Pay & Benefits

At Teepee Day Nursery, we make it our business to know what’s going on and we pride ourselves in keeping our finger on the pulse. We regularly compare rates locally and nationally to make sure that we offer really competitive rates of pay. We work hard and so we expect to pay well. We are very proud of our Real Living Wage status. This is an independently calculated wage rate that is based on the cost of living. Unlike the national minimum wage, which is set by the government, the Real Living Wage is voluntarily paid by employers who choose to be accredited. There are only two real Living Wage employers in Bracknell, and we are the only day nursery so the results show for themselves.

There are lots of financial benefits to working at Teepee Day Nursery, including:

• Discounts on nursery fees if you have a child yourself
• Recommend a friend bonuses. We would much rather pay you than a recruitment agency, and if they are your friend, then we will probably like them too! We pay you £500 for each friend that we employ
• Annual parent questionnaire bonus
• Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ bonus

We contribute to your workplace pension in line with government guidelines.

Other nice benefits include:

• A full uniform, which includes everything you will need (even a bobble hat)
• Each practitioner is given their own tablet device to observe the children
• Meals and snacks freshly prepared by our chef, for our team as well as the children

Our practitioner team work a 4 day week; with a ‘wellbeing day’ off. We also support part-time working, as it’s all about work/life balance. We also only ask you to carry out the role that you are actually employed for, so unlike other nursery providers, we won’t ever ask you to do the evening cleaning!

We know that looking after children day in, day out is tiring, so we offer generous holiday entitlement. Everyone gets at least 31 days a year (pro rata), and because we value length of service, the holiday entitlement rises to 34 days after five years. You also get an extra day off every four months if you haven’t taken any time off for sickness or to look after dependants, so you could have an additional three days off per year. We are always closed between Christmas and New Year, so you have guaranteed time off!

We have a genuinely caring and supportive culture. You work hard for us, and we support you in managing your own health and wellbeing. We offer:

• Supplementary Health Programme – contributing towards the cost of routine healthcare (e.g. second opinions, counselling sessions and help with fees at the dentist, optician, therapist, etc)
• Employee Assistance Programme, including access to counselling, legal, financial and professional support
• Thrive subscription; a mental health and wellbeing package
• Monthly acupressure massage sessions over lunchtime
• Return-to-work meetings after any period of leave to support you in coming back to work
• Free lunch and snacks
• We really listen, too! You also get your say through our team reps and an annual team questionnaire
• Christmas party and other social events throughout the year.

If things don’t go as planned:

• We can offer a generous compassionate leave package
• We can pay for periods of sickness of up to four weeks
• We have a Hardship Fund if a tricky situation arises
• We always encourage the use of our Employee Assistant and Wellbeing programmes through our expert partners.

From the photos, you can see what a beautiful working environment we have, both inside and out! Small intimate rooms mean that you really get to know the children and their parents. Children interact better in small groups, so all around it’s a cosier and more relaxed environment. We have a large staff room and staff garden to have a proper break in peace. We even have mindfulness and adult colouring books, if that helps you switch off. We never use agency staff, which means that we have a better, more cohesive, and more knowledgeable team, which in turn means less pressure. We have a paperless online observation/diary system, which means that you spend more time with the children – which is what you signed up for – and less time doing paperwork. There is a free car park, bicycle facilities are available if you cycle to work, and there are excellent bus links to Bracknell town centre.

Other advantages are that Early Years is a great career to choose! Working with the babies and young children at Teepee Day Nursery guarantees that you will:

• Have lots of fun
• Have lots of variety
• Have a real sense of responsibility
• Make a real difference to a child and their family
• Be someone really special
• Experience great team working

We also have a Christmas party and other social events throughout the year.