Nursery Support
Permanent nursery assistant jobs
The way into the sector. Level 2 or unqualified, working alongside practitioners, with most settings willing to fund your Level 3.
£26,400 to £28,000 outside London
Guide band for 2026. See how we work these out.
You can start work in a nursery without a qualification. What you cannot do without one is be counted in ratio at Level 3, which is why the gap between assistant pay and practitioner pay is worth closing quickly.
What the role involves
- Supporting practitioners with activities, mealtimes and personal care
- Helping set up and clear the room, indoors and outdoors
- Getting to know the children well enough to notice when something is off
- Learning the EYFS on the floor rather than out of a folder
What you will need
- Level 2, or no qualification and a genuine intention to get one
- Enhanced DBS
- Patience, and the sort of energy a two-year-old cannot outlast
- No prior experience, for a good number of the settings we work with
Also advertised as: Early Years Assistant, Nursery Support Worker. Settings use these titles more or less interchangeably, so search for all of them.
Where
Where we recruit this role
We place nursery assistant roles across the UK. These are the areas we cover most closely.
Questions
About this role
What does a nursery assistant earn?
Our 2026 guide puts this role at £26,400 to £28,000 outside London. Bands assume a 40-hour week and are built from the National Living Wage floor and the published sector median. The full method is on our salary guide.
Is this a permanent role?
Every role we place is permanent. Tiny Tots Recruitment does not run a temp desk and does not offer agency shifts.
What else is this job called?
You will also see it advertised as Early Years Assistant, Nursery Support Worker. The qualification and the ratio requirements are the same whichever title a setting uses.
Related
Other roles we recruit
Nursery Nurse
The Level 3 role at the heart of every nursery. Key person to a group of children, responsible for their day, their development records and their families.
£27,000 to £30,500 outside London
About this roleEarly Years Practitioner
The professional title for the job most people call nursery nurse. Level 2 and Level 3 both count in ratio, but not for the same things.
£27,000 to £30,500 at Level 3, outside London
About this rolePre-School Practitioner
Three to five year olds, usually term time, often in a village hall or a charity-run setting with a committee rather than an owner.
£26,900 to £30,000 outside London, usually term time only
About this roleLooking for a nursery assistant role?
Register once and we will come to you when something fits. You will know the setting, the room and the pay before you decide whether to meet them, and your CV goes nowhere without your say-so.