childminder why did you give up ?

[Bos15]

childminder why did you give up ?and after how many years? did you founded very hard job or what?.......

I gave up in August after 3 years of childminding, Prioir to childminding i worked as a nursery manager. When i started childminding i found i could spend time playing with the children and could decide how little or how much i could do depending on their moods etc. I found as time went on i was spending more time doing paperwork and trying to cram in activities so i could show OFSTED. I also found that looking after 2 3 year olds and a 1 year old was incompatible. The 3 year olds needed ALOT of input to keep up to ofsteds standards and i was neglecting my own daughter! The job itself worked well for me as it meant i could be at home for DD and DS BUT it was also very stressful.

stressful....yes from:
parents
children
ofsted
life

I worry about it all the time - I consider giving up quite often now, which I find sad

I don't feel respected - my parents are lovely but new parents have little respect, people I meet have little respect, & I attend meetings at the same level as head teachers and heads of department for EYFS and I can see them looking at me as if to say 'what is a babysitter doing here with us'

I was actually told that childminders should not presume to open nurseries - WTF???

I have been minding for 11 years and have always loved it. Yes, I have stressful times over the years, but you get that in any job. The benefits of being at home, far outweigh the bad times for me. HOWEVER! I am just about to give it all up. If I get the job I went for on Friday, I'll be handing notice to all my parents on Monday afternoon!

I would dearly love to keep minding, but I cannot work by Ofsted rules anymore. I have only every been a 'satisfactory' childminder according to Ofsted, mainly due to my paperwork not being up to scratch! My parents, however, all come to me by word of mouth and I've never had trouble filling my places, so I must be good enough for the people that actually matter!

Since I planted the idea in my head about getting out, things have started getting on my nerves. I'm fed up of child locks on everything. Keys in my pocket for medicine cabinet, front door, back door, windows! Car seats in my car. Prams all over the place, along with boxes of toys and paint and oh god, I could go on and on! I've got a 12 year old now, I don't need all this crap!

So glad i'm not the only one katy

I worry about everything - not doing enough for mindees, for parents (see my other post today), not devoting enough time to my own children, paperwork, meeting the standards and particually what the EYFS will burden us with
Also I'm not happy that my whole house sometimes looks like a playroom

You need so many skills to child mind so
when will we be seen for the professionals we are?

I agree with you maureen, your home is not your own, I would love to get up in the morning and not have to tidy and prepare the house for parents to drop off, letting my washing drape everywhere if i want

Unfortunately I couldn't give up even if i wanted to as my kids are too young for me to go out to work and with 5 of them, i couldn't afford the childcare.

I've always gained a 'good' in inspections but i'm reluctant to do any more work than i already do. My next inspection is spring 2009 and if ofsted don't think i'm up to it then i'll have to have a re-think

Fingers crossed for you maureen

Thankyou! My next Ofsted is due in about August this year, so I have really slacked off! I don't have any posters up anymore! I stopped putting my certificate on the wall too! Bad girl!

give up after EYFS or before

Good idea bos, come October there won;t be a cm in sight! then perhaps the government will have a rethink

low payment,parent dosen,t think so!!!!!!!

children were great, the more I had in the house the easier it all seemed. It was good fun spending time with them

OFSTED were managable but
parents were a nightmare

went back out to work when dd went to nursery at about 2 & half years, we had moved to a new area.

The only good part of it for me is the children, ofsted have ruined the rest

I don't feel the pay is too bad as i have an extension that allows me 4 under 5 so good hourly rate but hard work - i'm on my knees by 7pm!
Parents - don't even start me on that one, that's a whole new thread...

well mindingmum if I ever employ a CM myself I will be so nice to him/her!

Glucose, just a small point and a word from experience, when and if you need a childminder, don't mention employing one! Trust me - red rag to a bull! We are self employed and therefore you use our service, you don't employ us! I'm sure you didn't mean it like that, but bad choice of words!

well did not want to say 'use one' as that sounded worse
thought employ was more correct.

How ever you word it everyone who provides childcare should expect to be paid a fair wage. Some of the parents I experienced quite obviously depised paying me

well i haven't given it up but i'm thinking about it - all the mums i mind for only work two days a week - i feel a bit jealous and often wonder if maybe i should do that myself! i do miss adult/workplace company too although i do go to lots of groups and activities with the children it'd be nice to talk about grown up stuff with my friends which you just cant do with sprogs about with their ears aflappin'!!!

MaureenMLove we must be twins

I have been minding for 12 years and have just reduced what I do as I got offered a job elsewhere which coincided with my Mindees starting school/moving etc. I still mind before and after school as my new job is school hours but I am not taking on any new parents.

I had a mother ring me eveyday over the Xmas holidays to try to force me to take her (I quote) "Lovely, quiet, little son, who will be happy to join in with whatever and its just for an hour" which in practice would have been at least 3 hours each night. He attends a club now and is a challenge ;), he hits, kicks the carers and children and runs offs!phew I consider it a lucky escape but I really could have done without the daily phone calls. At one point even suggesting I get rid of one of my other mindees to take him on!

Ofsted rules can be a pain! Personally I don't want my certificates on my wall! They live in my folder and can be shown to anyone who wants to see them.

Hope you get the job. Good Luck

I absolutely love what I do (caring for children), so have no plans to give up anytime soon. However, I truly hate the way my house and life have been taken over by my job. I have an unbelievable collection of equipment (includes 3 highchairs, 4 buggies, 3 travel cots, and at least 10 car seats), toys, files, paperwork, posters, and a dirty, great minibus blocking half the drive.

We have converted our loft to house as much as possible, and converted our garage to be a child-free, "adult" room for our own (grown-up) children, all at great expense but necessary for quality of family life. It looks as though we have small children living in this house, but my own children are all adults.

I have been minding for over 14 years, and certainly benefit financially from my work, but it doesn't take account of the (more and more) unpaid hours of work I put in. I pride myself on doing a good job, but really resent giving up weekend and evenings for courses and paperwork. I do it because I want the best possible grading from Ofsted and to be the best that I can. And I totally resent the fact that it will involve more unpaid hours in September.

So, to answer the OP, I obviously haven't given up - but all the above would be the reasons I would cite if I were giving up. Rant over, thankyou.