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We are always on the lookout for like-minded people to join our team!
Please pick a current vacancy or we encourage you to submit your CV speculatively.

Why Start a Career In Early Years?

In their first five years, children grow, change and develop more than at any other time in their life. The greatest changes of all occur before they reach the age of one. Working with children in the Early Years is all about nurturing young children, supporting their early learning, providing play activities and offering subtle teaching that helps them explore and develop. It’s also about creating good relationships with each child’s parents and working with them to support their child. All this is why it’s the most important job in the world, and we make sure we give our people the respect they deserve for doing it.

Carer reading to a child one on one
Carer looking after two children as they play

Why Choose Teepee Day Nursery?

Teepee Day Nursery has a very clear culture. It has the feel of a small, family run nursery (because that’s what it is), but with the go-getting mentality and best practice of a much larger business. Our vision is a day nursery where the team, the children and the parents are all happy. It’s an award-winning formula! We believe that if we care for our team, we can care for the children better. Our genuinely caring and supportive culture, with a highly experienced management team in a small, friendly set-up, has earned us a Gold Award from Investors in People.

We work well as a team because we all share the same values. These include:

  • Passion: we love the job and go the extra mile
  • Consistency: we act consistently, so the children, parents and colleagues always know what to expect
  • Friendliness: this needs no explanation. You can’t be unfriendly and work with children!
  • Teamwork: we work as a single team of colleagues
  • Professionalism: we always act in a professional manner, both in communications and in actions
  • Training and education: because we are teachers to the next generation, we make sure that we are always learning and mastering new skills ourselves.

Pay & Benefts

Because we are doing the most important job in the world – caring for and nurturing the next generation – we invest heavily in our team. We offer many benefits, including:

  • Very competitive pay
  • Bonuses and pension
  • Generous holiday allowance
  • Flexible working
  • A real focus on wellbeing
  • Employee assistance programmes through WPA and Thrive
  • Massage at lunchtimes
  • Free lunch and food
  • Uniform provided – even down to a bobble hat
Living Wage Employer award
Room with toys and books

Career Progression

We invest heavily in our training and development programme, and so work hard to improve our skills and knowledge. This in turn leads to professional progression, enabling team members to learn and grow within the nursery, it’s a win-win. From apprentices to the Senior Management Team, everyone has their own personal development plan.

More Information (FAQ)

Yes. It is very important to us to take apprentices who are passionate about learning about Early Years. We always have at least one person studying for their Level 2 and others who have moved onto their Level 3. Some people go straight onto their Level 3; it depends on your background and experience. Training apprentices is really important to us, as we look to take the student on at the end of their apprenticeship. Several of our Room Leaders started with us as apprentices and have worked their way up. We have several different training providers so we can suit the teaching style to the candidate. Sometimes it’s all in the setting with an assessor; sometimes it’s a mix of assessor and classroom learning.

The practitioner induction includes formal training on: paediatric first aid, food hygiene, child protection, Fundamental British Values and the Prevent Duty, health and safety, the Early Years Foundation Stage, supporting early childhood speech and language, behaviour management, as well as on-the-job coaching and support. After that we access training from the National Day Nurseries Association, Early Education and the local authority. Emma Tennant, our Director, has an MA in Early Years as well. If you are taking on a role as Administrator, Chef or Bookkeeper, of course you will be inducted and supported too.

Usually it is 8 hours but can be 9, 10 or 11 hours depending on what works for you and how many days you work a week. The nursery is open from 7am to 7pm, which gives everyone loads of flexibility, allowing you to work earlier, later, full time over four days, so you can tailor your hours to suit your lifestyle. The more hours you work, the more you get paid! Practitioners also work just over the breakfast and morning period; over lunch; or in the evening from teatime onwards to wrap around the other shifts and to cover breaks. The kitchen is open from 8am to 5pm and the Chef works those hours. Administration cover is needed in the core hours of the day, usually from 8 or 8.30am until 5pm. These hours are important as we have three phone lines coming into the nursery and it can be busy.