Career guidance please.

[HoneyPancakes]

Hubby's starting to lose his rag with other people's kids in the house and their mothers cluttering up the hall. So where can I go from childminding? For me this lititle business is perfect. Part time, not bad money, can bring inthe washing if it rains, I'm important in people's lives, get to play with babies, my boys have me available if they need me.

 

I have level 4 cert in EY. Working towards open university open Hons degree - the last two years of which will be early years modules. I don't want to work in a nursery unless there was a part time management job and then I'd really prefer to be hands on.

 

Can any clever people think about what sorts of opportunities I should be looking at? Training? Social services? Would love to be a teaching assistant but around here those jobs are often taken by teachers with kids at school.

 

The head teacher has asked if I'd be interested in running their new rap around services but I think this would neither pay enough nor allow me Time with my boys at home. And there'd be no babies.

 

I'll need to be clearing £12, 000 half time.

 

Any ideas?

 

Sadly,

 

Honey

[Panders]

Sounds very much like you would dearly love to continue your current job!! Have you explored all the ways you can run it and to have less impact on your husband?

I run my own pre-school, my husband would be over joyed if I stopped. I store a huge amount of stuff here, and appear always to be working!

 

I know some people will hang around and chat for ages when picking up and we all know that children tend to play up as soon as a parent arrives - have you been able to encourage your parents to arrive and leave promptly this could be done without appearing off handish.

 

If you have exhausted all the gripes your husband has and cannot find a way of changing your practice, I suppose a change of job will have to be undertaken. I would still send my c.v. to all the local schools for a TA position - they can't all go to teachers. How about advertising yourself - in the old days you could have been called a "mother's help", i.e. go to peoples homes and help when they come home with new borns and have older children - not quite a doula, but along those lines, you could then "book" in people to suit your schedules.

[HoneyPancakes]

Flaming Koala's Panders, you've hit the nails on their respective heads. Problem with the parents hanging around is that a lot of my after school work comes from children in my own boys's classes so I'm friends with these mums. I like the social life.

 

I love the idea of mother's help - my mother was a midwife here in the UK in the early 50's and she would go into the homes, deliver the babies and stay for six weeks or so until the nanny could take over. Funnily I thought that was what all British homes were like and had a rude awakening to have my baby, be in a ward for a day, and then sent home with ten day's of midwife visits. Ha!!

 

Thanks for the TA encouragement. I think you're right there. There's also a large special needs residential school close by, so that might be an option.

 

I think I'll be able to squeeze another eighteen months out of this business - grow the littlies up a bit.

 

Thanks so much.

 

H

[Guest sn0wdr0p]

Childminding worked for me when mine were (not for my husband so much) little then I started off an out of school club when they started school which I thought would be ideal but it meant I got very little time with my own children. They also have adhd and autism and at times misbehaved. As the owner I started to feel pretty guilty about it (even though we have plenty of other children who have behavioural issues and I don't find that a problem) and they don't come anymore. I now work until 4pm most days and meet them as they arrive home. Not ideal when running my own nursery and out of school club.

 

HoneyPancakes I wish you lived in my area as I would love to job share my role. Sadly getting a decent part time manager is not easy.

 

How about working in a pre-school? many of them are only open between 9 and 3 so ideal for family life.

[thumperrabbit]

I would've suggested working in a Pre-school until I saw the approx salary that you were after - cant imagine there are many about that could afford that

[Guest]

My hubbys not a fan of my child minding either. My youngest child is in year 2 so still having prams and highchairs cluttering up the house are a pain. it annoys him when there are still children here when he gets in from work. I sometimes work til 7.30pm.

 

I would love to work term time only but cant afford to. Not sure I would be able to work for anyone else anymore, I quite enjoy the freedom of being able to do things my way.

 

Not sure you will find any work that clears £12,000 a year unless you work full time.

 

Good luck

[Guest]

If you dont need to change your career for another 18months and you are doing your degree, why dont you look at teaching. You could work in reception (so still with little ones) and you would have the school hols off with your own children.

[HoneyPancakes]

HoneyPancakes I wish you lived in my area as I would love to job share my role. Sadly getting a decent part time manager is not easy.

I'd love to job share with you Snowdrop.

 

I would've suggested working in a Pre-school until I saw the approx salary that you were after - cant imagine there are many about that could afford that

Childminding can bring in some decent money because the hours are longer and with after schoolies can clear £24 an hour for a few hours after school which makes up for those hours when we only have one or two children. Unfortunately it's the after schoolies that really bug my man. Maybe I could just do the babies - negations beginning....

 

I would love to work term time only but cant afford to. Not sure I would be able to work for anyone else anymore, I quite enjoy the freedom of being able to do things my way.

 

Not sure you will find any work that clears £12,000 a year unless you work full time.

 

Good luck

 

I love the freedom too JoanneLouise.

 

If you dont need to change your career for another 18months and you are doing your degree, why dont you look at teaching. You could work in reception (so still with little ones) and you would have the school hols off with your own children.

Great idea but I'm not really teacher material. Maybe nursery teaching but even then I still think the stress would kill me. I'd love to be a TA - all the fun and much less of the responsibility, but the money we need (want) isn;t there. I'm not really a greedy so and so, but my ego needs a bit of feeding.