Early years teacher job profile

Early years teachers work in settings including nurseries and preschools and play an important role in the early development of young children

As an early years teacher (EYT), you'll work with children aged 0-5 years, nurturing and supporting their learning and development.

Your aim will be to provide a safe and secure environment for them where you'll use resources to plan activities and help them to meet early learning goals within knowledge, skills and understanding. You'll need to record observations and summarise achievements and liaise with parents, staff and other educational professionals.

You can find work as an early years teacher in settings such as day nurseries, preschools and playgroups. You could also work within the reception year/early years foundation stage (EYFS) of an independent school, academy or free school.

It's worth noting that to work in a local authority maintained school you'll need a separate qualification which gives you qualified teacher status (QTS). Find out more about being a primary school teacher.

Responsibilities

As an early years teacher, you'll need to:

motivate and stimulate a child's learning abilities, often encouraging learning through experience
provide pastoral care and support to children within a secure learning environment
aid the development of a child's personal, social, language and physical coordination abilities
develop and produce visual aids and teaching resources
encourage mathematical and creative development through stories, songs, games, drawing and imaginative play
help children develop curiosity and knowledge
work with others, including teaching assistants and nursery nurses as well as volunteer helpers, to plan and coordinate work both indoors and outdoors
share knowledge gained with other practitioners and build and maintain relationships with parents
observe, assess and record each child's progress
ensure the health and safety of children and staff is maintained during all activities, both inside and outside the setting
attend staff meetings and staff training days
keep up to date with changes in the curriculum and developments in best practice.

You'll need to make sure the activities you plan and carry out in any setting meet the requirements of the relevant educational framework:

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in England
The Early Years Framework in Scotland
Education and Skills in Wales
Early Years Education in Northern Ireland.

Salary

Pay and conditions are set by individual employers, so vary depending on the setting in which you work.
Starting salaries may be in the region of £18,000 to £20,000 with varying levels of responsibility.
Typically once you have some experience you'll be able to achieve salaries ranging from £22,000 to £38,000. Roles at the top end of this bracket will often include supervisory or management duties.
At the moment, it is difficult to achieve salaries at the same levels as those with qualified teacher status (QTS) as pay is not regulated in the same way. Keep up to date with education press and news from the Department for Education (DfE) in case there are any changes or consultations that relate to this.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

Hours vary depending on your setting and may be up to 40 hours a week. Nurseries can be open from 7.30am until 6.30pm, so it's likely you'll need to cover shifts within that period. Hours within a school are typically more regular from around 8.30am to 3.30/4pm.

Extra hours may be required for staff meetings, inspections and parent consultations. Depending on the setting in which you work, you may also need to spend additional time on planning and preparation for activities or lessons.

Part-time hours, temporary work, career break opportunities and job shares are all available. It is also possible to get supply teaching or bank staff roles.

What to expect

You'll work as part of a team with other childcare professionals. These can vary depending on the setting but include nursery practitioners and teaching assistants.
The paperwork involved in the job can often mean some evening and weekend work at home.
Positions are available throughout the UK, although there are more opportunities in towns and cities.
Within a nursery setting you'll typically be allocated a room and age range, e.g. toddler, pre-school, etc. although you could be moved around as needed for cover. In a school you'll usually be based in your own classroom.
Men are currently under-represented within early years provision. This is widely recognised and there are campaigns in place, such as Men in the Early Years (MITEY), which encourage more men to consider it as a career and helps settings recruit men to the roles.
Travel during the working day is rare, except to attend occasional home visits or to go on school trips. Absence from home overnight and overseas work or travel are unlikely.

Qualifications

To become an early years teacher, you'll need to gain early years teacher status (EYTS).

There are a number of Early Years Initial Teacher Training (EYITT) programmes available that lead to EYTS:

undergraduate entry - a full-time degree in an early childhood-related subject, taking three to four years to complete. Some courses may not lead to EYTS so check carefully before applying. Tuition fee loans are available.
graduate entry - typically a full-time year of study with work placements, for those with an undergraduate degree but limited experience of working with children. Course titles vary so check they lead to EYTS. A £7,000 grant is available to cover course fees, and there are a number of bursaries available.
graduate employment-based - a part-time route taking one year to complete, for graduates who already work in an early years setting but need further training to show they meet the Teachers' Standards (early years). Course fees of up to £7,000 are covered by the Department for Education.
assessment only - this self-funded route is for graduates with experience of working with children from birth to age five, who already meet the Teachers' Standards (Early Years) with no need for further training. This assessment usually takes three months to complete and may cost around £2,500 to £3,000 depending on the provider.

EYITT programmes are available either via university or school-led training routes. Applications are made directly to accredited providers. For all programmes you'll need at least a grade 4/C GCSE (or equivalent) in English, mathematics and science. For postgraduates programmes, you'll also need an undergraduate degree, usually at a 2.2 or higher.

You'll also need to pass an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check in England and Wales, or the equivalent check in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

For information on early years teaching in Scotland and Northern Ireland see:

EYTS is a specialist qualification that allows you to work with children up to five years old within certain settings. If you want to work within the reception year/early years foundation stage of a local authority maintained primary school (or possibly with older children) you will need to have qualified teacher status (QTS) rather than EYTS. For more information see, primary school teacher.

Skills

You'll need to have:

excellent communication and listening skills
good organisational skills to plan the day and respond to the different needs of the children you teach
the ability to inspire and enthuse young children
resourcefulness, patience and a caring nature
an understanding of the needs and feelings of children
ability to work independently with children, as well as being able to work in the wider nursery/school team
a sense of humour and the ability to keep things in perspective
ideas and creativity to plan resources and carry out activities such as dance, drama, music, arts and crafts
stamina to keep up with the needs and energy of a large group of lively children
attention to detail for carrying out observations and reporting back to parents and other professionals.

Work experience

Course providers typically ask for relevant work experience with children in a school or nursery environment.

Other relevant experience includes volunteering at a local playgroup or play scheme or work that shows you've provided care and supported children's development. It's a good idea to visit nurseries and schools to observe and talk to early years teachers and that could also lead to work experience opportunities.

If you're applying for the graduate employment-based route, you'll need to be working in an early years setting or school within the early years foundation stage (EYFS).

Find more advice on volunteering in schools.

Employers

As an early years teacher you can find work in:

private, voluntary and independent (PVI) early years settings, such as nurseries and preschools
academies, free schools and independent schools in the reception classes
children's centres and day-care facilities.

If you want to work as a class teacher in a local authority maintained school, you'll need to have qualified teacher status (QTS), which is different from early years teacher status (EYTS). You may still be able to find work within a maintained school but it would be in a role such as a cover teacher or higher level teaching assistant (HLTA).

Look for job vacancies at:

Teacher recruitment agencies such as Eteach and Protocol Education feature opportunities for early years teachers.

It's worth contacting the careers service at the institution where you gained your EYTS to see if they have details of any relevant vacancies or if they have contacts for potential employers.

Discover how to structure a teaching CV.

Professional development

You'll need to make sure that your knowledge and skills relating to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) remain up to date throughout your career. The EYFS sets out the requirements for children's learning and development, their early learning goals, assessments, safeguarding and welfare.

It is a good idea to get membership with a relevant organisation as this can give you access to a range of benefits, including continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities, resources and advice. Membership bodies include:

CPD activities include:

attending training courses and webinars
reading the education press and other relevant publications
attending events and conferences on early years themes
researching early years resources to help develop your work.

You'll probably also receive regular in-house training from the nursery or school you work for.

Courses in business management and leadership skills may be helpful if you're looking to move into a management role.

Career prospects

Once you've gained experience as an early years teacher, there may be opportunities to move into a management role. This could be a staff supervisory role or managing a nursery or group of nurseries. You may also choose to go on to open your own nursery but you’ll need substantial experience as well as business management skills and knowledge.

With additional qualifications and experience, it's possible to specialise in certain areas, such as special educational needs (SEN).

You can do further training to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS) in order to work as a primary school teacher or secondary school teacher or to work as an early years teacher in a maintained school. Different training routes are available, with many graduate options taking one year to complete. With further training, it may also be possible to become a play therapist.

Working as an early years teacher can also lead to local authority advisory roles or into roles involving the mentoring and assessing of early years teachers and other trainees.

Early years teacher