nursery practitioner

nursery nurse

recruitment consultant

nursery room leader

shift leader

Wizard-Staff-Solutions

I’ve never experienced such a workplace in my life. Wizard staff are VERY unprofessional, the management is extremely rude and it was all just a waste of my time. I got hired to work for this company in May, the manager told me I was able to start work immediately, she said all I needed was my DBS and I was ready to go, she failed to mention that me getting a DBS would take 3 months. In the process of me getting my DBS, I was tracking her down for months asking “what’s the update, when can I start?” The manger would never respond. She would only call me to ask “what’s your previous address” etc. Even when she had called me she used to be extremely rude. I then had my first shift in August and that was my first and last shift. 
In the interview the manager told me, there is always shifts available and any shifts you want to work you tell me the week before and she will book me in. After that one shift, everything changed, it went from me booking in shifts the week before to me now being “on call”. In case you are wondering what on call is, on call is when they call you between 7 - 10am if they have a shift they want you to go and work that day. To me, this is never going to work, I then began setting my alarm for 7am everyday for me to receive no call (very frustrating). My work background, I always have a timetable from a week before telling me what shifts I am doing so I am able to balance my work and social life, this happens at majority of work places to be honest but not at wizard staff. I then messaged my manger and said “I was told I was going to be working full time and so far I have only worked one shift, why is that?” She then replied with “during the holidays it is very quite.. sorry” if this was the case why didn’t she just tell me that from the beginning instead of leading me on, giving me false hope that I was going to be working full time when I wasn’t. I ended up even spending £54 on a DBS that I never used. Honestly words cannot explain how disgusted I am at Wizard Staff Solutions. Before applying, I had already been warned about their lack of professionalism and their lack of work giving but I still went ahead and gave them a chance anyway and that was the biggest mistake of my life.

It is flexible to work for this agency.  But there are vetter agencies out there. There is usually work available, but not always . I enjoy working with the children/nurseries. However the company don't treat you like a person. Just an option available, to fill the work they want covering. They often didn't listen to when I said I was available. Still askiing me to do shifts I couldn't. Often asking me to travel further than I wanted to. To several different places. They even booked me in, for work one day with a nursery. When I wasn't available. After I had stated when I was/wasn't available. I then had to apologise to the nursery and rectify the situation myself. They send impersonal chain messages. To ask when you're available. Even when you've told them you're unavailable or on holiday. Sometimes sending them to you at night time. Have also heard many many others. Complain about the company and how they were unfairly treated .They don't pay you holiday pay unless you chase them. Asking them to pay you it a few times. They don't want you to take time off work. Even after/during family emergencies or bereavement.  Very impersonal company. Only interested in how much work/ money they can get from you. In the 18 months I worked for them. They very rarely bothered to give me any praises or criticisms. No options for any kind of advancement or qualifications.

Worst place to ever work. You are basically on call every week. Was not made aware of this. This means you have to stay awake up until 10am and waste your time awaiting to be notified if you have a shift. The consultants are extremely rude. In the interview I was told that I would get shifts CLOSE to my area. But When you first join they take advantage of you and send you to places that take more than an hour to get to. The consultants ignore your messages when you tell them you are NOT available and then ask for timesheets when you said you can’t do the shifts and put the blame on you. It’s like they don’t read your texts. I would tell them constantly that I’m not available and she would still send shifts. It was really frustrating having to repeat my self over and over. They are highly unprofessional. They also pay everyone DIFFERENT amounts. I know people who previously worked with the agency and were paid more than me and a friend but all different amounts. I spoke to someone about this and they said it’s to do with experience and qualifications which is absolute rubbish because we all are students. Furthermore they make you pay for a DBS which is ridiculous. I know other companies who pay for that. If they were good then it wouldn’t matter but I just feel it’s a waste of money.

I worked at Wizard for over a year and thoroughly enjoyed it! I visited various nursery settings and most recently had a regular booking where I was placed for around 6 months.
The staff at Wizard are really helpful, they asked which areas I could work in and never asked me to travel outside of those areas. Aimee always ensured I had work and often offered me full time roles if she thought I might like them. If I didn't have a job booked in I would remain on call until 10am that day, but more often than not I would get a phone call for a job by 8am. Majority of the time all my work was booked in advance so it was never a problem. 
If you enjoy meeting new people, are confident at going to new places, enjoy mucking in and are flexible then this is the job for you! This worked great for me as I am studying so I could pick and choose when I could work.
Yes, you are out there on your own once you're working, but Aimee is always on the other end of the phone if you need her! I was very happy at Wizard and have remained on their books incase I wish to go back (which Im sure I will in the future!) 

The staff upon my interview told me what my day to day would be like but at the actual nurseries themselves I was treated very differently, like the bottom of the barrel, often asked to fetch other staff their bottles of water and other tasks that had nothing to do with the actual nursery. Once the nursery staff realised I was actually good with the children they then asked the other agency staff to do those tasks. You were made to feel inferior because you were with an agency. Wizard themselves I also found extremely unprofessional. They were incredibly rude to communicate with and not even a thank you when I would often go above and beyond. They would often make mistakes over shifts/times and I would get the blame. Bottom line, if you need a temporary job it is ok but make sure you are looking for another job. Personally, I will be telling everyone I know it is not worth the stress and hassle Wizard put you through, it is far from a helpful and encouraging environment.

Working for WSS is great if you’re a uni student/ looking for flexible work. Upon starting, you’re assigned a consultant who supports you and books you for shifts. My consultant, Georgia, is great. She’s supportive and accommodates to any requests that I have. The hours can be quite long and the job itself can be quite challenging at times as some nursery staff don't necessarily like agency and they don’t make an effort so you can tend to feel quite out of place, however, the kids are great and it’s a great job for anyone looking to get into childcare as you’re placed in a variety of different settings however there is also opportunities of continuity as I was placed a lot at one nursery over the summer. I have also been booked a lot on the days I’ve stated I’m available, this can fluctuate throughout the year, and there can be times where there’s not much work, but I’ve found my experience to be great! 

I worked for this agency over the autumn. It was a promising company, however, I did not get the potential working hours a week which desired. I only got called up on 3 occasions for places that were accessible by transport. This was over 4 months. The pay was good and when I visited some nurseries they treated me with respect and helped me engage and play with the children. However, one nursery in particular treated me so poorly that I came home crying. This is the disadvantage of working for an agency as you have to adapt to new environments quickly but often treated like an outcast. Sometimes I was also called 10 minutes before the start of the day and expected to travel to a place which was an hour and a half journey on the bus. Its ridiculous the expectations. The advantage of this agency is good pay and flexible hours. However, this job definitely wasn't for me.

I had the horror of working with this company for a few months. Although I liked working with children, the adults in each of the established nurseries use you as a machine to carry heavy equipment and you are seen as inferior at all times. You aren't included and you are seen as an outsider. Although the hours do really work around your schedule, they are very last minute. Also signing up for this company costs quite a lot, due to DBS checks you have to cover yourself. Many of the nurseries also cancel half of your shift to save money, but they tell you that when you are already in the middle of your shift. As someone with no car, using 20 pounds for getting to a desolate location via taxi to only work for 2 hours even though you had an 8-hour shift and only earn 14 pounds is really shameless. 
Please dont go with this company, you are just a glorified cleaner and stock mover.

I have worked for Wizard for three years now and I cannot fault the company. My job role has completed matched and actually exceeded my expectations! Working for Wizard whilst completing my degree has been a delight, it has allowed me to expand my skills whilst having the opportunity to work alongside my degree ultimately giving my the knowledge needed to kick start my career. 

The management team are supportive with career development and have allowed my confidence to build throughout my time spent working closely with the Wizard Team! Special shoutout to the Herts Team who have supported myself and other staff members with their careers and development. I never knew how great a company could be till I worked for Wizard. 

I would recommend to all!

Top Job Titles	Average salary
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Nursery room leader 4 salaries reported	£15.25 per hour
Shift leader 3 salaries reported	£18,667 per year

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