An analysis of the Hourly rate of pay Childhood Professionals in Ireland receive. September 2013

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Gladys Hunter
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1 An analysis of the Hourly rate of pay Childhood Professionals in Ireland receive. September 2013

2 Geographic Spread of Respondents 616 people responded to our survey and the cohort represents each of the 26 counties in the Republic of Ireland The majority of the respondents (67%) work in Leinster 16% of respondents work in Munster 10% of respondents work in Connaught 4% of respondents work in Ulster 3% of respondents did not disclose the county in which they work

(84%) were employees with the remainder being

3 Status of Respondents Employer, Employee or Self Employed with no employees The majority of respondents (84%) were employees with the remainder being employers or self employed (16%) and of these 3% employed one person.

4 Highest Level of Qualification Attained The majority of respondents (85%) have a qualification of FETAC Level 6 or above. Level 5 = 11% Level 6 = 42% Level 7 = 11% Level 8 = 27% Level 9 = 5% Worryingly 3% of respondents had a non accredited qualification. Some of these people haven t finished their qualification (1%) or have qualifications which predate the FETAC awards (99%). Qualifications which have not been mapped to the NVQ Framework cause problems for childcare professionals as they can prevent childcare professionals access to the ECCE funding programme, make them less desirable from an employers point of view and leave the professional with the impression that their qualification is worthless ergo they are worthless.

5 Hourly Rate of Pay The question asked, what the respondents current rate of pay from their main job is and if self-employed and not taking a wage from their business to estimate their hourly rate of pay when all expenses have been accounted for < Other The overall picture is of a work force which is earning per hour an amount well under the norm for a professional with the majority (91%) earning under 15 per hour and of these 44% are earning under 10 per hour.

6 Summary of hourly rate of pay Further breakdown shows 5% are earning under 8 per hour 12% are earning between 8-9 per hour 27% are earning between 9-10 per hour

7 Implications For the childcare professional who works a 40hr week for 52 weeks of the year with a rate of 10 per hour their annual salary would be 20,800. At 9 per hour this drops to 18,720 which really isn t enough for a sector which possess 3 rd level qualifications and as it represents a 40hr week for 52 weeks of the year is not a true reflection of a sector which is funded through the Early Childcare Care and Education Scheme(ECCE) to deliver a pre-school service for 38 weeks of the year and 15hrs per week. If a childhood professional was working 15hrs per week for 38 weeks of the year with a rate of 10 per hour their annual salary would be 5,700. At 9 per hour this drops to 5,130. Existing on such a low salary is impossible so many services offer a second session of the ECCE scheme therefore essentially working 30hrs per week for 38 weeks of the year. When this doesn t fulfil a childhood professionals monetary needs there is a need to rely on a spouses/partners salary to make up the shortfall. In some instances childhood professionals have had to take on second jobs such as tutoring and babysitting or extend the services they offer.

Sustainability The question asked was, Do you need to supplement the income you receive from your main job by working at a second job or by extending the services you offer?

8 Sustainability The question asked was, Do you need to supplement the income you receive from your main job by working at a second job or by extending the services you offer? The majority of respondents, 61% (378) have either a second job or have found it necessary to extend the services they offer. 39% of respondents (238) do not have a second job but of those who chose to elaborate on their answer; 6% rely on their husband or partners income. 8% are planning to source a second job. As a result of an excess of administration work in their main job 3% are unable to commit to a second job. 2% are unable to seek a second job due to family commitments 81% did not specify a reason.

9 Respondents rationale for the need for a second job Yes I need to have second job to cover costs - Roscommon 9-10 phr & Level 8 qualification yes, I had to last year as I had only 7 children on the scheme. Mayo phr & Level 6 qualification Yes, I only work 20 hours so even though I'm on 12euro it not a lot when I get my payslip Carlow phr & Level 8 qualification 30 mins extra per day to make up the difference on the drop on the ECCE capitation last year and to cover some of the costs. This does not even cover my own wage each week. I've lost count of how many weeks I've gone without pay. Wicklow 8 phr & Level 6 qualification Yes I work 42 hours a week and still need to babysit at weekends to make ends meet. Kilkenny 8-9 phr & Level 8 qualification Only contracted to work 9 months of the school terms at 12, wages are reduced to 10 if I work over the summer holidays Tipperary phr & Level 8 qualification Yes. I work in a sessional Naíonra Mon-Fri (20hrs) and have to work a few evenings per week in a Newsagents to make up my hours. Meath phr & Level 9 qualification I have had to supplement staff wages from savings during summer months Kilkenny phr & Level 6 qualification Of course we are paid a pittance with no benefits and then laid off every summer! Meath phr & Level 6 Yes I have to work Saturdays and provide babysitting service a number of nights a week just to get by on a day to day basis. Galway 8-9 phr & Level 5 qualification

10 Respondents rationale for the need for a second job Yes, I try to get afternoon work to cover absences or leave elsewhere. Wexford 9-10 & Level 6 qualification Yes. I work preschool mornings only so I have to work as a childminder in the afternoon to supplement my income. Cork, phr & Level 8 qualification Yes, because my school is only open for a morning session (3 hours a day). Dublin, phr & Level 9 qualification Yes, I collect children for After School Club from a local primary school on my lunch break which their mother pays me for. Cork, & Level 7 qualification Yes, I have to work weekends after I do 8-6 Monday to Friday as my pay doesn't cover my living expenses. Dublin, & Level 9 qualification Yes. I was also offered minimum wage when I initially applied for the job and had to bargain my way up to Dublin, phr & Level 8 qualification Yes. I receive social welfare too, to help me provide for my family. This makes me feel lousy and worthless after four years of intensive study. I teach Aistear the same curriculum as teachers in junior classes yet the Dept of Ed won't recognise my qualification for the same job as mainstream teachers because of the age of my pupils!! Dublin, 9-10 & Level 8 qualification Yes, I mind 3 children in the afternoons 3 days a week.. I am also getting paid more in my afternoon job. Dublin, 9-10 & Level 8 qualification Yes, I work two sessions and a weekend job to supplement keeping what I love going, my school. Galway, & Level 7 qualification

11 Method This survey was conducted online via Survey Monkey and used both social media and Montessori Alliance s website to gather respondents. The survey was open for responses from the 4 th of September 2013 until the 12 th of September It was decided to aim for a cohort of 500 to give a true and accurate representation of the current hourly rate of pay of the childhood professional, the level of qualifications of childhood professionals and how their level of pay impacts on their standard of living. Six questions were posed to respondents: What is the highest level of education you have completed? Are you an employer, employee or self employed with no employees? Which county in Ireland do you work in? What is your current rate of pay from your main job? If self employed and not taking a wage from your business estimate how much your rate of pay is when all expenses have been deducted. If you factor in all the costs such as light, heat, insurance, rates, wages etc., how much would you have to charge per child per hour to meet your costs? Do you need to supplement the income you receive from your main job by working at a second job or by extending the services you offer? Where open ended questions were asked respondents were asked to elaborate on their answer as the qualitative narrative collected serves to add context to the quantitative data. Montessori Alliance 2013, Drogheda, Ireland.

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