Most commonly reported Work Activities

• Assisting and Caring for Others Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems Analysing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Performing General Physical Activities Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
• Thinking Creatively Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Getting Information Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Training and Teaching Others Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• Coaching and Developing Others Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

The Work

Nursery nurses are responsible for supervising and helping children with activities like reading, number work, cooking and computer activities.

They monitor and record each child's progress, fill out registers and write reports. Nursery nurses encourage the children's concentration, creativity, ability to solve problems, imagination, general sense of discovery, and many other skills and qualities.  
 
Their duties vary depending on the age and number of the children they care for. Nursery nurses who look after babies and very young children, for example, in private homes, are responsible for dressing, feeding and changing them, and comforting them when they are upset.

Nursery nurses must pay strict attention to hygiene when they make up babies' bottles or prepare food.  
 
They work closely with parents, carers or guardians, and with other professionals like doctors, health visitors, speech therapists, social workers and child psychologists.

Most commonly reported Work Tasks

• Remove hasards and develop appropriate boundaries and rules to create a safe environment for children.
• Instruct and assist children in the development of health and personal habits, such as eating, resting, and toilet behavior.
• Instruct children in safe behavior, such as seeking adult assistance when crossing the street and avoiding contact with unsafe objects.
• Help prepare and serve nutritionally balanced meals and snacks for children.
• Perform first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) when required.
• Teach and perform age-appropriate activities, such as lap play, reading, and arts and crafts, to encourage intellectual development of children.
• Model appropriate social behaviors and encourage concern for others to cultivate development of interpersonal relationships and communication skills.
• Observe children's behavior for irregularities, take temperature, transport children to doctor, or administer medications, as directed, to maintain children's health.
• Regulate children's rest periods and nap schedules.
• Meet regularly with parents to discuss children's activities and development.

This occupation is typically suited for people with the following Career Interests:

Social

The Social person's interests focus on interacting with the people in their environment. In all cases, the Social person enjoys the personal contact with other people in preference to the impersonal dealings with things, data and ideas found in other groups.

Many will seek out positions where there is direct contact with the public in some advisory role, whether a receptionist or a counsellor. Social people are motivated by an interest in different types of people and like diversity in their work environments. Many are drawn towards careers in the caring professions and social welfare area, whilst others prefer teaching and other 'informing' roles.

Creative

Creative people are drawn to careers and activities that enable them to take responsibility for the design, layout or sensory impact of something (visual, auditory etc). They may be atrracted to the traditional artistic pursuits such as painting, sculpture, singing, or music. Or they may show more interest in design activities, such as architecture, animation, or craft areas, such as pottery and ceramics.

Creative people use their personal understanding of people and the world they live in to guide their work. Creative people like to work in unstructured workplaces, enjoy taking risks and prefer a minimum of routine.

Enterprising

Enterprising people like situations that involve using resources for personal or corporate economic gain. Such people may have an opportunistic frame of mind, and are drawn to commerce, trade and making deals. Some pursue sales and marketing occupations. Many will eventually end up owning their own business, or in management roles in larger organisations. They tend to be very goal-oriented and work best when focused on a target. Some have an entrepreneurial inclination.

There is a range of diploma and certificate courses, including those run by SOLAS, available for those wishing to pursue a career as a Nursery Nurse. Staff in Early Childhood care working directly with children must hold a Level 5 Major Award in Early Childhood Care and Education.

It is likely that you will be required to undergo Garda Vetting. Garda Vetting forms are submitted through the employer and cannot be completed by the applicant prior to employment.

Further education & Training development pathways

Traineeship: Early Childhood care NFQ level 5 Search our FET Coursefinder

FET centre PLC course: Childcare & early childcare & education NFQ level 5-6 search our FET coursefinder

Higher Education CAO: Early childhood care & education NFQ level 6-8 search our CAO coursefinder

Last Updated: March, 2023

Salary Range (thousands per year)* €29k - €40k

Salaries vary on the basis of emploter (public / Private), location, duties, role, and experience. 

Data Source(s):
HSE.ie/ Indeed/ Talent/ Glassdoor/ WRC

Last Updated: March, 2024

* The lower figures typically reflect starting salaries. Higher salaries are awarded to those with greater experience and responsibility. Positions in Dublin sometimes command higher salaries.

View Salary information from Indeed.ie
Note: data not aways available

This information has been derived from the Solas National Skills Bulletin (2023).

The five-year average employment growth for this occupation was below the national average, with a decline of over 3,000 persons employed between 2021 and 2022. Almost all employed in quarter 4 2022 were female, 40% were employed part-time and a third held third level qualifications. The high number of recent job hires in 2022 without any employment growth would suggest a significant volume of job churn is occurring for this occupation.

There was also a relatively high number of jobseekers registered with DSP in December 2022 who were classified as previously employed in childcare roles. A Government report on workforce planning for childcare workers includes measures to both raise qualification levels for childcare workers and to enhance the attractiveness of the job so as to improve retention for these roles.

There is significant supply from the education system for these roles, with 3,263 QQI major awards in 2021 and circa 800 level 8 awards in higher education. Future demand for childcare workers will depend on demographic factors (with the number of 0–4-year-olds in the population declining), childcare usage (Census 2022 indicates that 28% of under 5s are in some form of formal childcare), and Government childcare strategies such as the National Childcare Scheme (extension of this scheme to include informal childminders is estimated to reduce demand for formal childcare services by approximately 20 percentage points.

• Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI)

  • 18-20 Carysfort Avenue, Blackrock, Co. Dublin.
  • (01) 639 8500 LoCall 0818 200 116
  • [email protected]
  • Click Here

• Early Childhood Ireland

  • Hainault House, Belgard Square Tallaght Dublin 2
  • (01) 405 7100
  • [email protected]
  • Click Here

• Tusla – Child and Family Agency,

  • Floors 2-5, Brunel Building, Heuston South Quarter, Dublin 8.
  • (01) 7718500
  • [email protected]
  • Click Here

• Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

  • 43-49 Mespil Rd, Dublin 4.
  • (01) 647 3000
  • Click Here