CM CLUB - so sick of being skint doing this job!!!

[star1976]

Going to have to look for a weekend job again!!!! Only quit last one in March.

Either that or need to find full timer and give notice to a part timer!!!!

So stressed and so pissed off with my life right now.

Money problems causing major arguments with DP and I have just had enough!

Sorry for rant but I am just at my wits end and need something to change!

How many children can you have?

poor you
how many mindees are you allowed and how many have you got?
its hard work with full timers as when they leave you loose a big chunk of money i perfer part timers myself

I am registered for 5 (usual ratios taking into account my DS 15 months).

Have 3 mindees and one ad-hoc!

Mindee 1 - 30 hours a week - always pays on time monthly in advance, lovely girl, lovely parents no problem!

Mindee 2 - 3 days (but always turns up 30 mins after contracted end), when first started agreed they would pay weekly at their request, said would see how it went. Really not working for me and need monthly, which they say is not possible for them. To be honest mindee is a bit of a nightmare. All my DS has to do is look at her and she cries, very temperamental and sometimes drives me insane.

Mindee 3 - 2 nights after school till 7, mother pays fortnightly in arrears, never on time, and tends to miss off the odd couple of £ cause doesn't want to break a note, depsite me giving her unbelievably cheap rates!!!!

In desperate need of some more work!!! Part timers would be fine, if I could get a couple of after schoolers would be great!

star where are you love. been lucky i guess living in a Army base i have never had a space, and only take full timers so a good income. have you tried advertising at the hospital, fire station and police station

Your so lucky shosh!

I am in Orpington, Kent! Borderline a few different areas (Petts wood, Chiselhurst) but went 4 months with no enquiries when first registered (after had mindee 1), then stopped advertising when got mindee 2 as thought would be the end of my problems!

Oh little did I know!!!!

Always advertise and you never know what is around the corner. You could open a waiting list.

I would give notice to the second one and advertise hard.

The third one i would present with a bill every month in advance and tell her that this is the way. Maybe say its new advice from ncma?

Same here star I have had a few leave/give nitce in last two months (for changes in house/school/job).

I have ordered myself some lovely brochures and fliers from vistaprint and am about to distribute them to my areas largest businesses/employers (25 in total including fire stations, supermarkets and ambluance depot!!). Am sending a lovely letter to the manager of each place, pointing out that effective staff have effective childcare and how wonderful and suitable I am, so could they please put leaflet in staff room. I always have postcards in windows etc, just seems to be a shortage of kids at the mo!

Have a big big totally shameless advertising drive like I am and lets see how we do.

Def going to give it a try! Pathetic as it sounds though, have no ink in printer at the moment and no money to buy cartridge!!!!!!!

Just changed all my Direct Debits to the end of the month so can save up 'weekly pay' mindee's money in the hope of being able to afford them!

Kay Samuels - Am I right in thinking that you are based in Hull????

I have got work in the past by having a large poster across the top of my front window (I do live on a main road though), people have walked/driven by and seen it and given me a ring or even called in. I made the poster on the computer and just copied and pasted some cute images to put on it.
Good luck.

Thanks FeelingOld, great idea. Unfortunately (???) I live in a crescent where there is no through traffic.

Do have posters in my car though, which is obviously often parked near the school I do pick ups from, and outside my house.

Just feels at the moment like things were finally coming together, but then as always fell apart.

DP keeps telling me to get a 'proper job' (as per previous thread) as he clearly has no idea what I do, or how much worse off we would be (not to mention how much more miserable I would be leaving DS and DD) if I was working and paying for childcare!

I do yes star.
I'm gonna nick that suggestion feelinold as I live on a main road!

Kay - Thought I had noticed you mentioning it in a previous thread!

Moved from Hull 18 months ago, and although don't miss my family, do miss my friends!!!

Ha ha I wouldn't miss my family either! ('cept my sis) Where are you now? That's if you don't mind saying of course.

Do you know anyone who works in the vacinity of a computer?? Voila - Print outs! DP does mine, and photocopying!

In Orpington, in the London Borough of Bromley. Moved to be with DP. Don't regret it of course, but do sometimes miss my independance (on my own with DD for 4 years before moved here and had DS)!

Don't really know anyone down here except DP! (Sad I know). He can print stuff off but not in colour, so non of my brilliant graphics look good. Will have to try to persuade him to buy a printer cartridge!

Star, I was like you last month and i was getting so fustrated then someone I rang back (after tellingher i didnt have a vacancy in march) phoned me about a month after i had left an answerphone message saying i now had space, she phoned and wanted pt and now he will go ft by the end of june, I've got a lady waiting for a space in sept (if i have one) and then a couple of weeks ago i signed up 2 more children (who i have now given notice to) I had someone phone me the other day and he wants a ft space asap (bvut because im moving i've said he will have to wait until after that) so we'll see if that pans out if it does I will be pretty full by the end of june.

You can just never tell when it is going to turn around, go on a mad campaign like kay is doing and see what you get from that. Be totally shameless!

star have a look on 7dayshop.com for printer ink sometimes a bit cheaper but does take asthe title suggests 7 days to come!

Thanks S88 and LMG!

Going to advertise like mad as suggested and see what comes of it!

Have had an enquiry left on my mobile voicemail this morning (no bloody signal when at home) who I need to ring back (not answering at the moment), so fingers crossed!!!!

But, do I give notice to Mindee 2 if I get a better offer???? Or just hope for part timers/after schoolers to fit around?

Hiya

Feel for you as been there - when first started, had 4 mindees within few weeks so had 5 kids in total THEN had to get rid of 3 a few months later (very bad behaviour reason and they all came together). Had 4 months with just the 1 mindee then BANG 3 new mindees came at once. I now have a waiting list as, as Jelly mentioned earlier, you NEVER KNOW what's round the corner. I was very shocked when my first ever mindee left to go to private school. All friends and still see each other but circumstances changed. I've also had success from emailing/phoning people from waiting list!

I'm going to bump my advertising tips thread in case there are any ideas to help that you haven't thought of!

Good luck

Thanks Looney!

Just been on a couple of the websites listed on your 'advertising tips thread'. SO fingers crossed!

Earlier enquiry was a no go but at least people are calling!

i went in 2 local private nurserys and asked if i could advertise after school places for september in their nurserys stating the school i picked up from
got 3 calls already and only had 2 places so now passing them on to other childminders

star - is there a local childminding group you could join? I am a member of my local group, there are only 9 of us in the group but we have a group website and if we get any enquiries for work which we can not do we pass it on to each other, I have got 3 of my mindees that way. We also meet weekly in the local childrens centre for a stay and play session, and cos we get to know the other childminders mindees we cover for each other for sickness/holidays.

Hi feeling old, sounds like a really good idea. Don't know of any groups round here but will ask around (although to be honest don't really know anyone round here).

WIll give private nursery's a go too dmo, thanks!

star we do the same as Old, its really great for passing on work.