Types of childcare work

Creche worker
Creches provide sessional care for children while parents access a range of services, eg education/training, leisure, shopping.
Age group: up to 12 years

Childminder
A self-employed registered carer who looks after children in the childminder's own home.
Age group: up to 12 years

Nanny
A nanny provides childcare in the family's own home. Find out about registering as a nanny on the GOV.UK website. There's also some information on becoming a childcare provider.

Playgroup worker
Playgroups provide sessional care and learning and are sometimes run by volunteers or at a low cost.
Age group: 2 to 4 years

Nursery nurse/teacher
Providing early years education and care. In a local authority nursery, assistants may need to be qualified. Nursery staff in private establishments may not all need a qualification.
Age group: 3 to 5 years

Classroom assistant
Providing support for early years teachers within a school.
Agre group: 3 to 11 years

Out of school/playworker
Out of school clubs are based in a variety of settings. Some are attached to nurseries or schools, some in leisure centres and some are private ventures. The clubs provide care during holidays.
Age group: 3 to 14 years

Special needs worker
All the roles outlined above could involve working with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to some degree. If you want to work specifically with children who have special needs, you need to ask about settings/services which specialise in this area.

Working in childcare

Rate this page