Should I become a childminder?

[NotVeryNigella]

Hello

I currently work 4 days a week in a Clerical/Secretarial job (in fact I've worked in an office for 12 years. I live with DP, and DD (18 months old). For a number of reasons, I am considering becoming a childminder. I'm not sure where to begin, who to talk to for information, how to go about becoming a childminder, what I could expect to earn, what hours I would work. I know there is probably a lot of information here on this board and I will try to trawl through the threads, but I would really appreciate it if someone (who has maybe 5 spare minutes!) could outline the pros and cons of childminding to me, and also let me know roughly what fee I could expect to charge. Also what qualifications would I need?

My other question is - if you are a childminder yourself, and you had the chance to begin your career all over again, would you still choose childminding?

Thank you so much,
NotVeryNigella

Oh by the way, I am in Wales

Wales - Regulator is CSSIW - no idea how you go about signing up as it were.
Links to the Regulations, for Wales

Found a leaflet about how to register as a childminder in Wales, seems a little dated but much should be the same.

Try contacting your local Children's Information Service - they may be able to provide information about becoming a childminder and about typical childminding rates in your area. To find your local Children's Information Service contact details, try using ChildcareLink.

Not sure how many Childminders on here are from Wales - possibly one or two, though probably not more than a handful.

Reading through the general childminding related threads will give you a lot of info, but remember that most of us are based in England, where the legislation is a bit different (I'm not sure what the differences are).

Hi I am in Wales..not registered yet though.
Contact your local CSIW office and they will send out an information pack.
You will then be invited on a pre reg info meeting/briefing session and if you still want to proceed you then complete a 6 week Intro to Childmining Practice Course (usually evenings/weekends), First Aid , a visit to your home by CSIW to check all is okay, CRB checks, Medical Forms etc etc ..not necessarily in that order and depends on which part of Wales too I think can take a while to get registered ..
have a trawl through the local CIS pages to see what rates other Childminders in your area are charging and whether they have lots of spaces left (i.e is there a demand in your area?)
Good Luck!!