Student Assistants

[*Katrina*]

I am just reading through my "Setting Up a Home Based Childcare Service" booklet and on the page regarding assistants it mentions that having an assistant could increase your numbers allowed, it then goes on to say that however students on training placements are not included in the adult:child ratio and that they cannot have sole charge of the children. So it made me think, what is the difference between employing an 18 year old as your assistant and paying them or having an 18 year old voluntary assistant as they are studying childcare? Other than the payment issue I can't see why? Am I missing something?

It isn't something I'm looking at doing to start with (need to get the business set-up and mindees first) but it may be something I would look into in the future if things went well.

[sarah707]

Students tend to be transient... I think that might be part of the reason why