Working with young children has always been a rewarding and engaging profession. Demand for childcare practitioners has never been higher and so it is a great time to explore a career with Willow Cottage Nurseries. Practitioners with their Level 2 qualification will earn £24,720 per year whilst studying for their Level 3!

As an unqualified early years practitioner studying towards your level 2 apprenticeship you will join a passionate and professional team of qualified educators. You will learn to plan and deliver activities, purposeful play opportunities and educational programs. This is achieved by striving to meet every child’s individual needs and ensuring they are cared for in a safe, stable and stimulating environment.

An apprenticeship with Willow Cottage will give you an opportunity to learn in a supportive environment whist also earning an excellent salary with great prospects. We are very highly recommended by Abingdon and Witney College as an excellent nursery to achieve your level 2, and also your level 3, Early Years qualifications.

Willow Cottage has now been successfully providing apprenticeships for a number of years. We have members of staff who joined us as unqualified practitioners who have gone on to become room leaders and also even help manage our settings.

Job role

• Help with the daily routine and care of the children in your assigned department and across the setting as a whole.
• Interact with the children to support the children’s learning and development in an age/stage appropriate way.
• Prepare resources under the guidance of colleagues.
• Set-up activities both inside and outside under the direction of colleagues.
• Undertake daily housekeeping jobs as required.
• Electronic record keeping and supporting child development observations.

Pay
£7 - 10.42 per hour
Most apprentices will start on £7 per hour and this will increase to £9.50 once you achieve your 'practice ready' competency and a £250 welcome bonus.
Candidates with prior relevant working experience may join our accelerated scheme and start on up to £10.42 per hour, and £400 welcome bonus.

Hours
30 to 40 hours per week between the hours of 0730 and 1800 Monday to Friday. Apprentices under the age of 18 are only able to work 8 hours per day. There is a half hour lunch break which is unpaid.

Locations
Positions are available at all 3 of our settings:
Bletchingdon - OX5 3DH
Eynsham - OX29 4EH
Farmoor - OX2 9NT

Getting to the nursery setting
There is little or no public transport provision to our settings. Please check that you are able to get safely and reliably to and from your preferred setting, and that you will be able to work shifts that may start at different times or on different days of the week.

Company Ethos
Willow Cottage is a caring family business dedicated to providing the best for young children for over 40 years. We currently have 3 settings in west Oxfordshire.

Qualities required
A suitable candidate will have the following characteristics:

• Friendly, fun loving and willing to learn.
• Curious about how to best engage with young children.
• Flexible and adaptable to a changing working environment.
• Able to incorporate your studies into your work with the children.
• Willing to take a full and active part of being a team including duties such as cleaning and housekeeping.
• Energetic and resilient to overcoming challenges.
• Open and willing to share concerns and questions.

You will also need GCSE English and Maths at Grade 4 or above.

Apprenticeship Assessment and Information Session
Any new person applying for apprenticeship roles, where Abingdon and Witney College deliver the training, will be required to attend an Apprenticeship Assessment and Information Session at Witney or Abingdon campus.

This will consist of a series of initial assessments (required prior to any apprenticeship offer), completion of essential paperwork, the opportunity to find out more about the apprenticeship process, the training included, and a forum for your questions.

You can get in contact with Abingdon and Witney College on 01235 216216.

Safeguarding
Willow Cottage is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Applicants must be able to provide evidence of having the right to live and work in the UK and must undergo child protection screening, including checks with past employers and DBS and barred lists checks.

Further details of our safeguarding commitment can be found at

www.willow-cottage.com/required-qualities/#SaferRecruitment

Equal Opportunities
We are an equal opportunities employer. Please see our willow-cottage.com/jobs web site for further information.

Testimonials
”I really appreciate being an apprentice at Willow Cottage. Everyone is really supportive and willing to help me out, from answering questions to helping with laptop troubles! The managers have been really diligent in planning out my training time” – Julia, Apprentice

“Willow Cottage are very committed to supporting Apprentices through their training and qualifications. They have a clear and comprehensive training schedule for their apprentices and work closely in partnership with Abingdon & Witney College. We have regular face-to-face meetings, and email contact with Managers and Deputy Managers, so that we are all clear about the progress that our Apprentices are making. Senior staff will share concerns or areas for development with us, allowing us to address these in tutorial sessions with the apprentice.” Melissa Round – Abingdon & Witney College Course Tutor

More information
For more information please see our website www.willow-cottage.com/jobs/

• We offer very competitive salaries and regularly review them to ensure they are fair
• Flexible working arrangements
• Additional hours paid at overtime rates (1.5x)
• Bonus annual leave for reliable attendance, long service and Christmas shopping
• Scheme to purchase additional annual leave
• Refer a friend scheme
• We our staff are able to join the NEST pension scheme
• Our settings are easily accessible by car with free parking
• We support both in-house and external training
• We promote and develop candidates for internal career opportunities
• We are a family business promoting caring, supportive environment and culture
• Ours settings are situated in beautify countryside with plenty of outside space.
• 50% discount on childcare