Childcare proves a real perk on campus

Working for a university may not pay that much but employees can count on vastly superior childcare provision, according to a Times Higher survey.

All but two of the 38 institutions that responded to our survey provide childcare on or near campus, in the form of either a nursery or a creche. Just 5 per cent of employers generally provide a nursery service, according to the National Day Nurseries Association.

The survey found that the costs of such provision vary significantly, from £825 a month for under-twos at Middlesex University to a lowest rate charge of £347 a month at Brighton University.

But all the universities surveyed tend to offer childcare at a significantly cheaper rate than private day nurseries, which, in London, frequently charge in excess of £1,000 a month.