Is there better money to be made as a childminder?

[sameb]

I currently work in a nursery, and have done for 12 years. I hold a senior role, but still the money isnt great and I have to admit, I have had enough of a lot of the youngsters that are being employed and not having as much dedication to the job. (this is not a comment about all young childcarers, I have come across plenty of extremly dedicated carers).

Im thinking about setting up a childminders, but wondered if I got my allowed limit of 6 kids. It sounds quite profitable. Is it??Sounds too good to be true.

I know there is insurance and buying all equipment to start, but after that, is there a lot of monthly outlay?

Any advice welcome.

dont forget only 3 of them can be under 5, plus you would be lucky to have 3 full timers all the time. It can be good money when full but really rubbish when not. e.g I am down to 1 child during these summer holidays so I am earning £3.75ph for a 36hr week. Also dont look at the top line, your expenses can be high and the loss of your own home can be hard to deal with. As with most childcare professions its for the love of the job not the money. If the agencys do come into force also things are going to dramatically change and not for the better so take a good look at that also

It can be very profitable if you live in an area with high rates of pay and a shortage of childminders. If you are one of many childminders with spaces and the average rate is £3 an hour, then not so much!

If you contact your council they will be able to tell you where there is need for more childminders in your area. If there is no demand where you are then it's probably not worth it.

I don't think it is something that you should go into just for the money.

If you have 3 early years children you could take between £9 and £18 an hour depending on where abouts in the country you are.

However, from that you need to factor in the cost of food, utilities and resources such as craft.

Also do you have enough toys etc? Do you need to invest in a double or tripple pushchair. Or high chairs?

Another factor to consider is the unreliability of the job. I have gone from taking £1300 a month down to about £400.

It is a job that can get very personal at times a d as a CM you don't have the back up if a team of people. It's you v.s parents.

Also EYFS work and tax / accounts needs to be done on top of 10 hour days.

And please please do not underestimate the impact on your own family.

I wouldn't give up a nursery job to do it. In fact I am looking for a way out.

As dontwant said, you may find it very difficult to fill 3 full time places. Since I began childminding all my enquiries have been for part time places, sometimes only 2 or 3 days a week, some for full days some for half days etc.

Plus you need to bear in mind things like transport etc. if you want to be as full as possible can you take them all out safely, is your car big enough.

It is possible to make money but there are many many other considerations. It is very appealing to think of being your own boss but it does take over your home completely!

Been cm for almost five years.

No sure what the paper work is like at the nursery you work at, but be prepared for the paperwork as a cm. There is no harm in thinking about it. Working from home as its advantages and disadvantages. Have you got kids of your own? how will this affect your family?

You have the childcare experience which is in your favour. Check out what the other cm are charging in your area?

I am sure the other cm will give further comments to your question

All the best in your decision

marypoppinsbag if you find a way out, will you let me know? (Sorry OP).

i'm also looking for a way out!

I think you would be mad to give up a senior position in a nursery to become a cm, sorry. Most of the cms I know, are doing it as a stop gap until their own kids go to school or because they have left it too long to feel they can go for anything else...

you would have to work your guts out if you had 3 f/t under 5s, it is highly intrusive, very, very tiring and gets to you when parents talk to you like dirt/treat you own home like a nursery. Most parents want p/t only, I don't know anyone that has 3 under 5 f/t plus older mindees.

it's your decision at the end of the day but I think you would be making a mistake, personally.

I was a childminder for 3yrs and went into it before I had kids of my own I thought it would be lovely looking after littlies, being my own boss, earning potentially £18 per hour and being paid to 'have fun'.

The reality was quite different. I find it extremely stressful due to minding children with behavioural difficulties, then I became pregnant and suffered bad morning sickness and spd, very isolating, mind numbingly boring at times, income very irregular and being let down by parents who were losing their own jobs. Money was tight. It was hard having people coming and going in my house all the time I felt like I could never have an off day when I couldn't be added to do the dishes as my home was on display all of the time.

I also thought working from home would allow me to spend more time with my own child but that presented its own set of problems and challenges. The thing I hated about it most though was the isolation. Yes there are baby group groups but only for an hour or two each week.

I quit and became a beauty therapist. Still self employed but it's a really rewarding job, not stressful, flexible, and the best bit? I don't have to deal with other people's children!

I came from being assistant manager at nursery to a childminder and I love it! I found that as I advanced at the nursery, my time with children became less and less, which is why I decided to leave. Since then my earnings have increased, but I am lucky to have all two year old full timers, and I am constantly being called asking for spaces. I live in London so I charge £5p/h, if I lived at home still in the Midlands, I could only charge £3p/h and so may not have seriously considered childminding. Obviously no childcare job should be purely about the money, but if you are supporting yourself (like I am) and don't have a partners income, it would be very foolish to not consider the financial aspect of any job you do!

Wow what a difference in the comments.

Look at your own personal circumstance sameb, which is best for you? to continue at the nursery or to start cm?

I have four kids and cm seems to suit me at present. I am able to work around the needs to my family and bring an income in also.

I have had my challenges at times.

Give it some thought about what you want to do before making yr mind up.

Don't forget to factor in sick days, annual leave and bank holidays. Some childminders charge in full for these but many don't. Twenty days annual leave plus another 8 for bank holidays makes a massive dent in my income. Also, like others have said, a lot of enquiries are part time or shift work and it is very difficult to 100% fill your spaces. The hours can be long too, I have often ended up working 12 hours a day as some children start at 7 and others finish at 7. My biggest expenses at the moment are food, petrol (this adds up quickly with school runs and daily outings in a 7 seater) and constant buying of toys and resources.

And ... be prepared for something to get broken, dented, or scratched every single day.

Be prepared for the bitchiness and the cliquey nature of the job.
My face just hasn't fit and I am out on a limb without a CM friend to do stuff with.

I won't go into what happened in my situation, but I honestly believed I had left school 18 years ago. And was not subjected to such behaviour at school.

Which is why I want to leave. As I feel so lonely.

I've never worked so hard for so little money , and any money I have made goes straight back out on the children .

Tbh if you want a better paid job but working with children then maybe consider being a nanny for a private family

As you will be employed you benefit from sick pay and holiday and smp

But you will work longer hours then In a nursery - ie possibly 12hr days

I don't know how cm do it - all the paperwork would put me off - let alone my home being trashed in constant use and trying to juggle all different families requests

Have no problem having 3 under 5 as a nanny as same family so parent in agreement iyswim