Setting up as a childminder?

[Tw1nkle]

Hi,

I was made redundant in September and am having a re-think about my career options.

I have a DD who started school in September, so I really don't want a 9-5 job any more!

I love kiddies and am seriously thinking about registering as a childminder.

I totally understand that all the baby things will need to come back out of the loft, and the house will be turned into a 'kiddies playroom' again, and that's fine.

Does anyone have any advice?
How easy is it to get people to use you?
I'm not planning on starting until next spring, so I'm going to get properly registered and take a couple of courses too.
It is reasonable to take the children on the school runs?

Thank you.

It's no longer an easy option. The registration can now take between 12-18 months. You have to do cypop course, first aid and safeguarding. Food hygiene also and get DBS checks for adults in your home. All this costs money. You may be entitled to a grant so you would need to contact your local council. Advertising etc needs to be done and you need to decide if you want unders 8s also. Lots of hours doing paperwork after a 10 hour day of looking after children is the reality also!

Getting children will depend a lot on demand in your area and how flexible you are. You need to think about how early you would be willing to start, how late you would finish, would you take shift workers, part timers, fulltimers and what ages?There are not that many 9-5 enquiries so expect your working hours to increase. You will also need to set time aside on the weekends for paperwork.

Yes, it is completely normal to take mindees on school runs. Have you thought about after school activities for your own dd? I have found this to be more and more of a problem as my own children are getting older. I work until 7pm every night so my own kids miss out on all the sports clubs as I can't take mindees with me.

Are you planning on taking after school mindees or only babies/toddlers? If you do take older children how will your dd cope with having to 'entertain' children at her house that she may not like or otherwise want to play with?

Hope this gives you a few things to think about:)

Whilst I agree it's far from easy, I do think you're being a bit gloomy Bonkerz. In order to register in my area you need to attend a 2 hour (free) briefing session & then a 4 day course, do the 12 hour paediatric first aid course, be CRB checked & fill in plenty of forms! Start to finish you're probably looking at 6-9 months but if you're organised & are prepared to push it along you can do it in less than 6 months (took me 4 months). In the first instance call you local authority & find out the route you need to take as every area has different rules.

Yes t is bloody hard work, long hours, your house becomes a nursery, the paperwork is a bitch (although I'm quite slack on that side ) etc etc BUT day-to-day I do enjoy it and it means I can be around for my DC before & after school & be around for most of their school events. Yes mindees come on the school runs (most of my young ones have older siblings at school anyway).

It took me quite a long time to get a reasonably income - 3 months without anything, then another 3-6 months with some but not enough income & it's only the last year I've been full (not officially but full enough for me). Enquiries seem to be quite seasonal & I was regularly turning away business March-August so I'd start the process now if I were you (I started whilst still employed so it meant I wasn't without income for as long).

My best advice is to keep at least 1 day a week free after school for your own child so they can have friends over, chill out, do homework or activities. However much your DC enjoys the company & having constant playmates, they do need time off from it as well IMO and dropping a day a week has made a massive difference to us.

I would contact your Local Authority to see if they run a pre-reg course, mine ran a free one, with free paediatric and food safety course.

It's hard work and don't under estimate the impact on your own child. My DS2 has just started full time school and he detests the mindees! It is such a difficult situation. At the moment he doesn't understand why I am doing this but I hope when he gets older he will.

I can't tell you much about registration (having done mine years ago), but I so know someone whose crb check took 6 months recently.

It is hard work and long hours. Try and keep on after school space so your DC can bring friends home if possible.

It is lovely to have spent so much time with my DD, but she didn't always like me minding and would complain that I didn't talk to her after school.

If I didn't love the job I wouldn't still be doing it after 14 yrs.

I registered in 2012 and it was a fairly quick process. lots of form filling and jumping through hoops, but nothing difficult. I decided to childmind at the beginning of February and was registered by end April. I completed my CYPOP5 course by the end of May. (This has changed now and you have to complete the course prior to registering so it might take longer).
I am as full as I want to be - work 3 days per week, term time only. My own children are at primary school and this provides a decent balance for them and still allows them time to have their own friends round to play, or do their own after school activities. It works well for us at the moment.

Thanks for all the comments everyone.
My local council do offer a free course.

I'm thinking of just doing 3 days a week, and from all your comments, I think I'm going to go for it!

Thank you all!

Good luck!

I thoroughly recommend part time working as its a hard slog!
I currently have 9 til 3 off on a Friday tis bliss! But u am considering trying to get all Friday off after Xmas. I also only do 2 days in the school hols.

It's easier to pick and choose your days when you are established and have a good rep.