EX Childminders - What do you do now?

[Xroads]

I'm curious.

My dc's are getting older and I'm thinking of quitting in a year or so and wondered what options there are out there.....

I have 2 kids, (a 6 month old and a 6 year old with ADHD) have a full time job and a DH in the army ! Yeah my life's stressful and I do moan sometimes but I don't get paid to look after my kids.
I chose the job I'm in because I enjoy it
Fwiw I couldn't look after other people's kids all day everyday it would drive me nuts but that's why I don't !!!

I love childminding. I've only been doing it 7 months but so far it's the best job I've ever done. And I've done a fair variety of jobs. I work really hard at it and think the world of the kids I look after - I genuinely take care of them as well as I do my own 3 kids. If not better. But it's not a perfect job, nothing in life is perfect. I think it's ridiculous quite frankly that someone would object to a childminder having a moan about some of the harder aspects of childminding. NO-ONE on this thread has said anything negative about the childcaring aspect of the job. What childminders find hard is the other stuff, the paperwork, the cleaning, having to give over your home and the business side of things i.e. chasing payment, keeping parents happy without being taken for a ride. How on earth does any of that mean that they shouldn't be looking after kids?!

I have never met anyone who doesn't moan about their job sometimes.

Huh? Who did that? Are you posting on the wrong thread welove?

Who called anyone a brat? I can't see the word used anywhere other than in your one post berating someone for calling a child a brat!

Newtoallthis: We don't get paid for looking after our children; we get paid for looking after other people's children. That's a silly and provocative statement to make.

Welovecouscous: then it should be kept to the other thread. Bad form to bring it up on this one because other posters won't necessarily have seen the remark or its context.

For me, caring after the children is the most positive & encouraging aspect of the job.

As so many have alluded to here already, whilst the parents do pay for the 'service', you do feel a greater respect should be afforded by them to us. Just because we are opening the doors to our home to their children, they get confused into thinking that our home is now a community centre.

The only aspect of childminding that I am not comfortable about is that it's my house and it now looks like a nursery, with fire evacuation procedures on the wall, posters saying 'healthy teddy washes his hands' and boxes of paperwork! It is toys galore and the walls are decorated with children's artwork all year round. Plus the obvious spare room full of cots. I love childminding but I find that it infringes a lot more than I thought on my family life. I have applied for a part time job at local library to look after their family section, I hope it works. If not I will try to train as a teacher assistant. And I do agree with other posters, everyone has a moan once in a while, if being a childminder was the perfect job then there wouldn't be such a shortage...

So where did this begin..

(I'm curious. My dc's are getting older and I'm thinking of quitting in a year or so and wondered what options there are out there.....) is the answer!!!!
It appear's to have moved a long way from the question... Maybe threads should only be allowed to be constructive with only the people its intended for involved Here being childminders/nannies and such like!!!
Unless you do the Job how do you have a clue.. looking after your own children certainly has no relevance!!!!
TUT TUT
Xroads good luck!!!

I'm a nanny and I love it!

You still get some downsides such as parents just arriving home 2 hrs late! Catching up with payments when you work 24/6 for a month instead of 10/12 hour days etc.. The assumptions that you are availiable at all times. BUT.. This isn't with all employers and most are lovely

As a live out nanny you can also leave fri eve and be in a child free zone until Monday morning. And every evening ( depending on work schedule), is otherwise free from paperwork/ toys/ procedures

It can also be v flexible depending on demand where you live. ( ir you could find someone who just wants a few hours a day whilst your child is at school or you can work weekends

XRoads - I have only been doing it since June and I am already wondering what my next step will be! And when!

But I love the kids. It's just the intrusion on my children's lives and the mess. Which because we only have an upstairs toilet is traipsed through the house. But I love being there for my children too.

I think I would like it more if I had a completely separate playroom and a downstairs toilet. I had thought about the impact on my families live's before I began - but you can't really understand until you do it!

Good luck with your decision! I don't think you are moaning, like any other profession we are entitled to discuss it's downsides.

Do you take enough holidays? Would that make a difference? I've just got back from a half term holiday and I am looking forward to the new term
I have started as I mean to go on and I am taking my holiday quota and might even close for Christmas.

I think as a CM you can be so torn, because the job although hard and long days (I work 6.30am- 6pm), is enjoyable and rewarding. But it impacts so much on your home life.

Newtothisstuff...sad to read your very general comments...
I love my job and above all I really care about the children I look after who in turn are very happy in my care(some have been with me a very very long time)!!
I also am proud of my experience, knowledge and ability to do my job without getting into a state of utter stress which many parents get into

I like the whole aspect of it except the interference from politicians and their policies which are making many c/ms fed up....the cherry on the top would be a bit more appreciation all around!!

I used to child mind, did it for four years but quit to be a full time carer to DS - the older he got the more he struggled with a house full of other people's kids (he has autism). I loved the mindees I worked for, watching them grow and develop is the part of the job that keeps child minders going. The missed or late payments, early drop offs, late pick ups, paperwork, policies, huge amount of toys for all ages, safety equipment, nursery style posters, regulations...... well those I don't miss one jot.

I did try to mix my caring responsibilities with nursery work but sadly it was a very badly run nursery (which I found very frustrating and quite disgusting), ds still couldn't manage, and I disliked the lack of autonomy compared with child minding when you're running your own setting.

I often used to moan about the negative side of the job. However my care of the children always shone through and even now 4 years after shutting shop I am still in touch with the majority of the families I child minded for.

Just because a child minder is vocal (on an anonymous internet forum) about the downsides of child minding doesn't mean they aren't a good and caring child minder.

God, it's been a long time since I've seen a bunfight about childminders!

Do you miss child minding MML? I remember frequenting the staff room with you many moons ago!

I was a teacher before ( secondary) and I CM'd for 4 years and am now back teaching again but in Early Years. It was what it was but I would never ever do it again. The lack of respect, never getting paid on time, the pleasure of OFSTED in my home! The fact parents seemed to think they owned you! Give me school any day!

Oh no! I dont miss it at all.

I got myself a great job and I love it, which helps. It's school hours too, so I actually work far less, for more money.

I did enjoy CMing, but only the actual looking after the kids bit. The paperwork and constant ridiculous rules wore me out. My final OFSTED deemed me just satisfactory, because my paperwork wasn't up to scratch. All my parents were perfectly happy, I had been full for 12 years and never had to advertise to fill gaps. Says it all really!

I still see a few of the kids I minded. In fact, one or two of them are now at the secondary school I work at! Glad I made the move though. It was time for me to get out of jeans and trainers and move into girl clothes again!