Meet Karen Povey, Nursery Manager, Busy Bees UK

What has been your training and career to date?
I started my nursery career 13 years ago and have since worked my way up to Manager. Alongside working with the nursery, I have gained a level 3 NVQ in Childcare.

What would be a typical day?
This starts by greeting parents in the morning as they drop off their children. It is of great importance to me that I have a good relationship with all the parents. I spend a lot of my day working in the nursery rooms, looking after the children, as and when the staff need me. We organise a lot of events, such as fundraisers and awareness days, so it can get very busy.

As Manager, you have to be ready to undertake any task needed: I will sometimes cook meals if my cook is not here. I will also arrange marketing and communicating with parents through newsletters and parents evening. I show new parents round and have responsibility for recruiting and making sure all my staff have all the required training. I also catch up with paperwork, including health and safety checks, budgets and risk assessments.

Why did you choose this field of work?
I’ve always loved children. I knew everyday would be different and it would be lots of fun – I love interacting with the children and taking part in the messy artwork and crafts.

Childcare is a vocation. You need to love working with children to pursue it as a long-term career. It takes dedication and commitment to ensure the children parents entrust into your care are safe and happy at all times.

What qualities do you think are needed?
You must love working with children and babies. You need to have a very caring and patient attitude, be professional at all times and have good communication skills. It helps to be a people person.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of doing the same job?
You need to be very flexible with your hours. Maybe try a voluntary placement before you pursue a career to see if childcare really is for you.