HOW TO HIRE · CHILDCARE & FAMILY

How to hire a nursery assistant in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

The nursery is registered; the assistant needs the vetting check. Here is what a setting should check and ask.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a nursery assistant in five steps

  1. Check the vettingEnhanced DBS, PVG or AccessNI.
  2. Ask the qualification and levelAnd see the certificate.
  3. Check paediatric first aidEspecially for baby rooms.
  4. Brief on your policiesSafeguarding, allergies, sleep.
  5. Agree the rate and agency feeIn writing.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Nursery assistants are not registered as individuals in any UK nation; the setting is registered with Ofsted (England), CIW (Wales), the Care Inspectorate (Scotland) or the Trust (Northern Ireland).

Check the qualification certificate and two references.

Criminal record check — DBS, PVG or AccessNI

England and Wales: childcare can get the enhanced DBS check with barred lists, and Ofsted requires it of a registered nursery assistant. Scotland: PVG scheme membership. Northern Ireland: an enhanced AccessNI check with the children's barred list, through an Umbrella Body for the self-employed. A parent cannot apply on a carer's behalf.

Ask to see the nursery assistant's certificate — or proof of PVG membership in Scotland — and read the issue date; a DBS certificate has no official expiry. gov.uk →

Setting registration and staffing

Ofsted registration for childcare on non-domestic premises expects a suitable manager with at least a level 3 childcare qualification, enhanced DBS checks, and a first aider on site; supply staff must fit those rules.

Check the assistant's qualification and first aid against your setting's registration requirements. gov.uk →

Agency or employee

If an agency supplies the assistant, the agency is their employer; if you hire directly, the employment duties — payroll, employers' liability insurance — are yours.

Agree in writing who employs the nursery assistant and who pays.

VAT

Childcare is exempt from VAT only when supplied by a state-regulated provider (registered with Ofsted, CIW, the Care Inspectorate or the Health and Social Care Trust), a charity or a public body; a staffing agency that is none of these supplies staff at the standard rate of 20%. An agency with VAT taxable turnover over £90,000 must register for VAT and show it as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the agency for its VAT number and whether it invoices the staff as exempt childcare or with VAT. gov.uk →

“Which criminal record check do you hold as a nursery assistant?”

A good answer: Enhanced DBS with barred lists, PVG or AccessNI, dated.

“What early years qualification do you hold, and at what level?”

A good answer: A named qualification and level.

“Do you have paediatric first aid?”

A good answer: A certificate in date.

“Have you worked with this age group in a nursery?”

A good answer: Baby room, toddlers or pre-school experience.

“Are you supplied by an agency?”

A good answer: And who the employer is.

“Can you work our full shift?”

A good answer: Times agreed.

“Have you read our safeguarding policy?”

A good answer: Yes, on arrival.

Getting the quote right

  • Who actually attends the shift — the named nursery assistant, employed by the agency or subcontracted — and their qualification level
  • Hourly rate
  • Agency fee or finder's fee
  • Shift length and minimum booking
  • The agency's VAT number, and whether VAT is added to the hourly rate or the supply is exempt
  • Cancellation terms
  • Qualification level

Walk away if

  • No vetting check
  • No qualification evidence
  • No first aid for a baby room
  • Unclear employer
  • Will not read policies
  • References you cannot phone
LOW
£15
TYPICAL
£15
HIGH
£17

What a nursery assistant costs: £15–£17 per hour

Nursery assistants are booked by the hour or shift, with agency fees on top. Nursery Assistant price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Nursery assistants near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you, or book by the hour.

  1. BookingDates, room, rate.
  2. ChecksVetting, qualification, first aid.
  3. ArrivalPolicies and induction.
  4. ShiftCare in the room with qualified staff.
  5. HandoverNotes for the room leader.

Level 3
A common early years qualification level for managers.
Ratio
Staff to children.
Setting
The nursery or other provider.
Enhanced DBS with barred lists
The check for childcare work.
Supply staff
Temporary cover.
Room leader
The senior practitioner in a room.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the booking recordsFor your registration records.
Feed back to the agencyOn performance.
Rebook good coverContinuity helps children.
Share how it wentA short review of the nursery assistant — punctuality, care, value — is what others read. Use the make-it-right step first if anything needs putting right.

STEP 1Tell the nursery assistant in writingKeep it to the date, what happened and the remedy you want. The duty of reasonable care and skill in section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 binds any nursery assistant in business, and if the cover missed it, section 54 entitles you to have it put right free or to pay less.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate a booked nursery assistant below four stars and you are asked whether to send it to them first; we follow it through. Then you review.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplineNo regulator covers a nursery assistant, so a nursery assistant who will not engage can be referred to Trading Standards through Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales (0808 223 1144 in Welsh), Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is still owedIf the nursery assistant will not refund or put it right, a small claim needs no solicitor: up to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 under simple procedure in Scotland, and £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a nursery assistant: questions people ask

No — the nursery is registered, not the assistant.

An enhanced check in England and Wales, PVG in Scotland, AccessNI in Northern Ireland.

Ask the level; Ofsted expects a manager to hold at least level 3.

£15 to £17 an hour, typically around £15. Agency fees sit on top of the hourly rate. The nursery assistant price guide has the full breakdown; enter your town above for prices from nursery assistants near you.

Usually the agency; agree it in writing.

Raise it with the agency in writing; it owes reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in childcare & family

How to hire: ChildminderHow to hire: NannyHow to hire: After-School CareHow to hire: Holiday ChildcareHow to hire: Before-School CareHow to hire: Part-Time NannyHow to hire: BabysitterHow to hire: SEN Support WorkerAll 701 hiring guides →

Nursery assistants near you

Nursery assistants in LondonNursery assistants in ManchesterNursery assistants in BirminghamNursery assistants in GlasgowNursery assistants in BelfastAll nursery assistants on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Ofsted — nurseries and other daycare (childcare on non-domestic premises): registration
  2. Care Inspectorate Wales — guide to registration, Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010
  3. Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, schedule 12
  4. Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995, Article 118
  5. gov.uk — DBS checks: levels and who can request one
  6. mygov.scot — the PVG scheme
  7. nidirect — AccessNI checks for the self-employed and personal employees
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — consumer's rights for services
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  10. Welfare services and goods (VAT Notice 701/2) — 2.2.1 Care and protection of children that are exempt; 3.3 State regulated providers
  11. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  12. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register