Description Role: Ref 11519 - Early Years Practitioner (aka Early Years Superhero) Location: Braintree and Witham, Essex Salary: £12.21 per hour Contract/Hours: Casual (Shifts worked between 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday) - pick and choose when you work, around your study, family, retirement or home life! Closing Date: Midnight of 8 th July 2025 Benefits: Time off to recharge - 33 Days leave per year 24/7 Confidential Helpline - speak to trained counsellors any time, 365 days a year, for emotional, wellbeing or mental health support. Enhanced Well-being -8 sessions In-Person, Phone, or Online Counselling or CBT Treat yourself - Staff discounts portal and blue light card with 15,000 retailers Childcare Discount – A whopping 60% off childcare within our nurseries and out of school clubs Up to 3 Days Dependency Leave – to care for dependents in an emergency. Paid maternity, adoption, and paternity leave Gain professional qualifications - with excellent training/development opportunities Salary Finance - access to financial advice and the ability to manage savings or loans directly from your salary Secure your future - Pension with up to 7% employer contribution with included life assurance cover Why Spring Nurseries Imagine a place where laughter echoes, imaginations run wild, and every day is a new adventure. That's Spring Nursery! We're not just a nursery; we are a family dedicated to creating a joyful and nurturing environment where children thrive. As part of Action for Children, we're on a mission to provide outstanding early education that's accessible to all. At Spring, we are committed to supporting your career growth! Check out our Spring Career Progression Map attached to this advert, which highlights the options for progression into a specialist role. A day in the life of an Early Years Superhero : Spring has three nurseries in Braintree and Witham, Essex to work across: Spring Carousel, Spring Seesaw, and Spring Harlequin. At Spring Carousel, a 49-place nursery in Braintree, we provide affordable, high-quality childcare for children aged 0-5 years. Our dedicated team prioritizes children's happiness and well-being, offering a diverse range of activities for growth and socialization. Our facilities include a sensory room, a spacious garden overlooking a large playing field and playground, and a nature garden with a delightful frog pond for children to explore and connect with nature. At Spring Seesaw, a purpose-built nursery in central Braintree, we are proud to announce the nursery has been recognized as one of the Top 20 Nurseries in the East of England by Day Nurseries. The nursery caters for up to 49 children aged 0-5, including those with additional needs, with a team committed to providing inclusive care. With our dedicated SENCO worker and qualified staff, we prioritize each child's development and well-being. Spring Harlequin, a reputable 37-place nursery located in Witham, offers a nurturing and stimulating environment for children aged 0-5 years. Our dedicated staff prioritize creating an engaging and educational setting for children to explore and learn naturally. At our nursery, we focus on fostering each child's individuality in a safe and secure space. With trained professionals including a SENco lead and a PANCO lead, we ensure comprehensive support for all children. Our spacious garden provides ample play opportunities, featuring a mud kitchen, fairy garden, and challenging construction area for both indoor and outdoor activities. If you're ready to join a committed team as an Early Years Practitioner (Unqualified) and make a real difference, Spring Nurseries in Essex is the place for you. Let's create magical moments for our children together! Your mission (should you choose to accept it) Working as part of a team to create a safe and stimulating environment for our children Support and participate in planning exciting preschool activities that spark creativity and curiosity Prepare children for the next big adventure: School Build strong relationships with parents/carers and families Meet each child's unique needs with love and attention Bring a positive attitude and make every day magical What we need from you In the role of Early Years Practitioner (Unqualified), we're ideally looking for someone who has: A passion to learn and develop whether you are new to the sector or an experienced practitioner Experience working with children in an early years or childcare environment An understanding of children's development needs (0 to 5 years) A positive attitude and a commitment to excellence Ready to make a difference in the lives of children? Whether you're looking for a career change or the next step in your journey, we'd love to hear from you! Apply now and help us give children a healthy start in life! Contact: If you need support with your application, please contact our Recruitment Team at RecruitmentService@actionforchildren.org.uk quoting the above Reference. We'll be happy to give you any support you require. Diversity, Equality and Inclusion At Spring Oscars we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic and disabled candidates as they are under-represented within the organisation. We want to take deliberate and purposeful action to ensure equal opportunity to all groups. Male staff are often under-represented within this sector, and we would like to encourage more male applicants for our roles. We are committed to safer recruitment practices to protect our service users; therefore, all applicants are expected to have an understanding of and commitment to safeguarding best-practice. Application Process Please note we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role. There are 5 sections for you to complete - Personal Details, CV, Supporting Statement & Information, Equality & Diversity, Submission & Declaration – please refer to the Job Description when applying. We also want to know what unique qualities you can bring to help us reach our vision for children and families. Talent Pool: We're sure you've got what it takes to join our ambitious team. If you're unsuccessful this time around, we'd like to hold your details in case similar jobs come up that you might be better suited for. But feel free to let us know if you'd rather we didn't do that. Want to know more about Spring and Oscars? Check out our socials on X (Twitter), Linkedin, Facebook or Youtube. See below for further information about working with us: Employee Reward Booklet Spring Early Years Career Pathway Job Description