Staff rate job satisfaction and struggles
A love of children, dissatisfaction with alternative careers or being able to do flexible hours are the main reasons people choose to work in childcare, according to the IPPR study For Love or Money.
But the report also found many young staff were working in second and even third jobs to try to make ends meet.
One 19-year-old spoke of the stress of juggling college, childcare work and her second job in a pub. She said, 'I get ill but I can't afford to have time off work because it's crap pay, so I end up going in and making myself worse.'
Focus groups were held with 53 early years workers in the east of England from PVI and maintained settings.
The best aspect of working in childcare was watching children grow and develop, respondents said. Downsides were having to dealing with children's tantrums and the stress of working in a poorly paid job with low social status.
Practitioners also complained about excessive paperwork, which detracted from the amount of time spent directly with children.
Researchers found mixed attitudes towards relationships with parents. A deputy manager said, 'They'll call on you to teach potty training, which is a job that parents should have to do.'
