PRICE GUIDE · CHILDCARE & FAMILY · 2026–2027
Nursery Assistant cost in the UK
£15–£17 per hour. Typically £15.
Agency nursery assistants are paid about £15–£17 an hour, with £15 typical for an unqualified assistant and up to £17 for a qualified one. Qualifications, London and South East postcodes and short-notice cover push the rate up; an agency adds its own fee on top of the assistant's pay.
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HOW MUCH IT COSTS
How much does a nursery assistant cost in the UK?
| Low end | £15 | an unqualified assistant on a regular shift |
|---|---|---|
| Typical | £15 | what most people pay |
| High end | £17 | a qualified assistant at short notice |
Locufy guide prices for 2026–2027. Updated 2026. A national range, not a quote — enter your town above for real prices from the babysitters, childminders, nannies, crèches and agencies near you.
What moves the price
- Qualified or unqualified — a nursery assistant with an early years qualification is paid more an hour
- Agency margin — a nursery booking an assistant through an agency pays the agency's fee on top
- Short-notice cover — a nursery assistant booked the same morning for sickness cover can cost more
- London and the South East — nursery assistant rates there sit above most other regions
- Experience with babies — nursery assistants confident in the baby room are in short supply
- Length of booking — a nursery assistant booked for a full term is easier to price than single days
WHAT YOU GET
What a nursery assistant visit includes
Takes: Booked by the hour or shift, from a single day to a full term. Not included: Agency finder's fees, a permanent recruitment fee and one-to-one childcare at home are separate — see the related guides below for nannies and childminders.
WHAT PEOPLE BOOK
Common nursery assistant jobs
KNOW THE PRICE? NOW SEE THE REAL ONES
Nursery Assistant near you, with prices shown
The babysitters, childminders, nannies, crèches and agencies that cover your area, nearest first, each with their price and one score from every review. No account needed to look.
Or post the job free and let them come to you, or book by the hour.
How to pay less
- Book the same agency nursery assistant for a block of shifts rather than single days at short notice
- Ask whether an unqualified nursery assistant can cover where ratios allow it, as they are paid less
- Compare agency margins, as the nursery assistant's pay is only part of what the nursery is charged
Before you book
- Check the nursery assistant's enhanced DBS check in England or Wales, PVG in Scotland or AccessNI
- Ask which early years qualification the nursery assistant holds and at what level
- Check paediatric first aid training, especially for a nursery assistant working with babies
- Brief the nursery assistant on your setting's safeguarding, allergy and sleep policies on arrival
Nursery Assistant cost: questions people ask
Agency nursery assistants are paid roughly £15–£17 an hour, with £15 a typical rate for an unqualified assistant. Qualified staff and London bookings are paid most.
Shifts usually follow the nursery day, often eight to ten hours, though half-day bookings are possible at some agencies.
Not always, but every nursery must meet the staff qualification and ratio rules of its nation's early years framework — inspected by Ofsted in England, the Care Inspectorate in Scotland and CIW in Wales. An unqualified assistant counts differently in the ratios.
Families usually hire a nanny or childminder instead; nursery assistants mainly work in nurseries and pre-schools, booked by the setting or through an agency.
The agency's margin, any permanent recruitment fee and the nursery's own overheads are on top of the assistant's hourly pay.
They are Locufy guide prices for the UK, taken from published agency pay rates for nursery assistants. They show a range, not a quote for your setting.