thinking of giving up

**sammi** · 21-03-2008, 12:40 PM

Hi all, have been minding now for nearly six months and have only got one mindee that i mind three mornings a week. have advertised every where that i can think of baby clinic, hospital, doctors, school, parent direct, ***** etc and still nothing more than the one that i have got now. My support childminder says that it is slow at the moment. My problem is i feel that for all the paperwork that we are now going to have to do it is not woth it for one child and the money that i get paid. If i had more children i would feel it was worth it, but i spend hours at the weekend doing menu plans, activities etc. Does it get any better??

**Banana** · 21-03-2008, 12:44 PM

Hi Sammi,

It does get better, but as with any new business it can be a bit of a waiting game. Are you going tp parent and todder groups to get yourself known to parents - you can pick work up this way - Not all mums will be stay at home and some will be going back to work and so a group is a good way to meet potential parents/mindees.

I'd stay stick with it for now - if you can afford to? Maybe look at a part time job in the meantime until you fill another vacany.

good luck to you

x

**sammi** · 21-03-2008, 12:45 PM

love to get another part time job, but mum works at the hospital and does shift work and needs minding different days every week.

**Michelle M** · 21-03-2008, 02:27 PM

My mindees have been all over the place, after schoolers, one in the day then another, but they came and went (nothing to do with me btw) when I took the little boy on in the day it was great, he only comes afternons (I have a 1 year old and 7 year old) but the quality time I got to spend with him was great, we went to lots of places before collecting my older child from School. I recently took on another child who is 1 and now due to sleeps etc I dont get to take the 2 year old out as much. I dont have after School children every day anymore, thats my personal choice as it doesnt fit into my family life.

I say stick with it for a bit longer, before you know it you will be full and so worn out from running round after them all

Chin up it is worth wait

Michelle xx

**sarah707** · 21-03-2008, 02:31 PM

I've seen all sorts of changes in the last 14 years and tbh I think EYFS will be one of the best.

It's much better than trying to juggle birth to 3 matters and the foundation stage... it's just something new to learn about and embrace.

Ok, it's not perfect, but there are some very good bits.

Good luck with making your decision - different career paths suit different people and maybe this isn't for you just now.

**disney** · 21-03-2008, 02:34 PM

Hi sammi , im sorry things are not going well . i have only been doing this for about the same time as well . when i first started i wanted full timers but i had to take what was going for now . & i only have part timers coming & going but i do make some money so its ok for now .

i have spent alot of money to make this work but i was thinking that my first year would probably be at a loss any way i hope things pick up soon

**Tatia** · 21-03-2008, 05:52 PM

I remember feeling the same as you when I started. I was registered in August, took on a little boy in September term time only for before and after school and then nothing for nearly a year. Finally got a call for more work the following July, after school, term time only. It wasn't again until that October (a year and some months after being registered) that I finally started getting more work and I filled up very suddenly.

So if you can afford to wait it out, try to hold on a bit longer. It's the nature of the business but you just never know what is coming aorund the corner.

**angeldelight** · 21-03-2008, 05:53 PM

Hi Sammi

Just wanted to say sorry you are thinking of giving up

I agree with everyone else though - hope you get some calls real soon

Good luck

Angel xx

**miffy** · 21-03-2008, 05:56 PM

Sorry to hear Sammi that things are not going as well as you'd hoped

It does take time to get yourself known and build up your business

Good luck whatever you decide to do

Miffy xx

**bubbly** · 21-03-2008, 10:23 PM

Sammi, my situation is similar. I have one permanent full-timer and one temporary full-timer. There's absolutely nothing happening in my area and I can't fill my remaining space.

Oh well, at least things can only get better

I hope you get some calls soon. Best wishes.

**Monkey1** · 21-03-2008, 10:44 PM

It will happen babe, give it a bit longer!

**katickles** · 21-03-2008, 11:27 PM

I posted a very similer thread not so ong ago - i now have a full timer (o only part time till nana gets better, but you never know - & a part timer as well as my lo - means my under 5's are kinder taken care of. I felt like it wasn't worth it until this lot made me feel better - i'm sure that you'l get the calls sooner or later - sending big hugs !!!

**chels55** · 21-03-2008, 11:31 PM

Have you advertised free on yell.com. someone told me they had a few enquiries from an advert placed with them. Im sure things will pick up

**John** · 22-03-2008, 12:57 AM

I was in the same boat as you about six months ago was going to pack it all in, it might be in a differnt case though i seem to be getting nowhere and i was thinking is it because i'm a bloke? but things started to look up and now i have five nice children that *****mind for, sometimes a pain but arn't all children lol.

John.