Childminders Club: Seriously starting to consider packing it in...................

[ssd]

As some of you might know I've been minding about 3 years but only on a part time basis. There isn't much work around here and lots of us have vacancies....Anyway I'm just finding it all a real strain and I want to pack it in. My kids are a lot of work and I feel having more in the house just adds to the hassle and as I only mind p/t I'm earning peanuts for the effort. I've nannied, am qualified etc etc but I've always found minding at home with my kids here a real effort. I'm a real worrier and I hate letting anyone down but it's starting to get on top of me and stress me out. Just don't know what to do to make up the income(only about £50 a week) and don't know what I'll eventually say to the parents. Feel really bad about all this.

Virtual hugs SSD

You must give lots of notice (maybe 2/3 months) they will probably leave earlier

Sorry you are feeling very down

Is there another C/Mer locally you could work for at her house?

I'd love that KM but I've still got ds2 at home so need to be here for him. I just really miss adult company where everyone isn't talking kids/babies all the time. Would love a kob outside the home but must fit in with my family life (ssd wants it all)

AAAHHHH job not kob!!!! Did a double take there!!!!

If a C/Mer needs an assistant for 1 or 2 extra children for a few hrs a week - you would be ideal

Keep looking for you have it all job - you might find it

My dh thinks all childminders are mad for doing the job we are doing - having your house trashed, limited adult interaction/conversation, and all for relatively low pay. I think the adult contact is really important, even if it's to have a bit of a moan.

I feel really sad that so many experienced, qualified childminders have so little work that they can't afford to keep doing it, and are giving up.
Perhaps you could look at working in a school (school hours and school holidays a plus point?)

could you consider childminding part time and working outside your home part time aswell? This is what I plan to do when my youngest is at full time school.
I feel that way, I get the best of both worlds!

I think I will feel different when my youngest is at school and I'll hopefully have more choice about what I can do. Also my house is really small and there is only one room for us all eg. the living room has the only TV, the dining table, and the pc in it, so it's all a squash.

I think the thing that gets me is the money, I'm really soft and let parents away with things then I feel I'm being taken advantage of, even though it's all my doing......I'd just like a job with set holiday pay, sick pay and not always fluctuating like my minding money does.

I'd love a job in a school, but again they are very sought after here...will try next year for that though.

I wonder if anyone on here has successfully given up minding and found something else they are happy with?

I would be interested in that too!

I am seriously thinking of packing it in - I get soo stressed and dont actually enjoy the job. Plus all the kids I seem to get have some kind of problem! I have given notice to my 9 year old mindee as he was being v disruptive and not being nice to my youngest son.

I would also love to work in a school (would suit me down to the ground!) but jobs in schools are very hard to get.

I am going to give it till after Christmas and see how I feel - will only have 1 mindee then anyway unless I get any enqs in the meantime!

Just popped on quickly and want to reply to this. Have you both seen the updated list of online advertising places I put up recently? If not, seriously give these a go!

I've had 4 enquiries in the last week, 3 of which were through internet searches and to have this many in such a short period of time is a first for me. I'm wondering if my new adverts helped??? Just thought may be worth checking out?? I'll bump it up in case you haven't seen it!

Jenny - will reply to your email later, busy with the kids and a poorly dh (dr on her way!)

Hope you both feel better soon. I hated it at one point but once I got rid of the problems, I was fine again and am back to enjoying it (although today ds is driving me mad )

I packed it in and got a job in school but i trained for classroom assistant work some time ago.Why not consider the college course while you are mulling it over it would give you school placement experience too.I dont regret jacking it in and believe me i gave childminding 110 per cent.

Thanks Helen!

joanna4 - is there such a thing as a classroom assistant course? I didn't know there was such a thing - but I will look into it! Who runs them? Is it the council?

I'd be interested in the classroom assistant course too!

The course is or was called special needs assistant level 1 the 2 and 3 is incorporated together.Level 1 is about 10 weeks the other is 30 weeks give or take.
The local colleges near you should run them sometimes i see these courses january time so i would be enquiring.All the courses i went on were daytime and for around 2 hours long. The 30 weeks course involves some time gaining experience in school i did one morning but it was enough to get me noticed and i had a few years work out of it.I wanted to have a go at doing my own thing and the school budget was tight so i was a childminder for 3 years but now i am back in the school were i started again.

Oh thanks for that joanna4! I will start enquiring about it!

I dont really know what else I would do! Only ever worked with children!