Nursery - Early Years Level 3 Apprenticeship

Welcome to Hungry Caterpillars – A multi award winning, family run children’s nursery group.  Currently celebrating 25 years of inspiring little minds and providing the very best in early years education and childcare.  We are very proud of our success, which has been achieved by having an amazing team of staff and educators, who are dedicated and passionate about the work they do and the impact they have on shaping children’s lives.  Our ethos is to invest in our staff and ensure they are offered the very best in personal development, training opportunities and career progression, together with a competitive salary and a happy, welcoming workplace. 

Why become an Apprentice Educator with Hungry Caterpillars?

All Apprentices start on an initial 18 month contract and upon completion will have the opportunity to progress onto a permanent practitioner contract (which would also result in an uplift in pay). The salaries for this contract are currently as follows:

• For unqualified apprentices, £16,016 (Level 3)  is the annual salary for the first 12 months of the apprenticeship; after that the annual salary will be in line with National Minimum Wage until you qualify, at which time the annual salary will be in line with our Level 3 qualified staff pay-scales.  If you are already qualified as a Level 2, then you will be paid on the Level 2 salary scale which is currently £24,731

Apply today for our Early Years Educator Apprenticeship and join our Hungry Caterpillar family. This is a fabulous opportunity to ‘earn whilst you learn’, gain a valid qualification and experience working alongside our qualified team in a busy bustling nursery environment.

You’ll be trained to carry out the same post as a Level 3 practitioner, providing safe, high quality education and care that meets the individual needs of the children attending our setting with the support of your assessor, mentor, manager and team. 

At the end of your training, you will achieve a Level 3 qualification, gain valuable work experience and have the opportunity to secure a permanent role in early years.

The nursery is located at Angelpoint House, Marlow Hill, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP11 1TJ.  Situated in a wonderful purpose built nursery, located close to local amenities, the motorway and transport links.  The nursery opened in July 2019 and was planned from the ground up, and in doing so, we have created something very special.  Bright, spacious and beautiful dedicated rooms for each age group that lead out onto the secure garden area.

Capacity: 90 place nursery (3 months to 5 years)

1 x Baby Room (0-2 years x 23 places)

1 x Toddler Room (2-3 years x 27 places)

1 x Pre-School (3-4 years x 40 places)

Opening Times: 7.30am-6.30pm

Experience / Qualifications - What you will bring to the role:

• At least a Grade C (4/5) in GCSE English & Maths or L2 Functional Skills
• Have lived in UK for at least the last three years
• Good communication skills, patience & passion, enabling you to build effective & lasting relationships that will reward you with love, pride & a sense of achievement you won’t find in other roles!
• Willingness to learn, attendance to assessment visits and complete all set assignments within the timeframe required.
• Commitment – even to reach the end of that story that has been interrupted 5 times
• Ability to work as part of a team and use your own initiative.
• A sense of humour which allows you to see the silver lining of every situation and have fun each and every day
• Skilled in organisation, problem solving and attention to detail.

Hours

• 40 hours/week, 5 days per week on-site.
• All working days will be around the current rotating shift pattern (7.30 to 4.30 / 8 to 5 / 8.30 to 5.30 / 9 to 6).  Please note you’ll also be required to attend one evening per month for a staff meeting.

Why should you join our Award Winning nursery group?

At the heart of Hungry Caterpillars are our incredible teams who we value and offer:

• NUS Apprentice Card – discount at 100s of shops and restaurants!
• 50% off of childcare fees from day one (T&C's apply) 
• 28 days annual leave which includes bank holidays & a whole week break over Christmas plus an extra day for your birthday off work, fully paid! (T&C's apply) 
• ‘The Caterpillar Academy’ - Five, fully paid, company training days each year & access to an online training portal with over 100 courses for your development
• Fantastic opportunities for career progression with internal promotions supported
• ‘Superstar Awards Day’ held annually to celebrate individual and team achievements
• Refer a friend / parent bonuses
• Monthly staff prize draw
• Bupa Health Care package  (T&C's apply)