Simon Carson always thought he would follow in his father's footsteps and become an antiques restorer. But, after an inspirational visit to the careers office, he changed tack and decided on a career in a profession dominated by women - becoming one of a handful of male nursery leaders for children aged up to five years.
At 20, his decision to carve out a future in childcare was highly unusual. Six years later, it is still extremely rare to find a man working in a sector which continues to be overwhelmingly female.
The paucity of men choosing this career is the subject of a new study warning that the government's plans for expanding childcare services will falter without substantial improvements in the pay, conditions and training of childcare staff. The report by the Daycare Trust, the national childcare charity, says fewer than one in 100 nursery assistants are men, despite the recognition by society of the importance of good male role models in a child's early years. Blame is put on traditional views of childcare as women's work, the low status of the job, poor pay and men's lack of experience of caring.
While 17% of primary school teachers are male, 3% of nursery teachers and classroom assistants are men, and only 1.5% of playgroup leaders. "Many men are wary of being seen to undertake 'women's work' and are worried about being accused of child abuse," says the report, Who Will Care?
Sexual stereotypes have never worried Carson, who believes people working in childcare are being treated with a new respect. Far from being stigmatised, he feels he has the support of his friends and can point to letters from parents thanking him for his care. He has spent the past six years working at Windmill Hill, Swindon, a nursery run by the Jigsaw Group, one of the largest private commercial childcare providers. After joining as a "modern apprentice", he is now a team leader in charge of 10 staff at the nursery, which has 90 places for children.
"It is very strange looking back," he says. "After doing A-level art, I was at a crossroads. I have always been interested in furniture restoration and I thought I would get a bridging loan from the bank and go into business with my father. But then I walked into a careers office and they told me about Jigsaw and the modern apprenticeship scheme, where you are given a basic salary and given formal training.
"I went into a Jigsaw nursery and stayed the whole day. I had never worked with children before. They were amazing. I came away with this gut feeling it was the right job for me."
As a modern apprentice, he was paid £200 a month and trained for his national vocational qualification. He has since worked his way up the career ladder and now earns £12,500 as a team leader. Not good, but not bad for Swindon, according to Carson, who rates Jigsaw as a very forward thinking employer.
The company, founded 10 years ago by Tom Shea and Mike Gee, now cares for more than 2,500 under-fives every week across 29 day nurseries. With more than 650 staff, it is one of the largest childcare companies. Unlike many other employers in the sector, it counts a growing number of men among the team of "early years" workers. Men comprise 5% of the company's total workforce, and the nurseries have twice the national average of males working directly with children.
By employing men as nursery workers, Carson believes the company gives pre-school children good male role models outside of the family years. "Everyone brings something different to the job," he says. "As a man, I think I am more ready to kick a ball around and less likely to mollycoddle some of the children. I believe my skills lie in building up children's confidence, as well as being very creative."
Not all male workers may be as confident as that. A men's group has been set up within Jigsaw, and existing workers act as mentors for new employees, says Jane James, the company's development director. She argues that men's fears of being labelled potential abusers are misplaced. "Parents of children at our nurseries have 100% confidence in the male workers," she says. "They know police checks are carried out on all staff - male and female - and would like to see more male carers.
"Any problem comes not from the parents, but from society at large, which is still not used to seeing men in childcare. We try to change attitudes by going into schools and colleges and promoting the work we do. We encourage both boys and girls to play with dolls and care for their toys. They will be the next generation of childcarers."
That Jigsaw is unusual in its approach is demonstrated by the Daycare Trust report. It suggests that low pay and poor career prospects are problems across the childcare sector, deterring men from considering jobs ranging from childminders to playgroup teachers. Of some 250,000 workers in the sector, fewer than 3% are men.
The government hopes to double this to 6% as part of an unprecedented expansion of services, creating 1m extra childcare places by 2004 as part of the £30m national childcare strategy. The target will, however, require 150,000 extra workers.
The Daycare Trust warns that problems in recruiting staff - both male and female - will throw these plans into jeopardy. Conditions are said to be particularly poor in the private and voluntary sectors, with childcare workers often earning less than gardeners or cleaners. Average annual pay is less than £11,000, with more than 80% of staff earning less than £13,000 a year. Many do not receive sick pay, holiday pay or have protection against unfair dismissal. And training is often piecemeal.
Stephen Burke, director of the Daycare Trust, says: "Staff are the key to quality services. Currently, they are working wonders in the face of poor pay, low levels of training and poor career prospects. If we value our children and want the best for them, we must respect and value those who look after them. Valuing staff means investing in their pay and training and opening up career paths."
Before that happens, there needs to be a change in attitude among colleges and careers advisers, according to Kidsunlimited, which operates 37 private and workplace nurseries. Too many colleges still see childcare as a woman's domain, the company argues, with the result that young men do not come forward for jobs. Only 20 of Kidsunlimited's 700 childcare posts are filled by men.
"Salaries have increased and we have an excellent career path, but we get very few applications from men," says Fiona Dunlop, the company's human resources manager. "We want men within our nurseries, but there remains a perception that childcare is women's work. Until that is changed, and people see it as a career, recruitment problems will remain."
Who Will Care? is available at £5 inc p&p from the Daycare Trust, 21 St George's Road, London, SE1 6ES (tel: 020-7840 3350).
