Pre-school workers get paid peanuts...!!!

Spendless

£7.40 per hour here would be a good wage and you wouldn't earn that in a shop, where the wages are just slightly above min wage. Yes I'm aware that many pre-school/school jobs are paid term-time only though many still have a pay packet as the wages are divided over 12 montjhhshs. I know several who have taken them due to not having to find or pay out for childcare in the school holidays.

I also think "parents don't want to pay more for childcare" doesn't cover the whole story. We do not qualify for childcare help via tax credits, currently if I worked it would be financial viable to do so, due to getting funding for 3+ and using childcare vouchers offered by DH employer. Prior to his firm offereing vouchers and before DD turned 3 it was not worth my while working, as my wages would all go in childcare, making childcare more expensive would just put more parents into my position, so you would have less parents working and less work for childcare providers.

Justie

It doesn't surprise me at all - childcare is so underrated and undervalued in this country and the perception that childcare comes out of the mother's earnings and that women have to work to pay the nursery fees etc is part of the wider problem as women on the whole still earn less than men (80p in every £1 average but part time workers earn much less).

MJMum

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Spendless

Justie wrote:

the perception that childcare comes out of the mother's earnings and that women have to work to pay the nursery fees etc is part of the wider problem as women on the whole still earn less than men (80p in every £1 average but part time workers earn much less).

It doesn't make any difference which pay packet childcare expenses come out of if you share your money. We do not have 'his' and 'hers' money, so for me to work I have to come out with a profit on my earnings, otherwise it's not worthwhile me working, regardless of whose earnings actually pay the childcare bill.

Justie

Spendless wrote:

It doesn't make any difference which pay packet childcare expenses come out of if you share your money. We do not have 'his' and 'hers' money, so for me to work I have to come out with a profit on my earnings, otherwise it's not worthwhile me working, regardless of whose earnings actually pay the childcare bill.

Oh I agree but it's still the perception often that men work to earn money and women earn pin money or something less important - on the Money Programme the other night they had a couple who were both teachers, she was a head teacher he wasn't yet they didn't ask the man if he thought it was worthwhile working to pay the childcare they asked the mum if she thought it was worth it when most of HER wage went on paying for the nursery and after school care.

BusyLizzie_3

I'm also on the committee of our local pre-school (in Oxfordshire). We have two supervisors who are paid £9.50/hour (just raised from £8.50/hour) and the other staff range between £6.25 and £8.00/hour. I agree - the wages are low, but as others have said, quite a bit above the average retail wage, and the hours are generally more suitable for those who have school-aged children. The wages at our Pre-school are certainly higher than the national average, according to a survey the Pre-school Learning Alliance carried our recently.

Our Pre-school is a charity and we rely totally on the nursery education grant for 3 and 4-year-olds, together with fees paid by parents of younger children and those who use afternoon sessions for their school children who are only at school in the mornings, to pay all our bills. Staff wages are obviously our highest cost, but we also have gas, electricity, telephone, insurance etc to cover. There isn't much left after the bills have been paid, and we have to fundraise very regularly to afford any new equipment or even basic craft supplies sometimes. If we have a much lower uptake of places, as has happened in the past, we run at a loss, and are likely to end up having to lay off staff.

badmumof1

7.45 a hour??
blimey im only on 5.00
dh network computer engineer is on roughly 7.00 and his job is very very stressful

emilyt

inkie wrote:

You ought to see what vicars get paid that is peanuts!

I know inkie. My FIL is one and the pay is terrible and the job 24/7.He must be a saint.

Rachie_B

BusyLizzie wrote:

I'm also on the committee of our local pre-school (in Oxfordshire). We have two supervisors who are paid £9.50/hour (just raised from £8.50/hour) and the other staff range between £6.25 and £8.00/hour. I agree - the wages are low, but as others have said, quite a bit above the average retail wage, and the hours are generally more suitable for those who have school-aged children. The wages at our Pre-school are certainly higher than the national average, according to a survey the Pre-school Learning Alliance carried our recently.

.

that is very good for pre school staff wage !

emma_b_4

that rate of pay doesnt sound too bad for play staff!
i worked in nurseries and they get minumum wage, with manager egtting a quid above minimum wage!