STILL NO CALLS .. HAVE BEEN REGISTERED 5 MONTHS NOW... HAVE NO MONEY.. NO WORK... WHAT SHUD I DO NOW

[lottiesmummy]

Have advertised everywhere I can think of, but as I'm running out of money I can't keep paying the newsagents up to £1 a week for ads, really don't know what to do next :(

Are you on the local LEA list?

I would not call a childminder unless I had got their name from the LEA list.

Have you tried local primary schools, toddler groups, etc? Have you put an ad. on Mumsnet?

I'm on the Childrens information service site, whats the LEA list?

Have you joined any agencies?

Have gone on the herts schools list, mumsnet, netmums, bounty, nannyjob etc etc yell, thompson local, I'm just running out of ideas and the will to do this, have been a nanny up to last year with no probs, i'm experienced and a mum of two, its just horribel at the mo

what agencies?

Our local school doesn't have a list but the childminders have an informal network (some of them cm for the teachers' children as well) and they always know who has a vacancy etc. Do you know any other childminders, is there a local support group?

Could it be how you are wording your advert?

Nanny agencies, where people go to find nannies, mothers helps, maternity nurses etc.

Have you put an ad on sharing care.co.uk I managed to sign up for free last week email me for code not sure if it will still work but worth a try.I'm also a nanny now registered as a childminder and struggling to find work even though I was graded outstanding at my Ofsted inspection last week. Hope something turns up for you soon.Are other childminders in your area filling there vacancies ok?

Where are you in Herts? There was one in Broxbourne area called Karen's Nannies.

sorry heres my email address [email protected]

LEA - Local Education Authority... basically does your council know you exist??? That's how we found our childminders.
The other way was to ask one who was busy and recommended the one we got... basically as someone else mentioned, they all know each other and recommend each other.

LEA is the same as childcarelink. It's now all on childcarelink rather than LEA lists......

Have you tried contacting social services. In my area they have a children in need scheme and pay childminders directly to care for children on their child protection register. You can also do emergency care this way.

thanks everyone, sorry to moan but im ill at mo, coming back down with tonsilitis and I'm still trying to advertise etc but really dont feel like it, but need to get started earning again, do you have a number for the LEA if thats where you got your list from pupuce ?

I'm on that list then happymumof2 thanks

What about contacting your local NCT, take a look at www.nct.org.uk to find your local branches.

thanks have emailed my local NCT group :)

have you tried gumtree and thenannysharers?

Don't just email them, ask to go along to a Bumps and Babies group so you can introduce yourself. Offer to help out or something to get your foot in the door.

Just a tip - if you really have had no calls, get a friend to ring up and request the list from your county council (they should have an information service for childcare) just in case for some reason they have not updated it lately or something.

I only say because I called a childminder from our local list when I was making enquiries about DS and she said her sister was also a c/m locally, and yet she wasn;t on the list.

lottiesmummy as you know im in the same area as you took me 4 months before i got my first child well actually havent started yet (in 2 weeks) But since taking on my full timer i have been asked by 3 other mums that i have known for quite some time through local P&T groups for Ad Hoc care which is all I wanted as well as my full timer so has worked out very well. The parents of my full timer are London based professionals and went looking online for a childminder, they found my website and found it to be very "professional" using their words (helps to have a partner in IT :)

Dunno if I am helping at all but just letting you know from which direction they came from for me. Hoping you find some mindees soon :)

You've probably seen it already but in case you haven't, i'll bump up my advertising tips thread for you! :)

I can't afford a website, I do come up on local searches though

I have got the majority of my work via

1. Poster in my front porch window advertising vacancies (I do live on a main road).

1. Through other childminders in my local group, if one of us gets a phone call and we can't do the work we pass work on to each other.

I also do ad hoc/emergency care usually by telling everyone I meet that I am a childminder and that I am willing (when spaces allow) to do short term/last minute care (do quite a bit for mums at my regular parent and toddler group when they have hospital apps or want to go to hairdressers etc), I know this kind of care is not ideal but once you get your foot in the door it can lead to more work via word of mouth.

Also at my kids school they do not have breakfast/after school club so are willing to have a list of childminders for wrap around care, might be worth checking if your local school with do the same.

Sorry you are in this situation but hope you get some calls soon.

thanks everyone :) fingers X'd :)