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Childminders care for babies, toddlers and children in their own home, supporting their learning and development.
You could work: evenings / weekends; as customers demand
In this role you will:
You could work from home.
Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding and outdoors some of the time.
You can get into this job by:
There are introduction to childminding briefings that cover everything you need to prepare to register as a childminder. Your local council can give you information on where to find one.
The aim is to make sure that you understand completely what is involved before making a decision about whether it's the right career for you.
You'll need to:
It's a good idea to do some research where you live to find out if there is a demand for childminders in your local area.
You may need to budget to pay for courses, including first aid, health and safety, and safeguarding. There is a fee for registering with Ofsted or a Childminding Agency and you may need to pay for a medical check.
As you'll be self-employed, you might find it useful to learn more about your responsibilities for tax and taking out insurance. You can get advice about this from GOV.UK.
You'll find more advice on careers, courses and registration from:Foundation Years; Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years; Early Years Alliance; OFCMA - the Organisation for Childminder Agencies
You can also learn more about childcare training routes on the early years career progression map.
With experience you could expand your business and take on a childcare assistant. You could also become a network co-ordinator, supporting other local childminders.
With further training you could become a tutor on childminding courses. You could also move into a related job like nursery worker, playworker, community play leader or teaching assistant.
You'll find information on careers and courses in childcare from:
Foundation Years has information about early years education and childcare.