Seven of the twelve Kalendit educators featured in this post. By Sophie Sassard · Kalendit · Published 1 October 2026 Ask twelve different Kalendit educators why they do this work and you’ll get twelve different answers. A student managing her finances around bi-weekly pay. A mother who wanted her evenings back. A Bulgarian-trained teacher working her way to UK qualified status. A dancer who needed her Fridays. An HR professional who does it purely because he enjoys it. A nearly-three-year regular who says she’s not going anywhere. None of them are here because nothing else was available. They’re here because they built a working life that actually fits theirs. And they did it at a moment when fitting a working life together has got measurably harder.

Why Educators Really Choose Kalendit

After eight years running Kalendit, that’s the pattern we keep seeing. It’s worth telling properly, because it’s easy to assume everyone on a flexible staffing platform is there as a last resort. Our own community tells a different story. But it’s also worth being honest about why that story matters right now — these are twelve real accounts, not twelve nice anecdotes in a row.

The pressure behind the choice

Here’s the backdrop nobody puts in a testimonial. Real wages are barely moving. The Resolution Foundation’s Living Standards Outlook 2026 has them growing by about 0.3% a year out to 2029 — drifting towards flat. Meanwhile, energy bills sit nearly 60% above pre-2022 levels. For anyone paid near the sector average, that’s not a chart. It’s the difference between a month that stretches and one that doesn’t. It’s also reshaping what a whole generation wants from a job. Deloitte’s 2026 Gen Z and Millennial Survey polled over 22,500 people across 44 countries. Cost of living has topped Gen Z’s list of worries for five years running — ahead of crime or unemployment. More than half have put off a big life decision because of money. Nearly 30% already have a second income on the side. For a lot of young practitioners, “a good job” no longer means one employer for life. It means control over when, where and how much they work. And then there’s the job itself. NDNA surveyed 714 nurseries and found pay, poor hours and workload stress are the top three reasons practitioners quit the sector for good. Not the children. Not the work. The conditions wrapped around it. A separate survey of 1,500 early years workers found nearly half had felt frequent stress in the past year, much of it from paperwork piled on top of actual care. Add a commute and a rota that never move, and it’s little wonder almost seven in ten nurseries can’t staff to full capacity. None of this is Kalendit’s victory to claim. But it’s exactly what our twelve educators are talking about below — in their own words, about app convenience and fast pay, rather than macroeconomics.

Control over the schedule — Freda and Alya

Freda is a mum of four grown-up children and holds a Level 1 in childminding. She came to Kalendit from a full-time nursery job — exactly the kind of fixed-hours, fixed-commute role NDNA’s leavers most often walk away from:

“I came across Kalendit while I was still working full-time in a nursery. I liked the flexibility it could offer. After a shift, I received the money very fast and decided to continue. The procedure is very simple and with the app I can check shifts available in my area, meaning I decide and control my schedule.”

Alya, a student in London, values the same thing from a different angle. She’s not escaping a full-time job — she’s fitting work around her studies, the trade-off a whole generation is now making:

“Using Kalendit is really convenient for me, shifts come up all the time on the app and I can accept them whenever I am available.”

Getting paid what the work is worth — Shanice and Chelsea

Shanice is a Level 3 Early Years Educator who’d already been working in nurseries since 2017 by the time she found Kalendit. She wasn’t new to the sector, and she wasn’t short of options. That’s what makes “paid what I’m worth” land so hard against wages that are barely moving:

“For me, Kalendit is an amazing discovery as it enables me to book shifts when I want, it’s very easy to use and I really feel I get paid what I’m worth. And of course I get to work with children so it makes the whole experience even more rewarding.”

Shanice’s line could be the thesis of this whole post: “there’s something for everybody.” Chelsea, a student at London Metropolitan University, picks out a more specific detail: how often she gets paid, not just how much. Over half of Gen Z have put off a big decision over money — so a payday every two weeks instead of once a month is no small thing:

“It’s great to be paid bi-weekly to help manage your finances!”

A reason to keep going, not just an income — Vasilka

Vasilka is Bulgarian and made London her home. She joined Kalendit and, three years in, was still doing three to four shifts a week. She talked about the work in a way that went well beyond logistics:

“It’s not a job for me, this is my legacy, I believe this is the way to make the world better.” “It makes me feel worthwhile, that I am contributing in my own way.”

A way back into a qualified career — Denitsa

Denitsa trained as a teacher before coming to the UK. She used Kalendit while working towards converting her qualification into recognised UK status, studying at Bloomsbury Institute, London, alongside her shifts. What stood out to her wasn’t just the flexibility — it was the two-way feedback built into the platform:

“I like the fact both nurseries and educators can provide feedback after a shift. It helps the nursery and the educator, myself grow.”

Denitsa, working towards UK qualified status while picking up Kalendit shifts.

Nearly three years in, and not going anywhere — Gabrielle

Gabrielle has worked with Kalendit for almost three years, the whole time studying full-time. That makes her both one of our longer-tenured educators and, at the same time, this piece’s freshest testimonial. Study, a side income, a job chosen for how it feels rather than just what it pays — it’s about as close to a Gen Z case study as this post gets:

“I have worked for Kalendit for almost 3 years now, and I can confidently say that I will not be leaving anytime soon! Kalendit has really allowed me to diversify where I work, as there are a plethora of opportunities in different nurseries to work in, which is very convenient and keeps me going. It is such a rewarding job with such a fast pace and loving environment no matter where I work, in which makes time fly each time I’m at work. One of the most rewarding things about being a nursery assistant, has to be creating bonds with both the kids and staff as it brings me joy and makes me love coming into work! This job is perfect for me as I can work at my own convenience, considering I am still a full time student.”

Room for a life outside work — Esra and Rachele

Esra, a Kalendit educator since 2021, found that having nurseries nearby to choose from freed up time she didn’t expect. It’s a small detail — but it matters more than it sounds, since a long commute is one of the quiet costs of a fixed nursery job:

“It is great to have nurseries nearby to choose from. It makes my life so much easier, and I even started a creative dancing course!”

Rachele, a Kalendit user since 2020, describes something similar but broader — independence from a fixed routine, in service of two separate passions:

“The independence and ability to break free from the routine, caught my attention right away. Now that I’m a Kalendit user I have the possibility to follow my two passions: Travelling and Working with Children.”

Rachele, a Kalendit educator since 2020, between two passions: travelling and working with children.

Balancing it with her own family — Iolanda

Iolanda has been a Kalendit educator since 2018 — one of our longest-standing. The appeal for her has always been about her own routine as much as the work itself:

“Using the Kalendit app is easy, and there are lots of shifts. I can spend time caring for children while having a smoother routine.”

A side income alongside a different career — Abimbola Adetola

Not everyone on Kalendit is looking for their main job. Abimbola Adetola has worked in HR since March 2021 and keeps doing Kalendit shifts in his spare time, purely because he enjoys it. It’s a second income of exactly the kind nearly a third of Gen Z now holds — less out of need than as a deliberate choice:

“I work in HR but continue doing shifts in my spare time. I also share my experience with friends, family, colleagues and earn good money from the referral system in place at Kalendit.”

Abimbola Adetola: a full-time HR career, and Kalendit shifts on the side because he enjoys them.

Open to every background — Martha

Martha’s testimonial makes a point that’s easy to miss when every other story here is about one specific person’s circumstances: Kalendit isn’t only for qualified teachers and Level 3 practitioners.

“Kalendit for Educators is a fantastic app that provides flexible job opportunities for both qualified and unqualified educators, as well as other professionals in the childcare industry. I love that I can choose to work with nearby nurseries and decide where and when I want to work. It gives me full control over my schedule while connecting me with great childcare settings. Highly recommended for anyone looking for flexibility in the education sector!”

What ties these twelve together

Freda, Alya, Shanice, Chelsea, Vasilka, Denitsa, Gabrielle, Esra, Rachele, Iolanda, Abimbola Adetola and Martha aren’t the same kind of person, doing the same kind of shift, for the same reason. A mother reclaiming her evenings. A student timing shifts around lectures. An experienced practitioner wanting fair pay. A teacher rebuilding a qualification. A long-serving regular who’s diversified across sites without ever wanting to leave. A dancer, a traveller, a parent managing her own routine. A professional who does it for the love of it. Someone who didn’t need a Level 3 qualification to get started. But look again, and a second pattern sits underneath the first. Every one of them has quietly opted out of the very things the sector’s own data says are driving people out: flat pay, a commute and rota that don’t bend, an administrative, stress-heavy version of full-time practice. What they share is that Kalendit let each of them define, on their own terms, what the work should look like — pay, hours, commute and workload included. Thinking about picking up shifts on your own terms? Join Kalendit → Download on iOS Download on Android

If you run a nursery group, this is who’s in your bank

Every one of these stories is also, from a nursery operator’s side, exactly who you want turning up for a shift: experienced or committed, motivated, and there because they chose to be — not because nothing else was going. That matters more given the numbers: almost seven in ten nurseries can’t staff to full capacity, and pay, conditions and workload stress are the three reasons staff give most for leaving the sector altogether. A platform that attracts twelve genuinely different kinds of people, for twelve genuinely different reasons, builds you a deeper, more reliable bank than a single agency relationship ever will. It’s also one less exposed to the pay-and-burnout pressures pushing permanent staff out the door. Want to see the educators available in your area? Book a discovery call →

Frequently asked questions

Is Kalendit only for people who need full-time flexible work?

No. Abimbola Adetola’s story shows plenty of educators have a separate full-time career and pick up shifts because they enjoy the work, not because they need to.

How often do educators get paid?

Chelsea’s experience is bi-weekly pay; Freda describes receiving payment quickly after a shift. Check the app or kalendit.com/for-educators for current payment terms.

Does Kalendit have a referral programme?

Yes — Abimbola Adetola mentions earning through referring friends, family and colleagues. Check the app or the for-educators page for current terms.

I’m qualified overseas — can I still work through Kalendit while I convert my qualification?

Denitsa’s story suggests yes, though the specifics depend on your qualification and stage in the conversion process. The quickest way to check is to start the sign-up on the for-educators page.

Do I need to be a qualified early years practitioner to work through Kalendit?

No — as Martha’s testimonial puts it, Kalendit supports “both qualified and unqualified educators, as well as other professionals in the childcare industry.”

Isn’t flexible shift work just a response to not being able to afford a full-time role?

For some educators it’s partly that — pay and cost of living are real pressures across the sector. But as Vasilka’s, Gabrielle’s and Abimbola Adetola’s stories show, plenty of our educators pick Kalendit for the control, the variety or the enjoyment, on top of or instead of the income.

How do I sign up?

Through the “Join Kalendit” form on the website, or by downloading the app on iOS or Android.