Thinking of a career change - what are the best and worst bits about being a childminder?

[catstar]

I have a 7.5 month DD and am going back to work next week. This may be a bit premature, but I am dreaming of getting out of the rat race and doing something I really enjoy. I have loved my time with DD and going off to all the baby groups etc and thought that maybe childminding is for me!!

What are the best bits about being a childminder - and what are the worst!!! Am I just looking through rose tinted specs because I've had such a great time with my DD?

Thanks if you have the time to post !

I did it after dd1 was born, went back part time and to boost income I child minded for my work job share partner. Its a very individual thing and this ONLY APPLIES TO ME but do NOT do it for friends/colleagues. It all went horribly wrong as they took the p*ss completely, not turning up when they said they would/not paying on time/not following through with things they had assured me would happen and when I gave them a month's notice to sort something on, they kept sending kids for 6wks and never paid me again after I handed in my notice. All very stressful/messy and horrible fall out at actual work due to her mouthing off. Needless to say not an experience I would care to repeat but then maybe I wasn't strict enough and should have had it all done very officially rather than rely on friends being well mannered about it all.

the training was fine but all the paper work became quite confusing and remember you may have to make changes to your house and be extremelly flexible re your daily routines

I don't mean to put you off as a lot of people do it successfully just don't make the mistake I did and make sure you run it as a business and not to help yourself/friend out of tight spot!

good luck in whatever you decide

Best bits:
Being at home with your own dc
Being your own boss
Flexible days, can go off to the beach or park if the urge takes you
Having fun with paints, play doh, gloop etc
Forming bonds with children and families
All the cuddles
I love working with children

Worst bits:
Parents not paying me on time
The paperwork
My child's needs are often placed second to mindee's needs
Have to work hard at getting out of the house or I miss adult company - more easy to do with a car and I don't drive.
Home is overtaken with highchairs, toys and buggies! This didn't bother me when ds was little but does now!

It's not for everyone and is not a job you can do for the money but I do enjoy it!

Thanks Ladies - it's something I will have to think long and hard about. I do love babies and children - my mum was a childminder so I grew up in a very busy house! Kay - you mention that your child's needs are often second to the mindee's which is something I would be concerned about as a minder. If i was the mindee's mum though, I would be worried about the minder's child always coming first! A hard thing to balance i would have thought.

I'm going to see how the first few months back at work in the City go before taking any further steps, but it still looks attractive! Dizzy - will remember your advice about friends/family. Thanks!

Best bits -
being my own boss.
being there for my kids in the school hols.
forming close relationships with some lovely mindees.
spending your day playing and painting etc .
getting lots of cuddles and love from mindees.
no travelling to work.
spending days outside when its nice instead of being stuck in an office.
expanding your knowledge by doing training.
when your mindee arrives with a bunch of flowers for you for no reason other than they love you.
feeling that you have make a difference in a childs life.

Worst bits
Ofsted!!!
paperwork.
parents who do not pay on time.
parents who take you for granted.
parents who insist their child is ready for potty training at 18months old.
you can feel quite isolated at times, especially when the weather is bad.
your house is not always how you want it (having to still have stairgates etc around even though you children are older).
training on saturdays.
I think that the best bits outweigh the worst bits and I love my job (most of the time) and I make a decent amoount of money too.

Thanks for that FeelingOld (me too by the way!). I can see from your post that the good things would outweigh the bad things. I suppose it's the same with any job really - my current job just seems to tip more into the "bad things". will give it lots of thought over the next few months as I return to work. Thanks for your thoughts ladies!