Pay for Childminding Course

[ilovecats]

I attended a Pre-registration course to become a childminder the other day. We were all handed a piece of paper which said I should attach a £50 cheque to the registration form, send it in and then I would be told which course I can attend. I thought this was a bit odd for several reasons.

1. I thought these courses are free and I have been doing a lot of research about becoming a childminder and the training, and I have never come across this.
2. Apparently the £50 is a deposit, which I will get back if I attend the full course, but I think it is really risky that someone has some of my bank details in their desk.
3. I don't even know which dates I will be given so I may not be able to make those dates and therefore loose my deposit.

When queried this at the meeting, I was told that if I really wanted to become a childminder I should be committed enough to attend at any time even though I have a 1 year old and a par time job. I was also told:
'We already have enough childminders, we don't need you. This is a priviledge, if you cannot make it we will find someone who can.'

I am still committed to become a childminder but to be honest I found this treatment really rude.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

'We already have enough childminders, we don't need you.'
That would imply to me that they are trying to put people off. Is the area over subscribed with childminders?

It could also be a funding matter... if someone completes the course their place on the course is funded by some other organisation/Government. If they stop mid-way through the course, or don't turn up... then the course provided can't claim the funding. That's what I suspect may be the situation... thus they want a deposit to ensure those wanting to do the course will see it through.

That's a terrible thing to say, I don't know about deposits, it may be a way of confirming your commitment, as nannynick said there may be a lot of people turn up then don't continue when they have said they would, and the space could have gone to someone else.

But I would have thought they could have given you some possible dates, as most LA's set their training schedules well in advance.

Of course that's a silly attitude, its not just inconvienent to you, but others that may still be in employment and can't give up yet or have booked their holidays.

Is there someone you can contact, more senior, possibly on a letter you have recevied from your LA.

I had to pay a £50 deposit which I got back when I finished the course; nannynick you have it right, that's why they do it!

I would ring them up to clarify the bit about dates ... obviously not everybody is available at all times and you should get all the dates available before you sign up.
I'm finishing my training next week and yes I had to write 2 cheques for £25 each for each course (ChIP and First Aid). I got one back at the end of the ChIP and the other one I'll get next week.
If you're worried about cheque ask for other methods of securing the place ... not everybody has a bank account so they MUST have something else in place to cover those pleople as well (one girl at my pre-reg meeting asked that very question and they sorted something out for her).
Hope it goes well for you. Do not get discouraged .... it is a really exciting opportunity ... fingers crossed you get a more inspiring tutor on your course than that pre-reg woman.

Sounds like the area is already full with minders however to be spoken to like that is not very nice or professional.

Not all courses are free and each area delivers courses differently.
I know when I have been on various ICP courses (I am a support minder and a trainee tutor) its amazing how many of these people have absolutely no intention of minding or change their mind half way through. All that training - the cost of, the space which someone else could have had, deployment of resources etc - all wasted time and money.
I really quite annoys me - especially when I know that the money wasted could have been put to better use by my LA in supplying some training that existing minders have been asking for.

give them a call and ask them what dates are likely to be given and just explain that you are willing to attend but ideally need to know in advance so you can arrange childcare.

I am also trying to become a childminder in the
Clapham area. Does anyone have useful tips?
Or is any of you a Childminder already?
I have a seven months baby and this is why I would love to do it. I have so many ideas about how wish to run it and I am quite excited about it ! If any other mum wants to share ideas or experiences please do , looking forward to hearing from you; equally if you have any bad experience I would like to hear from you. Ciao

Consider yourself lucky if you only need to pay £50. I have been told by my council that funding has run out and there are too many childminders in my area. If I want to register I have to "pursue it on my own" and pay for the ICP, firt aid and food hygiene courses myself. In total this will come to about £350. After I have completed the courses I need to show them the certificates and they will give me an Ofsted registration form. I then need to register with Ofsted and the council will not give me any help / support with this.

This is in contrast to a few years ago when they were actively recruiting childminders, offering lots of help and support and providing all the training for free.

Naty75, In September I will have been childminding for two years. It has been an experience with challenges and also with rewards.

Tips?

When I started there was not a waiting list. If you really want to do it dont give up. I never had to pay £50 in advance? (Wow) It seemed daunting to start with but it gets easier as you go on.

Challenges I have faced, Keep on top of the paperwork, if you can! Ensure that you get the support of the parens when dealing with their children's behaviour!

PLEASE PLEASE dont take on too many children all at once. Do it gradually. With you having a little one also you need to ensure that you give your baby quality time.

Consider what age group you would like to mind. Do not get carried away with just the money, the hours and the amount of children must be comfortable. It can be stressful if you have too many children or your doing too many hours.

It just so lovely when you see the children developing.

Let me know if you would like more information.

Of course most of the courses are "free" but even now 9 years down the line, I still have to put a deposit on some courses I attend.

I've never had a problem writing a cheque and my local authority always send it back.

I'm due to attend my 3 yearly first aid course next Saturday and the next (12 hours) but for some reason we now don't need to send a deposit.

There were some problems a few years ago when lots of people turned up unannounced and for safety reasons had to be turned away but if you don't book you don't get!

i would say if you are being told "we have too many childminders in your area we don't need you" then don't become a childminder in that area! there are an awful lot of minders in my area and every minder i know has spaces - it's really hard to fill your spaces as a new minder because most work comes via word of mouth recommendations, if i get an enquiry for a child that i can't take on i always recommend a friend - sorry to sound negative but i'm just speaking from my own experience.

MUM2BLESS thanks for your message. I was thinking about that and I do want to provide quality and safety above all.
There are so many things I wish to ask maybe you can reply to me privately. I was thinking about the following : how many holidays do you take and when ? I do you make sure you always have children to look after ? I have a mortgage and this worries me! How many hours? what would you charge? Thanks : )

As a minder you're SE so holidays are unpaid. The NCMA now advise minders to write paid holiday into their contracts but parent's aren't always okay with this - we get a lot of posts on this section about minders insisting on paid holidays. Most minders close for a week around Christmas, a week around Easter and a couple of weeks in the summer giving parents the holiday dates well in advance.

You can't make sure you have children to look after - they come when they come and sometimes you'll be full to the brim and turning away enquiries, other times you'll get nothing.

As you're SE you don't have a guaranteed income to cover your mortgage and fees depend on the area you're in. I would think long and hard about the likely income and likely costs, what level of income you absolutely need to survive and therefore what your minimum rate is going to be. Then compare to other minders in your area (some will state their rates on websites or in netmums ads), ask what the going rate for your area is at your pre-reg meeting and do the maths. Again you're SE so you set your hours. Flexibility = money as some parents will need odd hours and if you're the only one providing those hours you'll probably get the child but it might mean coping with shift patterns, very early starts, late finishes and weekend working. Some minders only open 8-6, some only take after schoolies, some start at 5 or 6 in the morning to accomodate shift workers and don't finish until 11 or so at night. It depends what you're up for.

If you search for starting out as a childminder on here you'll be able to get lodas of helpful info

frakkinnuts Thanks for your help!
Are the parents obliged to sign a contract with the CM? Which means you should know how long they need the CM for and if they break the contract are they losing a deposit or something similar?

You would be very silly to work without a written contract and a deposit. You could have a verbal agreement with no notice but personally I wouldn't!

Parents usually sign an open ended contract (no end date) instead of a fixed term one (where care is for a limited period of time) and have a notice period of around a month on both sides, except during settling in when it may be shorter.

I've been childminding nearly 9 years now and the NCMA contracts have always had a bit about holidays and what choices you have.

Up until 3 years ago I charged full fee for my 4 weeks holiday per year and parents were all ok with this.

The downside to charging full fee is you pay more tax as you are not actually working those weeks and can't claim any expenses ifswim.

I now charge half fee and again parents have all been fine with this.

I was booked on pre reg session today and got lost on the way as the road signs were rubbish, I arrived 10 minutes late, i apologised and was told I could not enter. The lady was very rude, she tapped her pen on the sign on the door and said ring this number and turned her back on me and closed the door!! I am waiting for a call back from ncma about this woman and her rudeness but now I have to wait up to 2 months to get booked on another pre reg session- all I want to do is get the ball rolling and become a childminder and this experience has been very disheartening.
Any advice or help is very welcome!!!

Haven't read the whole thread so this may have already been covered. I think the deposit is fine and £50 isn't much for what you're getting. Where I am, out of say 25 attending, only 5 (approx) actually become registered, the rest are shocked at the amount of work and don't go back. I think it's unfair if the LA has to cover the costs for this so a deposit is a good way of making sure people understand how important it is to attend it all. Having said that, I think the way they spoke to you is bang out of order and they shouldn't be setting the dates from the deposit, they should be offering dates, you choose which you can attend and THEN pay the deposit to secure your place.

I'd be phoning and having words with them if I were you!

The LA budgets have been decimated from April the lst. The days of any kind of free courses are over. It's a harsh world.

I had to pay £100 to recieve £600 worth of training!

£50 seems quite good to me.
If your pre reg meeting was anything like mine it was full of lazy, rude, women who thought Childminding was an easy option, i thought the woman running the course deserved a medal for not telling them all to leave!!

I'm sure you are not like that though:)