Menu

Early Years Practitioner

Job details
Posting date: 26 November 2025
Salary: £26,299 to £27,824 per year
Hours: Full time
Closing date: 16 December 2025
Location: Southampton, Hampshire
Remote working: On-site only
Company: University of Southampton
Job type: Permanent
Job reference: 3279825MT

Apply for this job

Summary

Join Our Team at the 'University of Southampton’s' - Early Years Centre
Creating calm, curiosity-filled spaces where children, and practitioners, truly thrive.

We are excited to invite passionate and motivated Early Years Practitioners to join our dedicated team. This is a role for someone who brings commitment, flexibility, and a genuine desire to nurture young children through the earliest and most important stage of their development.

About the Role:
As an Early Years Practitioner at our Centre, you will play a key part in providing high-quality care and education, supporting children across every stage of their early learning journey. You’ll help to create a calm, tranquil environment where children and staff feel safe, secure, and content in a place where families instantly feel welcomed and reassured.

Our approach is deeply reflective and child-centred. Together, we always ask “why?”, ensuring that every interaction, resource, and environment we offer has purpose and meaning. We focus on open-ended opportunities and children’s individual interests, extending their play through thoughtful modelling, communication, and encouragement.

We believe children learn best when they are happy, relaxed, and having fun. By nurturing their natural curiosity, we help them build confidence, independence, and a lifelong love of learning.

What We’re Looking For:
We want practitioners who are proud of the care they provide and individuals who bring compassion, kindness, and creativity to their work every day. Our team is united, supportive, and committed to creating a setting where children, families, and staff alike can express their curiosity, individuality, and nurturing personalities.

Applicants must have one of the following qualifications (or equivalent):

NVQ Level 3 in Early Years and Education
CACHE Diploma
NNEB
A satisfactory Enhanced DBS check is required.

For more information:
We’d love to hear from you. For an informal discussion with a member of our management team, call (023) 8059 3465 or email your CV to eycentre@soton.ac.uk

Become part of a centre where your passion is valued, your ideas matter, and your work truly makes a difference every single day.

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and welcome applicants who support our mission of inclusivity.

This role does not qualify for Skilled Worker Visa sponsorship. To explore alternative UK visa options, see gov.uk.

Apply by 11.59 pm GMT on the closing date. For assistance contact Recruitment on +44(0)2380 592750 or recruitment@soton.ac.uk quoting the job number.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.

Apply for this job