What help do I need?

[toomanylayers]

I am itching to get back to work but I'm worried about childcare. I'm a short term contract worker with odd hours. My next job will have me out of the house from 6.30am to about 8pm but it is only two days a week. One child is at school, the other is in school/nursery every afternoon (and at playgroup one morning). So basically, is it a part-time nanny I need? I've looked into local childminders and no-one really does very early or late hours- should I look harder? I don't really need any other help- I'm happy to leave food ready and can do my cleaning on other days. Where do I start? My local FIS wasn't much help.
Money: would I have to pay for all the hours they were without the kids? From sept they'd both be in school 9-3.30, that's a big gap.
Help. (I live in Wales btw).

Are you a single parent living on your own with your children?

Is the job term time only? If not then you would need full-day care in school/nursery/preschool holidays, or do you have other plans for school holidays?

Some childminders may start at 6am but I would guess not many. Was FIS able to give you a list of childminders?

Try an au pair?

There could be childminders that offer extended hours local to you, but its hard if you don't know where to look. I always think its more likely that newly registered minders and others with limited work will be open to flexible and extended hour arrangements.

PACEY (formerly the NCMA) provide a database of childminders through IChild, and there are other databases too. Do you have Children's Centres or the equivalent in Wales? As they often list local minders too.

A childminder shouldn't charge for 9-3 once children are in full time schooling, so could potentially be your most economical option.

Thanks for your replies. My husband does the same hours as I will, he's full time. The job will go into school holidays and I appreciate I'd have to pay for a full day's care. The kids could stay with family then but they're quite far away. The list from FIS showed times people would start and none of them started as early as I needed, nor would do later than 6pm.
I shall look up those suggestions PinkCanary, thanks.

Can be worth calling a childminder who is local to your home and who collects from the school, they may be willing to do the early start time.