I am currently an early years Level 3 practitioner working at Bright Horizons Cedar House. I work full-time (40 hours a week) and started my role in April 2022. In 2018, I graduated with a bachelor's degree in sports and exercise science at Middlesex University. Once I completed it, I had aspirations to become a P.E. teacher or a physiotherapist at a Premier League football team. Those were my two dreams while I was at university.
My original dream, like any young boy, was to become a footballer, but working in a football team really enticed me. So did I pursue this? No – I was too late in applying for a course that would lead me to that route. I then decided to work in a primary school to cover lunchtimes and after-school clubs. I did this from December 2018 until February 2021. I then looked to pursue a career as a P.E. teacher, but I saw an advert for an unqualified nursery assistant through an agency called Wizard staff solutions. I applied while continuing to focus on P.E. teaching, but I got called immediately by the company, who offered me an interview, and I accepted the job offer straight away as I was intrigued about the role.
I thought working in early years only required people to change nappies, feed babies, put them to sleep. But there was way more to it, which I genuinely never knew. I also was aware that it was a female-dominated industry and I saw it as a challenge to change this.
For this role I worked in different nurseries from March until September 2021. I got asked to work at my current setting (Bright Horizons Cedar House) by my agency for a few days. After two days of working there, I was asked if I could work here for the next two weeks. Long story short, I was booked continuously by the setting through my agency for the next few months until March 2022. I felt part of the team even though I wasn't officially a staff member in the setting.
A new manager called Ela joined the setting who was fantastic, alongside the deputy manager, Jacki, and they worked hard to recruit me to join the team officially as a pre-school staff member. I was very glad as I really felt at home, had great relationships with the children, staff, management and parents. I worked for a few months before being encouraged by the management team to study for my Level 3 to become a fully qualified staff member.
I started a Level 3 apprenticeship in early years with Lifetime Training. This was something I was happy to do and I took the opportunity with both hands. Lifetime Training had a reputation of successfully helping other staff members gain qualifications, so it was seen as a respected and trusted organisation.
WHAT HAVE BEEN THE HIGHLIGHTS?
Balancing the apprenticeship course with my everyday role was difficult at first, but I had the best support, not just from the staff members, management, Lifetime Training coaches and the course but also from the parents at my setting, which was pretty amazing to see. This really pushed me to continue to focus. It was hard at times to balance, as at one point I had ten key children to do weekly observations and reports for, alongside performing at my best each day.
Last July I successfully completed my apprenticeship and was a qualified Level 3 early years practitioner. This has been a big highlight for me becoming a qualified practitioner because now I do see myself working in early years for a longer period than I had initially planned. A few years ago, I genuinely thought this job role was short term, but it's amazing how things change when you are enjoying yourself, and now I plan to explore other roles in the company. There are so many roles you could be promoted to – a room leader, working in management, working at a regional and national level for the company; the opportunities at Bright Horizons are quite impressive.
Another highlight is seeing babies I have worked with at just nine to 12 months go on to graduate from pre-school at the ages of three to four. It's still incredible to see the development of children through the years and it's something that continues to really motivate me.
The biggest highlight was another achievement last year, when I was nominated for Early Years Apprentice of the Year at the Nursery World Awards 2024. I was then delighted to win, out of the many others who were also nominated. This was a huge achievement and something I didn't expect at all. But I was incredibly grateful for the support I received and I truly believe this award represents everyone who was a part of my journey. Whether it's fellow staff members, the children, past, present, management at my settings, parents, I really believe it's their win as much as it was mine as, without them, I wouldn't have been in that position.
HOW HAVE YOU TRIED TO BROADEN YOUR EXPERIENCES AND SKILLS TO STAND OUT FROM OTHER APPRENTICES?
In terms of standing out from other apprentices, I am trying to change the stereotype that men don't belong in early years settings. It's still very rare to see a male working in this industry, but I am seeing a lot of growth recently. I hope I can inspire more males to take this opportunity, as they certainly will have a lot of fun.
I am also very keen on introducing a P.E. curriculum to early years – I want to hold annual sports days and do sports activities each day.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO OTHER APPRENTICES CURRENTLY STUDYING OR WORKING IN THE SECTOR?
The advice I would give to fellow apprentices is to keep going, stay focused – it will all be worth it, I promise you. Make sure you have the correct support system, whether that's from your learning coach, staff members or management. This really helps, so don't be afraid to ask for more support, as it will make a difference. Anyone who is looking at working in early years, DO IT! You will have the best time, you will grow as a person, you will build so many close relationships with lots of people, and I feel like it will be the best decision you ever make.
A human being's life is most important in the first few years of their life. That's when the brain grows faster than any period of their life. Why not be a part of a child's life in the early stages of their life? Trust me, you could make a huge difference, and the feeling when you do is unmatched.
Which figures in the sector do you find most inspiring?
The people that inspire me the most are the children in my setting, the staff members, the management team, the parents. Ela gave me so much confidence each day, and a lot of responsibility, trusted me and supported me throughout the last few years. Jacki was incredibly helpful with my apprenticeship journey, gave me so much support, dedicated a lot of time to help me submit my coursework, and shared her advice throughout it. My former room leader Bonnie taught me a lot about early years, working especially in pre-school, always gave good advice and constant feedback about where I could improve.
Our parents constantly give fantastic feedback on the work we do, constant praise and support. It really helps us all and is something that keeps us going. The children are huge inspirations as well. Every day they walk in with a smile on their faces. There's nothing better than seeing a child greet you in the morning, it really makes me so happy to see that they are happy to see me.
Each day a child reaches a milestone or learns something new – that is massively inspirational in my opinion. It doesn't matter what age group, whether it's a nine-month-old baby or a four-year-old pre-school child, it's an incredible feeling seeing them develop so much each day, each month, each year.
