Early education and childcare assistants: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time early education and childcare assistants in the UK earned a median £24,742 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 37% less than the £39,039 median for all full-time jobs.
What the figures show
It is in the lowest-paid third of the 382 occupations (20th from the bottom).
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £20,341 and £27,945.
Median full-time pay: women £24,702 a year, men £27,713 a year.
About 51% of the roughly 88,000 employee jobs are full-time.
Since 2021 the median has risen 40.2% (from £17,653), faster than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 119,400 people in this line of work, 16% of them in South East.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £17,264 | £404.00 | £12.21 | £7,794 | £157.90 | £12.21 |
| 20th percentile | £19,500 | £441.10 | £12.30 | £11,501 | £244.40 | £12.24 |
| 25th percentile | £20,341 | £460.50 | £12.47 | £13,133 | £283.30 | £12.32 |
| 30th percentile | £21,371 | £474.10 | £12.60 | £14,102 | £306.80 | £12.48 |
| 40th percentile | £23,045 | £495.90 | £13.00 | £16,492 | £357.70 | £12.83 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £24,742 | £512.80 | £13.55 | £19,165 | £424.90 | £13.34 |
| 60th percentile | £26,179 | £539.90 | £13.90 | £21,854 | £465.10 | £13.90 |
| 70th percentile | £27,352 | £566.90 | £14.86 | £24,579 | £503.90 | £14.70 |
| 75th percentile | £27,945 | £582.40 | £15.31 | £25,628 | £518.20 | £15.08 |
| 80th percentile | £28,574* | £603.00 | £16.13 | £26,822 | £544.40 | £15.81 |
| 90th percentile | – | – | – | – | £604.30 | £17.80 |
| Mean | £24,387 | £528.50 | £14.15 | £19,109 | £401.60 | £14.15 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £17,653 | £376.10 | £9.56 | £14,279 | £302.20 | 95 |
| 2022 revised | £19,057 | £399.50 | £10.30 | £15,887 | £337.80 | 94 |
| 2023 revised | £21,119 | £446.00 | £11.71 | £17,018 | £337.50 | 92 |
| 2024 revised | £22,780 | £478.70 | £12.68 | £18,492 | £391.10 | 92 |
| 2025 provisional | £24,742 | £512.80 | £13.55 | £19,165 | £424.90 | 88 |
Early education and childcare assistants by region
UK: 119,400 (± 13,400), April 2025 to March 2026. 6 of the 12 regions and nations have samples too small to publish.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 18,800* | ± 5,400 |
| London | 17,700* | ± 6,900 |
| East of England | 14,100* | ± 5,100 |
| North West | 11,200* | ± 4,000 |
| South West | 10,700* | ± 3,700 |
| Wales | 5,700* | ± 2,100 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What early education and childcare assistants do
Early education and childcare assistants assist in the care of children from birth up to seven years of age in day or residential nurseries, children’s homes, maternity units and similar establishments. (ONS SOC 2020, 6111)
Also covers: child care assistant, crèche assistant, nursery assistant, nursery nurse, playgroup assistant, pre-school assistant, care assistant, childcare nurse, creche assistant, creche attendant, creche helper, creche leader, creche supervisor, creche worker, general assistant, kindergarten assistant, nursery governess and nursery helper (44 titles in the ONS coding index).
- May work under the supervision of more experienced practitioners
- Baths, dresses, prepares feed for and feeds babies, changes babies clothing whenever necessary
- Supervises young children at mealtimes
- Plans and organises games and other activities and supervises children’s play
- Reads stories, organises counting games to help develop language and number skills
- Communicates with parents and colleagues on children’s development and well-being
Entry is most common with GCSEs/S grades followed by the award of a certificate from the Council for Awards in Children’s Care and Education. An NVQ/SVQ in Child Care and Education or equivalent qualification up to level 3 may be required to work in this role. A DBS check is mandatory.
Related
Teaching and childcare support occupations (median £21,920) · Teaching assistants · Educational support assistants · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026