Early Years Practitioner (Apprentice) Salary: £16,685.76 per annum Location: Braintree Contract/Hours: Fixed Term/Full Time – 40 hours per week (18 months) Benefits: * 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays • Professional qualifications and excellent training • Flexible maternity, adoption, and paternity packages • Up to 5% employer contribution and life assurance cover • Blue Light Card eligibility with discounts at 15,000 national retailers A bit about the role: As an Early Years Apprentice, you'll play an important role in supporting our passionate nursery team at Spring Seesaw, working alongside experienced practitioners and room leaders. You'll gain hands on experience while studying towards your early years’ qualification, learning how to create inspiring play opportunities, support children's development, and build positive relationships with families. Every day brings a new opportunity to learn, grow, and make a real difference in the lives of our youngest learners, all within a supportive and nurturing environment where your development truly matters. In this role, you will: • Work alongside nursery practitioners in supporting children's development. • Participate, plan and setting up activities for a range of children. • Develop successful relationships with children and their families. • Observe and track children's development and share this with parent/carers and other professionals. Let’s talk about you: • A genuine interest in childcare and a true passion for children • Patience, a friendly manner, and the ability to communicate with children, young people, colleagues and other adults such as parents and carers. • A commitment to study time to help you achieve your qualification. • A desire to complete your apprenticeship and become a valued member of our team. The Training You will be completing an Early Years Educator Level 3 Apprenticeship. The expected duration of this course is 18 months. On successful completion of your apprenticeship, you will be awarded: • Level 3 Early Years Educator apprenticeship • Level 3 Award in Paediatric First Aid OR Level 3 Award Emergency Paediatric First Aid • Apprentices will achieve an EYE qualification which has been approved to count towards the EYFS level 3 child: staff ratios Whether this is a career change for you or the next step in your journey, we'd love to hear from you. We work together to reach our mission to give children a healthy start in life. 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. How to apply If you require any support to apply, please contact: Recruitment Team at RecruitmentService@actionforchildren.org.uk [RecruitmentService@actionforchildren.org.uk] quoting reference 13650 . Our Commitment to Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism At Action for Children, we are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels respected, valued, and able to thrive. We know that racism and discrimination create barriers, and we are taking active steps to challenge these inequalities in our organisation and in the communities we serve.  We strongly welcome applications from people who are Black, Asian, or from other racialised and ethnically marginalised communities, as well as disabled people, who are currently under-represented in our workforce. We are committed to removing barriers in our recruitment processes and ensuring fair access to opportunities.  We also encourage applications from men, who are under-represented in our Children’s Services roles. We recognise that people hold multiple identities, and we value the richness this brings to our team. Want to get to know Action for Children better? Find us on Linkedin, Facebook or Youtube. See below for further information about working with us: Job Description Employee Reward Booklet Spring Early Years Career Pathway