we are doing a great job. Bubblejack, I have been taking a set amount each month for about a year now. It's taken me long enough seeing as I have owned the group for just over 14 years!!! It is less than all the staff but sometimes, if funds are healthy, I take a small lump sum. Better than nothing, which it has been on occasions! Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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