Playworker – Ready for a Change from Nursery or Preschool?
Love working with children, but ready for something different?
If you work – or have previously worked – in a nursery, preschool or Early Years setting, you already have skills we value enormously.
You know how to build relationships with children. You understand Safeguarding. You can manage a busy room, support behaviour, talk confidently with parents, work as part of a team and somehow keep smiling when six children want you at once.
But perhaps you're ready for a change.
At St Claire's, our Playworkers work with children aged 4–12 in before-school, after-school and holiday clubs. It's still about helping children thrive – but the emphasis is on play, friendships, independence, interests and FUN.
You can still work with children, without the same responsibility for curriculum planning, tracking learning and assessing children's developmental progress.
And changing direction doesn't mean putting your career development on hold. We actively encourage our Playworkers to develop their own interests, specialisms and careers – and we'll pay you to train.
That might mean developing expertise in SEN, behaviour, safeguarding or mental health, gaining further childcare or leadership qualifications, or learning something completely different that you can bring back to the children – from sports coaching or outdoor learning to archery.
If there's an area you're passionate about, we want to help you become brilliant at it.
Your Early Years experience transfers brilliantly to Playwork, but the job can feel very different.
What is a Playworker?
Our clubs are the children's out-of-school time.
They've spent all day in a classroom. We don't want to recreate one.
They need somewhere they can relax, see their friends, run around, make things, invent games, get muddy, kick a football, disappear into a craft project, build an enormous den or just sit and chat to an adult they trust.
As a Playworker, your job is to help make that happen.
One afternoon you might organise a huge outdoor game; the next you'll be helping children cook, paint, build, perform, create or pursue an idea that's entirely their own.
You'll still use all the skills you've developed working with younger children – but with school-aged children who are increasingly independent, opinionated, funny and full of ideas of their own.
You might love this role if…
- You love working with children but are ready for a change from nursery or preschool.
- You'd like to work with older, more independent children.
- You enjoy the fun, creative and relationship-building parts of childcare.
- You'd like to spend more time facilitating children's play and interests.
- You want to bring your own personality, hobbies and ideas to work.
- You want an employer who will invest in your training and help you develop a specialism.
- You want opportunities to progress into additional responsibilities, specialist roles or management.
- You're looking for childcare work that can offer shorter shifts and more sociable hours.
- You've left Early Years but miss working with children.
- You've taken a career break and are wondering whether now is the time to come back.
- You have an Early Years qualification or years of experience and would like to use those skills in a different environment.
You don't need Playwork experience – we'll teach you the bits that are different.
Develop a career that's actually yours
We don't believe staff development should mean everyone following exactly the same path.
Perhaps you're fascinated by SEN and want to develop your knowledge and eventually take on a specialist role. Maybe you're interested in behaviour, safeguarding, mental health, outdoor learning, sport or leadership.
Or perhaps there's something you've always wanted to learn that could create fantastic opportunities for our children – archery, forest skills, sports coaching, arts, cooking or something we haven't thought of yet.
Tell us where you'd like to develop. Where it's appropriate to your role and our clubs, we'll support and pay for training that helps you get there.
And if your ambition is management, there are opportunities to progress within St Claire's, building your experience and taking on greater responsibility as you develop.
We want Playworker to be a role you can grow from, not get stuck in.
What you'll be doing
You'll work as part of a friendly team to:
- Play, talk and build positive relationships with children aged 4–12.
- Help children turn their own ideas into activities and adventures.
- Organise games, sports, crafts, creative projects and activities.
- Encourage independence, friendships and confidence.
- Support children with a wide range of personalities and needs.
- Encourage positive behaviour and calmly handle disagreements and difficult moments.
- Help with school pick-ups where required.
- Prepare and clear away snacks.
- Help set up, tidy and keep the club clean, welcoming and organised.
- Build positive relationships with parents and families.
- Follow our safeguarding, e-safety and Early Years procedures.
- Take part in our training and weekly team meetings.
And, importantly, have fun with the children.
What we're looking for
Your childcare experience is valuable to us, whether you've spent six months or ten years working in Early Years.
We're looking for someone who:
- Genuinely enjoys spending time with children.
- Is warm, friendly and approachable.
- Understands the importance of safeguarding.
- Is reliable and turns up when they say they will.
- Can be playful, enthusiastic and a little bit silly when the occasion calls for it!
- Understands that children sometimes need a trusted adult to simply listen.
- Is patient and able to stay calm when things get noisy or busy.
- Can confidently and kindly challenge poor behaviour.
- Works well as part of a team.
- Is comfortable building relationships with parents.
- Can use their initiative and spot what needs doing.
- Wants to learn, develop and perhaps discover a specialism of their own.
- Treats children, families and colleagues with respect.
- Has a good sense of humour.
If you already have an interest you could share with children – sport, art, crafts, music, drama, gaming, cooking, nature or something completely different – even better.
Hours that can fit around your life
Our clubs operate during:
Breakfast Club: 7:45am–9:00am
After School Club: 2:45pm–6:00pm
Holiday Club: between 8:00am–6:00pm during school holidays, excluding Christmas when we close for two weeks and Bank Holidays. Holiday Club hours are discussed and agreed with you.
You don't have to work all of these and we have admin hours available for the right candidate to make this role full time, if desired.
We match your contracted hours and sites as far as possible to how much or how little you'd like to work and where is practical for you to travel to.
So if you're looking at another full day in nursery and thinking, I don't know if I want to do this anymore, you don't necessarily have to leave childcare.
You might just need to do childcare differently.
Pay
£12.71–£13.12 per hour.
Your agreed annual hours are divided across 12 months to give you a regular monthly salary.
Paid time includes weekly staff meetings and training.
We recognise experience, development and performance, with pay progression through our appraisal process.
What we offer
- Your existing childcare experience is genuinely valued
- Paid induction and in-house training
- Paid external training and qualifications
- The opportunity to choose training that develops your own interests and specialisms
- Career development and opportunities for promotion within St Claire's
- Regular support from experienced managers
- Free childcare for your own children
- 24/7 confidential support, advice and counselling helpline for you and your immediate family
- Christmas bonus
- Long-service holiday benefits
- Regular staff socials
You don't have to start again just because you want something different.
The patience, creativity, safeguarding knowledge, behaviour management, teamwork and understanding of children you've developed in Early Years are hugely transferable to Playwork.
We'll help you make the transition – and then help you decide where you'd like to go next.
Love working with children. Just not sure you still love nursery? Come and discover Playwork.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is central to everything we do. Successful applicants will be required to complete the appropriate safer-recruitment and safeguarding checks and to follow St Claire's safeguarding procedures at all times.
CLEAR DBS AND EXCELLENT REFERENCES ARE ESSENTIAL.
Pay: £12.71-£13.12 per hour
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Experience:
- Childcare: 1 year (required)
Work Location: In person
