Job Description

Early Years Practitioner (unqualified)

Location: Witham, Essex

Salary: up to £12.71 per hour

Contract Type: Casual - pick and choose when you work, around your study, family, retirement or home life!

Closing date: Midnight on the 1st of July 2026

We would also welcome applications from qualified practitioners

Benefits: Paid annual leave, pension scheme, career progression, fantastic training opportunities, employee wellbeing support, employee discount portal with all your favourite brands

“I love working as a casual member of staff – I get to build my knowledge, my experience and work with a friendly and funny bunch of people staff and young people alike! It works around my family life, and I choose when I work – what's not to like?” - Casual Worker

A day in the life of an Early Years Practitioner

At Spring Harlequin fun and learning go hand in hand! Our team are dedicated to creating a warm, nurturing environment filled with laughter, curiosity, and wonderful experiences for our children.

As an Early Years Practitioner (unqualified), You'll be right at the heart of the action helping to plan exciting activities, supporting children's play and learning, and making every day an adventure. You'll build strong caring relationships with the children, assist with routines, and work closely with our experienced practitioners to create a safe, inspiring space for our little minds to grow.

As part of our flexible team, there may be an expectation to work casually across up to three nurseries in the local area giving you the chance to experience different settings and make even greater impact across the spring community.

What you’ll be doing   

• 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

Why Spring Nurseries

At Spring Nurseries, you’ll be part of a supportive and purpose-driven team committed to delivering exceptional early years education.We invest in our staff through ongoing training, development opportunities and career progression, creating an environment where both children and colleagues can thrive.

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 reference 13235.

We'll be happy to give you any support you require.    

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion 

At Spring 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  Linkedin, Facebook or Youtube

See below for further information about working with us:

Employee Reward Booklet

Spring Early Years Career Pathway