any teachers turned childminders out there?

[Bronte]

Returned to work after 9 months maternity leave with second DD.
Not happy to be back but needs must.
Looking into all other options including childminding.

Hi Bronte - I'm not a teacher - but I am a childminder

As you have 2 dd's (I'm guessing under 5) you would only be able to have one extra under five.

You could also do after school and school holidays for over 5's (3) and possibly several over 8's

So you could end up working the hours you don't work now

If you have any questions about minding there are over 30 of us on here (and we look out for threads starting "Childminder's Club" as that's our "bit") There is lots of info about minding in this section - have a brose and see if our trials and tribulations will appeal to you

There is less paperwork tho' - but we still have to do observations etc

Thanks for your reply Katymac. The other dd is nearly 7 so that should influence numbers?

Hi I was a teaching assistant before i was a childminder the one big difference is with ofsted i found.When you work at school you are just one cog in the big wheel when you do it for yourself you are the wheel.
Like someone has rightly said you could end up working more or different hours than you do now.Maybe from 7-7 5 days a week.You are required to work to the same standards you work on in school but it can be very rewarding.I am going back into school setting though now as my children are older and I dont find the job to be what it was.

As your older dd is nearly 7 then you would be registered for no more than 2 under 5's & 2 5 to 8's, plus however many over 8's you want, as long as covered by your public liability insurance (usually up to a total of 10 children)Although Ofsted are on;y interested in the under 8's they do want to know if the older ones infringe on the care you give to the younger children.I would research the demand for childminders in your area very carefully, as in several places at present there seems to be a lack of work for childminders & they are finding it difficult to fill their spaces. Also look at you projected costs etc & set your fees carefully, not too cheap, but too expensive, again look at the average childminder fees locally & also look to see what they offer & compare with what you would offer.

Thanks badgerhead...any tips on how I should research future demands. Have always known this is an absolute essential but where do I begin?

with Childcare Information Service (at your council) Get the list of current minders from them

Then you can see what they charge etc
It's on-line (but I never remember where) - someone will find it for you

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Find out if there is a local Childminding Group, again the CIS should know & have a record of a contact, also you could ask the National Childminding Association as most groups are affiliated to them & they hold contact names for all their groups. Local childminders are more likely to talk to you if they know you are asking about local demand & charges etc because you want to become a childminder, rather than get someone ring up as though they are a prospective parent & asking odd questions, if you get my drift.

Information available on the Childrens Information Service site is not necessarily up-to-date, and may also not be correct (if you are looking at hourly rates already charged, for instance). I don't tell them what my hourly rate is anyway!

They will also not necessarily know what "need" there is for childminders in any given area - our local one says that it has so many "hits" to its board that we must all be doing really well (except that half these hits are probably from people like you, and also us childminders).

I agree with Badgerhead about seeing if there are any local minders who you could talk to. Your area might also have Vacancy Co-ordinators (ordinary childminders who "cover" specific areas where they live) and who would know about local minders, how much work is around etc.) Ask CIS for this information as well.