So as I said previously I aim to set up my own childminding business. I have always wanted to work within the childcare industry.... Even as a child myself I always wanted to look after other children. I'm not sure whether this came from the fact that I pretty much raised my brother myself or whether it was just me caring attitude. So when I was 17 I went back into education and did a course with a local training company where I worked on a portfolio as well as key skills and also had placement in a primary school.
After this I moved away to work in an educational camp which still worked with children but still wasn't quite right for me. I wanted to work more with children in a different way so to college I went to complete a Diploma level 3 in Childcare & Education. At the age of 22 I was finally on my way to being where I wanted to be. This was a two year course where I had to do coursework, and be on placement in a few different settings such as babies/toddlers, pre school and primary school. I enjoyed the majority of these but working with the babies was my favourite. Throughout most of my time I wanted to become a private nanny, I wanted to work alongside a family helping to raise their children, and to not have so many restrictions.
So after college I went and worked for the same college company but in another area working with young adults who had learning needs and disabilities. This was something I had never planned on doing, however it gave me a lot of insight into this sort of educational practice and also gave me lots of practice on how to adjust certain things to suit each individual's needs.
Back in February I finally got to experience my dream job of being a private nanny, and I got to work to with an Indian family, both parents were doctors & they had one five year old girl. I got to do this for 6 months and unfortunately had to leave this job because the family had to move.
So after a few months of thinking and job searching I decided that maybe I should be more in control of my childcare job and so with some thought I decided I would become a childminder in my own home. Whilst I was searching for Nanny jobs I found that a lot of families in my local area were more interested in a childminder as it was more flexible and a lot of families can claim childcare with their tax credits. So with a bit of research and help from my aunt I found my local family service hold a becoming a childminder session and so I attended, sat down and thought would it be worthwhile for me and hopefully it is.
So yea, that's the background and lead up to me becoming a childminder. Look out for other posts that will be coming up about how to become a childminder and my journey.
Hope you'll stay with me for the journey.
Love Coco x
