Apprenticeships
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About our Apprentices
We place a great importance on training our future leaders from the start of their careers, which is why we run a well-established and well-respected nursery apprenticeship programme. In order to attract the best candidates we pay almost double the National Minimum Wage for apprentices, which ensures our apprentices can live comfortably whilst studying and completing their training. Over the last 18 months we have helped 18 apprentices qualify - that’s around one new apprentice qualifying each month!
Nationally Recognised for Apprenticeship Excellence
We’re proud to be recognised as one of the UK’s top apprenticeship employers — not once, but twice.
In 2024, Hopscotch Children’s Nurseries was ranked 9th in the Top 50 SME Apprenticeship Employers, celebrating small and medium-sized organisations that go above and beyond to support early careers. This ranking highlighted our commitment to hands-on training, personal growth and real career opportunities for those starting out in early years education.
In 2025, we were ranked No. 49 in The Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers — a national list that recognises outstanding employers for the number, diversity and success of their apprentices. This prestigious award puts us among the very best in the country for apprenticeship support and development.
These achievements reflect the strength of our programme and the incredible people behind it — from our passionate nursery mentors to the brilliant apprentices who bring energy, curiosity and care to their work every day.
The Hopscotch Career Path
Highly Competitive Salary
We are proud to pay some of the highest salaries for childcare staff in the South East. For most apprentices we pay double than the Government's apprentice wage. We also celebrate when staff qualify with a bonus payment as well as a recognition session with their colleagues and peers!
Employee Assistance Programme
We have a well established Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support staff Mental Health wellbeing and provide support. The EAP is open to all and provides a number of free counselling sessions to every member of staff regardless of their role.
Fun and Supportive Team
We run regular free socials for our nursery teams, fostering a friendly and fun atmosphere that helps us provide the best childcare within our settings.
Generous Sickness Entitlement
We recognise that sickness can be unavoidable and we don’t want our staff to be penalised when they’re not well enough to work, which is why we have a generous sickness support package for them to call on.
Well-Established Career Path
There are many opportunities for career progression and development at Hopscotch - some of our current Nursery Managers started as trainee practitioners over 25 years ago!
Financial Support for Travel
We know that travel to and from work can be expensive and stressful. That's why we provide interest-free season ticket and parking permit (where available) loans when needed.
