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Familylove
23-01-2015, 10:56 AM
Hi everyone,
I'm in the process of registering to become a cm in surrey. My question is will it affect me greatly if I don't offer full time care? I want one day a week to perhaps start a babies and preschool children's music session business. I don't think I can have mindees when I do these sessions. Do you often get asked for full time care. Or is it very much lots of part time contracts? I don't want to retstrict myself to much, but as much as I would like to do my sessions, I will priorities cm over it. Just looking for some advice really, are there lots of you that work part time and find in works well?
Thanks for reading, looking forward to your thoughts!

moggy
23-01-2015, 01:01 PM
It is absolutely normal for childminders to set all kinds of 'opening hours'- some do 5 days, some do weekends, some do 3 or 4 days a week, term-time only, afterschool only, school hours only, over night etc.

I have always done 4 days a week and have had children on a mixture of contracts from 1.5 to 4 days a week.

lisbet
23-01-2015, 01:59 PM
When I worked full time all my children were still part time! Last year I had children attending a mixture ranging from 3 full days to one morning a week. Now I do 3 days a week term time only. I may need to go back up to 4 in the next academic year - just have to wait until nearer the time to be sure of what the various families will need then and how I will slot everybody in!

alex__17
23-01-2015, 02:16 PM
Im in surrey too and all my kids are part time, everyone's full in my area so find there's plenty of demand.
At first I planned to work mon-wed then decided to do thurs too as I enjoyed it so.
I have siblings that come on just a wed, one thay comes tues and thurs, one mon and tues, one just mon and one just thurs so all places filled with lots of part time children :-)
It took me about 9 months to fill the days, weirdly I haven't had many enquiries for full time just odd days

Maza
23-01-2015, 06:10 PM
I would say that the majority of enquiries have been for part time positions. I have only ever taken on part time children. Some of my mindees have care full time but use a combination of me and nurseries.

bunyip
23-01-2015, 07:05 PM
I only just posted something similar on another thread.

I started out expecting full-timers. I have never had a single full-time child in over 3 years. At the moment I am full enough to be rather choosy about what I take on right now (i.e child must be no trouble, mum must be pretty :D ). This will change when school steals 3 of my mindees (drat that free education policy :p) but that's the nature of the business.

Too few CMs seem to grasp the obvious about our business. We depend entirely upon the working pattern of working parents. A large number of them do not have both parents working full time in 9-5 employment. Even those that do so, frequently get the grandparents to look after the children 1 or more days a week.

I firmly believe your plan has a darned sight more going for it than those who dream they'll have a nice, tidy pattern of 5-day full-timers. (I know, because I was daft enough to dream like that when I first started out.:o )

alex__17
23-01-2015, 07:10 PM
I agree all my kids go to grandparents one or both parents work part timr or have flexible working patterns and a couple also attend a nursery as well as me so they get the mix, all have settled remarkably well considering they're only witj me one day ot at most two days a week, I thought my last space on a tues was unfillable but managed to swap another child tp a different day and fill the space up. I like that every day is a different combination, it's hard work keeping 6 learning journeys up to date but I've got a good systrm now and find it doesn't take too long

samb
23-01-2015, 08:21 PM
Only once had a full time enquiry. I have found if people want full time care they are willing to have 2 part time carers whether 2 childminders or a nursery and a childminder and quite like it as the other can often cover holidays etc.

loocyloo
23-01-2015, 08:49 PM
I only work 4 days a week. I never say I don't work the Monday, just that I have no availability on a Monday.

keohane1
23-01-2015, 10:11 PM
At the moment I am off Wednesday mornings and all day Thursday. Ime enjoying it while I can but this will probably change when children leave and I take on more. That's the good thing about his job. No day/week or month is every the same and I love variety.