Do you think people judge you by your post code?

[Playmate]

Just out of curiosity, does anyone else feel they are judged by where they live?
This is something that has often crossed our minds and tends to influence the way we advertise. We live on the edge of large council estate that for many years had an awful stigma attached to it, yet now in all honesty is not that bad, apart from some peoples attitude to work and living on benefits etc. We very rarely get business directly from the estate and we concentrate out advertising on the surrounding london boroughs and usually when advertising focus on how near we are to other areas (where childcare is quite a bit more expensive).

Very often in the past things seem to be going quite smoothly with enquiries and then we would hand over our address and they would just not turn up or make excuses. For a long time now we have been close to full and we have some lovely parents and where we live doesn't seem to have been issue. However we received an email last week for a full timer; which would have replaced the one we are about to loose at the end of the month very nicely. They seemed very keen having seen our website and we exchanged a few chatty emails and arranged a visit for next week. I then sent her our address and the next thing was an email about how they had changed their minds about using child care at the moment :rolleyes: I'm probably completely paranoid, but I couldn't help thinking oh here we go again! Of course she could be completely genuine and come back to us in the furture, but I'm not convinced.

I have learnt not to dwell on these things and move on, but there is still that part of me that gets irritated by peoples attitudes. Does anyone else feel they are judged by where they live?

[Minstrel]

Maybe but the opposite way in my case. My address is very posh sounding but in reality it is a housing association home and quite small.

[ajs]

The mother of the mindee I have had for ten years told me that she only went for me because I lived on the road I do

[*daisychain*]

In a word, yes! but it also has it's benefits as I live in a 'deprived' area there is more funding for families for their childcare costs (not that this has helped me gain business yet)
I recently met up with someone who I done the pre reg with and she was shocked at my daily rates, as hers were £12 more than mine because she lives in a more desirable area.
I know the ares where I live, I have lived here all my life and I'm proud of it, I wouldnt feel comfortable charging more even though the families get the majority of it paid for them, and the quality of care I provide is as good (I may even say better :blush:) than others.

[PixiePetal]

I used to live on an estate at the edge of quite an affluent town. There are 4 main out of town estates/areas and mine was the one with the second to bottom reputation. No reason really - has it's quota of undesirables though, like anywhere.

I was amazed how people, when they did come, were surprised at how nice the houses were! That is if I could get them to come once I said where I lived :rolleyes: luckily the estates were on different sides of town and no one would want or be able to drive through town in rush hour and tend to stick to minders on the right side of town for them. Funnily enough the really big houses were on my side of town too and I minded some children of very well off families.

I think my reputation and experience helped me get customers

[Tealady]

I live in quite a middle class area with the word "Heights" in it. There are some Mum's from around here who I know who would be snobbish about such things (ie they wouldn't use the children's centre as it was on a council estate but a new one opened up here and it's really busy) but equally others who it wouldn't bother at all.

[Mouse]

I have had several parents over the years not come to see me because of where I live. The vacancy co-ordinator has given my name out various times, only to be told they wouldn't come to see me as I lived where I do. They don't even try to hide it! To be honest, if they're that biased without even having spoken to me, I wouldn't want to work with them anyway.

I've never actually had anyone not come once they have spoken to me though and I'm very lucky in that my reputation tends to outweigh my address! I rarley have vacancies and for the children I do have, where I live has never been an issue for their families :thumbsup:

[Ripeberry]

I used a lovely CM for my own children and in the 3yrs or so that I used her services. She moved at least three times. I followed her whether she went even though it meant an extra 15 min drive.
But my eldest was approaching her 3rd birthday and I was thinking about pre-school. But what made me give up was that the CM lived in a 'rough' area. Well every time I went to pick up my DD, there would be kids in the road being confrontational and damaging my car.
Then one day I saw a teenager on the pavement about 200yds from the CM's house and he way bound up with plastic wire ties, all over his legs and arms and he was crying his eyes out.
I stopped the car and got out and then some other teenagers came out of a house and ordered me to leave him alone and dragged him inside.
Told the CM but she was not bothered. Almost as if it happened all the time!
I was sad about having to leave the CM but the area she was in was giving me stress!
No the police were not called as there was no proof. I so wish I had a phone camera back then. :(

[Mouse]

I used a lovely CM for my own children and in the 3yrs or so that I used her services. She moved at least three times. I followed her whether she went even though it meant an extra 15 min drive.
But my eldest was approaching her 3rd birthday and I was thinking about pre-school. But what made me give up was that the CM lived in a 'rough' area. Well every time I went to pick up my DD, there would be kids in the road being confrontational and damaging my car.
Then one day I saw a teenager on the pavement about 200yds from the CM's house and he way bound up with plastic wire ties, all over his legs and arms and he was crying his eyes out.
I stopped the car and got out and then some other teenagers came out of a house and ordered me to leave him alone and dragged him inside.
Told the CM but she was not bothered. Almost as if it happened all the time!
I was sad about having to leave the CM but the area she was in was giving me stress!
No the police were not called as there was no proof. I so wish I had a phone camera back then. :(

That's different though. You gave the area a go, but had a genuine reason for not wanting to go back. Many parents are dismissive of an address without having any experience of it at all.

[Donkey]

er... yes and no...

I am full and it does have its advantages...

I get a higher base rate of pay for FEL and I get a salary top up for uni because of where I live...

but someone have been put off I think,

and we now have the issue of school and my dd hopefully not going to the school I collect from!

[marnieb]

Maybe but the opposite way in my case. My address is very posh sounding but in reality it is a housing association home and quite small.

I am almost the same! My postcode is a very posh, affluent area, but I live in a maisonette with 2 bedrooms. I have had lovely contact with parents, but when they come out to me I never heat from some opf them again.

One parent phoned me to tell me she had gone with another cm - her reason was that i didnt have enough space for a crawling baby.... :eek: I calmly told her that was not what Ofsted thought and hung up on her!

[Playmate]

Thank you for your comments, glad to know we are not alone:)

We moved to this estate 10 years ago now, I was actually bought up in one of the more affluent surounding boroughs, but my family were never particualrly well off and we lived in a very average size house etc. We moved to the estate as we had 3 children of our own and wanted a bigger property and in this area we got more for our money. Our house backs on to a school and in order to become part of the community,we put our children into this school. But unfortunately I have never really been accepted :( I don't talk with a posh accent and my clothes cetainly aren't posh :laughing. Other CM's saw me as a threat, because I was passionate about my job and now that I work with my husband we are just considered an oddity :panic: There are a couple of people who actually speak to us in the area, but certainly more that don't.

We now tend to mix with CM's in surrounding areas and keep ourselves to ourselves. On average the children in our care travel 2-5 miles to get to us and our parents are all delighted with the care they receive. So often I wish we could just afford to move 2 miles down the road :(

Oh well, dust my self down, onwards and upwards with the advertising. Profile was viewed twice last night and one added us as a favourite, so you never know :D

[Playmate]

er... yes and no...

I am full and it does have its advantages...

I get a higher base rate of pay for FEL and I get a salary top up for uni because of where I live...

but someone have been put off I think,

and we now have the issue of school and my dd hopefully not going to the school I collect from!

I think I will move up your way Donkey, as there are only 2 identified areas of deprevation in Herts we are all treated the same and basically get nothing :(

[onceinabluemoon]

I don't get judged on where I live for work, small town and both CMs live in the same road so little point.

But when I was at university I rented a house on what was (and still is AFAIK) the worst council estate in the city. I used to get chatting to ordinary people and then the 'where do you live' question would come up and they'd fade away. In uni, where most of the people were affluent , nobody gave a monkeys where anybody lived (and they were supposed to be the snobs!!). It's a strange world

[EmmaReed84]

I live in quite a nice little town. There is one road where I live which is considered to be quite troublesome. Luckily where I live there is a school about 1 minute walk away and the road I live in mainly old people who have lived there for millions of years lol and families. It is very good for neigherhood watch. When I got home one day a neighbour came out to say someone was knocking on my door and looking through the window, she went to to ask what this person wanted but they got in the car and drove off. Then about 20 seconds the person in the car came back and neighbour was like "Oh that was the car!" I laughed and said yes it was my sister who was visiting as a surprise lol... It was nice to know that people look out for other people... Telling parents that seemed to make them like the road more.. It is very much a community feel on my road

[Playmate]

I don't get judged on where I live for work, small town and both CMs live in the same road so little point.

But when I was at university I rented a house on what was (and still is AFAIK) the worst council estate in the city. I used to get chatting to ordinary people and then the 'where do you live' question would come up and they'd fade away. In uni, where most of the people were affluent , nobody gave a monkeys where anybody lived (and they were supposed to be the snobs!!). It's a strange world

It certainly is a strange world :rolleyes:

Well since I first put this post down 2 days ago, we have received 2 full time enquires. 1 of them I spoke to on the phone (using my best posh accent of course ;) and gave over our address and she confirmed she would come over Monday - so fingers crossed. The other is quite a high powered business women who is moving to the estate from central london, so just goes to show we are not all rif raf :laughing:

Emma - our road is full of elderly people who have lived here since the estate was built and were rehoused from Central London after the war. they are all salt of the earth type people and they all watch out for one another. They love what we do and all stop to talk to the children. Very few teenagers at our end (apart from my own) so rarely see trouble, its just a shame people are so narrow minded :(

[Trouble]

yes people think im posh:panic::panic::panic::rolleyes:

[teacake2]

I get the same problems, people are all coming to see me and then they find out where I live and don't bother, and if they do and they see I live in a two up two down small house you can tell from their faces as soon as they arrive that they won't be using me as it is not big/posh/good enough for them. I live in a village that has got a reputation so not much hope really.
Teacake2