Tiney childminder

[Jennybeans401]

I'm considering training with Tiney as a childminder. It seems expensive but I like the protection of being with an agency. Has anyone experience of Tiney as a childminder or having one of their childminders?

I’m with Tiney. I was a primary teacher for years first but wanted a change. Tiney’s fees and exit charge did nearly put me off, but I wanted to get registered (and therefore working) much more quickly than it takes through Ofsted plus the initial training and guidance made it the right choice for me. The extra £600 government grant for registering though an agency more than covers the cost if I decide to leave them for Ofsted before 2 years is up. I can see that the 12% is very offputting if you are earning a lot, but it’s not if you only have one or two mindees part time alongside your own children. It’s £180 to join them if you do it through an existing childminder’s link. Last month they got “Outstanding” in their Ofsted inspection.

Did they?

I've read their report and I don't think they are graded in the same way. I saw their result was 'Effective'. Could you please provide evidence to your statement of Outstanding?

I also know dozens of Cms who have joined our CM Facebook group for help in moving away from Tiney. The fees are crippling them. LAs have told agencies that funding must be paid directly to the childminders to stop them taking their hefty slice first so Tiney have changed their Ts and Cs to get around this and charge cms lump fees. Outrageous!

@BusyCM you are right, the Ofsted grading was “Effective” - after primary teaching for so long I think of best grade available as “outstanding” automatically.

This just means they are doing their job it doesn't mean they are doing it in an outstanding way

Well exactly! This is just a a pass grade as opposed to a fail. Hardly something to be boasting about.

I only mentioned Ofsted because as after reading about the problems childminders with the Rutland agency had after their inspection, it was good to know that Tiney aren’t heading the same way!

I do wonder how the model works when they are effectively pyramid selling their discounted fees. It encourages people they have trapped in by their get out fee to tell everyone how great they are. Why does an amazing agency need to do this?

I’m not trapped by the exit fee @jannier and don’t see how it’s a pyramid scheme ! The exit fee would have put me off registering with them
if it hadn’t been for the extra £600 government grant. Registering through them was a good choice for me. If that changes I’ll pay to leave.

Giving fees discounts for everyone you recruit is very similar to the basis of pyramid selling where you paid to trade them got financial reward then ran out of friends to sell to buy were tied in.
You've got extra to join an agency but all that will go to the agency. To set up with Ofsted is much cheaper and then is just £30 a year insurance about £100 advertising and training free in my LA we also get a buddy free and a development coordinator and everyone can use the numerous FB pages run by well known industry bodies and access the paperwork free so I just don't see what you get for the amount you pay.

@jannier I have just checked and for referring someone who completes their registration there is a reward payment of £150. To me that’s a standard way companies save on advertising, like a bonus for referring a friend at teaching supply agencies or emailing someone a discount code for shopping. I can’t see that people would stay with an agency in the hope of referral fees as I presume it takes quite a while for them to be paid.
You are clearly lucky with your local authority, my local one suggests it takes up to 6 months to register and training isn’t free. I have now had a look at some other local authorities and can see that they definitely vary in what they offer people wanting to train and register. Of course an experienced childminder already set up with lots of childminding friends / contacts isn’t going to want to pay to fees to an agency, but for me it’s been a good choice for setting up quickly. I can’t compare the training to any of the other models but it’s suited me and I thought it was really good.

I'm an Ofsted childminder and have never had to advertise for spaces in 24 years. I know of many childminders who were with Tiney and have all left because they felt that, even though they take a fee upfront and a percentage of your income, they don't actually get a lot for it.
Also, Rutland agency folded several months ago- and many childminders who were with them are no longer allowed to offer funding. Then they all had to get registered with Ofsted.

Rutland losing their grade was suspect, too. How can it be right that their competitor (and that's what Ofsted is, after all), is also their regulator?

They appealed and were then inspected by the same inspection team they had a problem with - that's hardly impartial, either.

Rutland seemed to be an agency that childminders actually liked, and it was run by childminders.

If you haven't signed up already I would strongly advise you don't. They've been a pain in the butt from start to finish. The onboarding is great. From then on you don't get quick responses. Every piece of admin they do is wrong. You can't create your own contracts or invoices so you end up sending it back 4/5/6 times for them to correct It. They are not nice people. They take around £500 a month from me and make my life so stressful and make me look incompetent because of their shortfalls. Alot of Tiney minders are leaving because they are so awful. I'm going to Ofsted directly but I've heard good things about sca if you want the backing. Although, the LA have all the things to offer that an agency does... For free and Morton Michel insurance offer a childminder package with all the benefits that you'd get with Tiney anyway for £75 per year...

I've not gone for Tiney.Im the OP and considered it.Dp looked at it and said the agency were taking too much.Im looking into being Ofsted registered and doing things myself.

The outlay is way too much with Tiney,they wanted £300 to join then there was a lost of stuff to pay for.Their fees are expensive too so I'm doubtful I'd get many clients.

Hope everything works out join some Facebook groups like independent childminders lots of support out there. Good luck.

Hello, would you be interested in sharing your discount link with me? I’d like to save on my registration and it would give you money too?

Why not save lots more by registering with Ofsted?

Just returning to the thread to say that having spoken to other Tiney childminders and hearing about their experiences, I would never recommend Tiney now. Yes, it’s quicker to register with them but the company seems to be a mess at the same time as extremely controlling. I think it’s grown too fast.

And there was me thinking your childminder was a Borrower 😂