To quit a 50k a year job to retrain as a childminder?

I know someone who gave up a senior role to be a childminder. She loves it and has branched out into writing children’s books.

Don't do it for emotional reasons. Your dc has to be one of the gang during working hours and that can be tough for both of you. I was a childminder for a year and a bit when youngest was a toddler. It wasn't always the best for him and my older children hated it. I loved the job but didn't like my home and family being taken over by it. Once he started nursery I stopped and started a career in Early Years in schools and settings.

You will need to be a lovely person who genuinely likes other people's children when you are with them but.....you will need to have absolute balls of steel when dealing with the parents of those children.If you are lucky you will get lovely children and lovely parents . If you are not you must have the ability to set boundaries and to be absolutely sure you can and will enforce them. If you are in any way easily manipulated or a people pleaser walk away now.You will have parents who quibble and delay every single payment. You will have parents who disappear off on a quick holiday and never pay you for the days missed. Can you deal with enforcing the terms of your agreement. If you waver even once you are dead in the water. They will attempt to drop off early and pick up late. Can you deal properly with that or will you shrug and feed their child at your tea table for the third time that week.Sorry to be negative Op but you have to consider all these things. It's not all hearts and flowers.

Being a childminder is really hard work! You have to adhere to the EYFS and register with Ofsted. You will be inspected. You will have to give up your own home and have a suitable space to mind the children in. You risk your own personal things being damaged or spoiled. As PP have said you won’t spend quality time with your own DC

Er. No. You may feel this way now but she's your first. I have 3 and I skip away from nursery/school knowing that they will be having more fun than they will at home, build up their social skills and have more attention paid to them than I can whilst working and doing other house responsibilities. I can then enjoy my weekends knowing we can do have some quality family time and use my wage to do fun things. If you wanted to be a primary school teacher - retrain and do that. At least you'd get a predictable wage.

Even if you quit now it’d take a year surely to get everything you needed, get the bare basic qualifications, register with ofsted etc… so by the time you’ve built up a client base (with no experience it may take longer) and started taking money you will only have a year or so before she starts school, and if you have another child in the meantime then you might only get a few months childminding her really as you’d have taken an extra maternity leave. Financially it sounds like you are better off taking extended leave or reducing your working days.

Before you no it they don’t need you quite as much and your career becomes important to you again. I wouldn’t make any decisions based on guilt, maybe give it 6 months after maternity before making any big decisions.

Is your job or skill set transferable to self-employment? I was in a £57k a year job but went freelance for the same reasons you've expressed. Using the contacts I had I was able to strike out on my own but I did put my DC in nursery for a couple of days a week to give myself time to work and also for their development. But I could do early pick-ups and had days at home with them so it was the best of both worlds.

Drop to 3-4 days. More time with DC than now, more money than childminding, and when they go to school you can probably negotiate school hours work or go back up to 5 days in your current career.

Could you go part time in your career so you can spend more time with your daughter but keep your foot in the door. I stopped work when mine were born. My ex husband left when they were 2 and 3 and I had to return to work. I did supply teaching whilst they were so small and worked every day I could. It is comparatively well paid but nowhere near the 50,000 you are on. It wasn't a reliable income though. You will be in a similar position with parents wanting time/dropping you/wanting to come back . I didn't have the extra hassle you will definitely have of chasing parents for money/ not being valued as a professional because some will see you as 'doing a bit of babysitting in your living room'. You have worked very hard to get where you are don't underestimate how hard it will be to return to it once your daughter is at school fulltime. When she is a teen you will value the headspace and the opportunities a good salary brings. Having your house effectively trashed every day by other people's children will probably get very wearing for you and also for your husband.

Also worth considering how your DC might be with you looking after other children.

My 15month old, would struggle with it.

I think that it's great that you're considering your options. Depending on your finances, maybe you don't have to go back to work. You could be a SAHM for a few years. I took 8 years out from my career to raise 3 children. They're now all in school and I've been back working (initially part-time and now full-time) for 4 years now. The gap on my CV was not an issue when interviewing for roles and I'm now in a more senior role, earning about £40,000 more than I did when I stopped working in 2010. As shown on this thread, being a SAHM is not for everyone, but I loved it and think my children really benefited from it.

If you're able to take a drop in salary can you not do your current job part time, so you can spend more time with your DC.

I am currently a SAHM, looking at going back to work part time. It's lovely but there are also compromises.

One of my close friends did this and loves it. She was a solicitor and trained as a CM after her DD came along. She has since had another DD and it’s an ideal fit for their family. She has always loved children though! She is an amazing CM and has a
long waiting list in our village.
Money wasn’t a huge issue for her though as her DH earns well, that makes a difference as she wasn’t pinning everything on to the decision.

I had this same consideration very briefly. After about 4 months back at work, I didn't feel like this anymore. You will adjust to your new normal and days off with your little one will be very precious and fun, and on your salary you will be able to afford to do lovely things together

We use a childminder and she is an Angel. I don't know how she does it but she has said she is happy to hand them back at the end of the day!

I know a childminder who did exactly this. Granted she was older than you (maybe by a decade), and she went into it part time as well and only term time. Owns a lovely home as well. She hasn't looked back.

Go for it

I would also request to work 3 days a week. In fact that is what I did when I went back to work when DD was about 8 months. I hated leaving her and I actually did childminder training and paediatric first aid before deciding it wasn't for me.

How would you deal with another child that took against your baby? Your baby may hate sharing you and your house with other children, more than she dislikes being away from you. You and DH may hate sharing your home.

There is a lot to think about and a lot of preparation before you can look after children in your home.

Please do not do this OP, it would make you very vulnerable. I know I sound like a cynical old woman but I have up my career after our second child and did something with less pay as I wanted more time with my kids and also my husband worked away all week and it was too stressful... Few years later we're divorced (turns out his trips away were more for shagging than work, but that's another story!) and financially I'm ruined. He got the family home as on my salary I can't get a mortgage for it. Me and the kids are moving out to a crappy house in a crappy area and I will be forever stressing about money. I did the right thing for my kids at the time but boy do I wish I had protected myself better for this scenario x

Also by the time shes 2 or so you might find that nursery/pre school is exactly where she needs to be for her own development.

If you're going to lose money anyway, can you go part time in your current job? In no time at all your baby will be at school and you'll be stuck looking after other people's kids. My worst nightmare

Have you considered that your DC might enjoy going to nursery and although you are struggling she might be having the time of her life? I very much doubt she is spending the day yearning for you if she is in a nurturing and supportive setting. What does your partner think about the massive drop in household income and the home becoming a structured workplace? I think you need to give your head a wobble and think about the short and long term impact on all of the family not just how you feel 2 weeks after returning from mat leave.

I nearly did this when DD was little! I was stressed and heartbroken going back to work. I just wanted to be with her and hold her. Also work were bugger all help and made crazy demands. Very glad I didn't now! As others have said take time off or maybe go part-time if you miss DD.

That colleague is now back doing a similar role in a different organisation

I remember feeling like that when I went back to work. I ended up having another baby as well, so factor in that you will get more mat leave if you want another.
I ended up negotiating to reduce my hours when I returned, that made me feel much better. I went back to full time only recently (children at secondary school), now I’m climbing the career ladder again and I’m so glad I kept my career.

No don’t! A colleague of mine left her job (£45k) to set up a CM business and ended up losing money.
You’d have no pension, no sick pay, no paid holidays.
Maybe explore some flexibility in your current job and make the most of the time you do have with your daughter

Honestly I think you should go back to work for 1 year and then reassess.
Best thing to do is go part time for the short term.
Being a childminder is hard work and underpaid. You have to really love kids (generally, not just your own), be interested in child development, and have boundless energy and enthusiasm.
Also remember that a 9 month old is relatively easy to look after (aside from lack of sleep). Imagine looking after 3 2 year olds as they're charging around a playgroup, stealing toys and pulling hair. No thanks.
I love my children but work is a break!