Kickstart your career with us

An apprenticeship with us offers you hands-on experience and training, all while earning a salary.

You’ll work in a fun, nurturing environment and you’ll receive all the support you need to thrive in your role.

If you have any questions about our apprenticeship programme and how it works, click here to get in touch.

To apply for our latest apprenticeship opportunities, visit LEYF Careers and select ‘Apprenticeship’.

LEYF Careers

The thing I liked most was being given the challenge of doing things I'd never done before.

Apprentice at New Cross Nursery

What sort of apprenticeships do you offer?

Early Years Apprenticeship

This apprenticeship is a 12–18-month training programme working with under 5s which leads towards your Level 3 Early Years Qualification

As one of our teachers in training, you will be part of a passionate and inspiring team, enabling each child to be the best they can be through wonderful experiences that enrich and extend their learning.

Chef Apprenticeship

We offer the Level 2 Production Chef Apprenticeship, where you can learn how to prepare nutritious and tasty meals for children in nurseries and work in a nurturing environment.

Central Office Apprenticeship

We can occasionally offer apprenticeships with our central office teams, where you can learn the essential skills needed to help support our nurseries. These teams include finance, compliance, HR and payroll.

“Just seeing the children grow. That’s what it is for me.” Josiah, an apprentice at our New Cross Nursery, discusses what he loves about working in Early Years.

What’s in it for you?

  • An apprenticeship with LEYF is not just a training opportunity, it could also be the start of your career with us. We offer all our apprentices a guaranteed interview for a LEYF post on successful completion of the course
  • You get a competitive annual salary of £12,500 if you’re under 25
  • You get a competitive annual salary of £16,500 if you’re over 25
  • In the second year of your apprenticeship, you get a huge pay uplift to London Living Wage or whatever is greater than your current salary.
  • All apprentices between 16-25 get Oyster card travel discount
  • We also have a laptop lending scheme to ensure you have everything you need to complete the course

Watch Paige, an apprentice at our Camberwell Grove nursery, talk about how LEYF has helped develop her career in Early Years.

Requirements

  • No age requirements – you can be an apprentice at any age
  • Minimum Grade C/4 in GCSE English and maths or Level 2 Functional Skills
  • Energy, enthusiasm and the desire to make a difference to children’s lives
  • A passion for Early Years education and childcare
  • A can-do attitude
  • Ability to commit for 12–18 months

Jaida is working towards her Level 3 Early Years Qualification at our Weir Link Nursery and Pre-School, here she tells us all the best bits about her day as an apprentice!

My manager and the department around me showed a trust in my ability that I really didn’t expect to get as an apprentice.

Apprentice at New Cross Nursery

Our training venue

Our bespoke Apprentice Academy is based in Peckham, near to the green space of Burgess Park and a 15-minute walk from Peckham high street.

Our address is:

LEYF Apprentice Academy

183-185 Glengall Road

London

SE15 6RS

Interested?

We run three apprenticeship programmes every year, throughout the year.

It’s never too late to apply. If you’d like to find out more about our next programme, please get in touch.

Contact us

 

Child at the local park enjoying the forest school and throwing leaves in the air

Contact us

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Staff and Children using creative ways to count

Our educators and staff

Learn more about our knowledgeable and highly skilled teaching staff.

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About us

Find out more about LEYF and how we put families and children at the heart of all we do.