New Years Resolutions: A Fresh Start for the Whole Family

The New Year gives us all the opportunity to start afresh. We can leave behind the previous year, and look forward to the one approaching with a clean slate.

Many people make New Years resolutions – but how can these relate to our children and our families in general?

For children, making New Years resolutions can be very beneficial. It is well known that there is little more satisfying in life than setting – and reaching – attainable goals. Children’s New Years resolutions could include learning a martial art, joining a dance troupe or an art class, or even learning to play a musical instrument.

However, it is important not to make children feel under pressure. The modern life of a child is already a fairly stressful one – the last thing children need is to feel as though they must meet their goals perfectly. Rather than rigid goals (like “I will always share with my siblings” or “I will always do my homework on time”), see New Years resolutions as an opportunity for your children to explore exciting new opportunities.

The New Year is also a great time to focus on making positive changes within your family unit. This year, alongside your usual resolutions, why not make some group resolutions as a family? Following are some simple suggestions.

Spend more time together

With today’s busy lifestyle, it is hard to find time to spend together as a family. Quality time is so important – not just for the children, but for the entire family unit. Forget about trying to find the time, because it won’t happen – you have to make time. It can seem impossible sometimes when you’re contending with long working hours, school and other commitments, but it’s important to carve out regular time to spend together. A few hours of dedicated, quality time each week is a must for happy families.

Less screens, more conversation

We live in an age where communicating has never been easier. Email, texting, social networking and phone calls have all but replaced good old face-to-face conversation. Your older children may spend the majority of their time talking to their friends over electronic devices, rather than having real-life chats. Set an example as a family and agree together to make more effort to really talk to one another, and to your own friends and relatives. The art of conversation is at risk of being lost within our digital age – keep it alive in your family.

Be present with one another

The aforementioned technological advances can also have an impact on our time spent together as a family, without even realising it. You may be in the same room as your family, but while you are, how many of you are tapping away at your phones? How many of you are watching a television? When you manage to snatch some valuable quality time with your nearest and dearest, put the screens away and be present in the moment with each other. You don’t want your children’s memories of you to be a face buried in a smartphone.

The Countdown to Christmas – How to Make it Run Smoothly for All

The countdown to Christmas is an exciting time for all of us. Advent, traditionally beginning on the 1^st December, is also a great opportunity for learning about the meaning of Christmas, as well as different cultural takes on the season.

However, the countdown to Christmas can become stressful – children can become over-excited, parents may be anxious about family commitments and financial obligations on the lead up to the big day, and all of this may end up making the lead up to Christmas a fraught experience, rather than the happy and exciting one it should be.

So how can you make the countdown to Christmas a relaxing and enjoyable one – as well as being fun for the kids? This list should be useful for nannies, childminders, babysitters and parents alike.

Shop in advance

Try to do the majority of your Christmas shopping in the months before December. This will leave you far more time to spend enjoying the lead up to the big day, rather than panicking about present buying. Although be sure to stash gifts where curious small people won’t find them! You can also encourage children to make gifts for one another in the lead up to Christmas.

Get creative with the kids

The countdown to Christmas is a great opportunity to get creative with the children. From making Christmas cards for friends and relatives, to using all manner of mediums to create beautiful Christmas decorations to treasure forever, there will never be a better time to indulge your crafty side with the little ones. You don’t need much to make lovely decorations – simple salt dough shapes decorated with cheap acrylic paints and glitter make a lovely addition to the Christmas tree. Christmas baking can also be a wonderful way to spend an hour on a rainy December afternoon – and home made biscuits, mince pies and sweets make great Christmas gifts!

Cook in advance

There are several parts of Christmas dinner that you can pre-prepare a few days in advance in order to make Christmas Day easier – and, of course, to give you more time playing with the children and less time chained to the stove! Stuffing can be pre-prepared and frozen, and you can even pre-peel and chop your potatoes the night before – just make sure you put them in a lidded pan or bucket and cover them in cold water.

Take advantage of local Christmas events

Your town will likely have a whole host of exciting things happening on the lead up to Christmas. Carol services, craft sessions, Christmas fetes and fayres can all be a great opportunity to get the children out of the house to burn off some of that excited energy! Charity tabletop sales are also very common at Christmas time, and give children a chance to choose gifts for their families without too much (if any) adult input.

Family Support Worker: Career Guide

A job as a support worker can be an incredibly fulfilling career choice. A support worker can work in many different environments with many different groups of people, but for the purposes of this article we will focus on the role of a family support worker. This is a job not for the faint of heart, but the rewards are many. Support workers do a great deal of good.

What does a job as a support worker involve?

As a support worker, you would be working with the most vulnerable of children and families. Your duties would be different depending on why the family had been referred to you in the first place, but they may include:

Supporting the parents to improve their parenting skills by encouraging them to attend workshops etc, and by teaching them about the importance of quality time and learning through play
Teaching the parents about discipline, the various methods of setting boundaries and educating them about age-appropriate behaviours
Helping the parents to learn how to manage the family finances more effectively
Helping them to develop their emotional and physical nurturing skills
Providing hands-on help in the event of a crisis situation
Assessing the needs of a family when a child returns home from care
Keeping accurate records, writing reports and liasing with many different health and social care professionals.
Acting as a learning support assistant with schools and teachers
Providing emotional support and encouragement for the entire family

As a family support worker, it would be your job to try to help the family stay together. Family support workers are assigned to families who are struggling, and whose children would likely end up in care without proper help.

What qualifications do I need to become a support worker?

It is important to most employers that you have at least some experience, voluntary or paid, in the field. Working or volunteering in family refuges, community centres, children’s homes or nurseries would be a good start to give you some experience.

Qualifications-wise, employers will be looking for one or more of the following:

NVQ in Children’s Care, Learning and Development
NVQ in Health and Social Care
BTEC National Certificate/Diploma in Children’s Care, Learning and Development
CACHE Certificate or Diploma in Child Care and Education

As a support worker, you will be encouraged to pursue further qualifications while you work, and you will of course be trained in various aspects of your job, such as assessment methods, legal issues, child protection issues and health and safety.

Formal qualifications aside, every family support worker needs the following traits:

Patience
An understanding, warm and caring nature
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
The ability to relate to and empathise with people from all walks of life
Level-headedness
A non-judgemental attitude

Being a family support worker is not for everybody. It is hard work, and it’s not always pleasant. However the rewards are many, and for the right person it can be a much loved, ‘for life’ job.

What is a private tutor?

A private tutor is a highly knowledgeable, usually somewhat qualified individual who teaches students privately to help them develop their knowledge of certain subjects. Tutoring can be a fulfilling and very lucrative part-time job – or even full time, if you gain enough students.

Who would hire a private tutor?

Private tutors teach tutees of all age groups, from very young children to mature adults. There are a huge number of reasons why someone might hire a private tutor – private tutoring is popular with many different people. They may be:

· A teenager wanting to improve on a certain subject that they are struggling with for their GCSE’s

· Parents of a home educated child, who feel that their own knowledge or teaching skills in some subjects is lacking

· A mature student (or indeed any student) who feels the need to ‘bulk up’ their learning outside of school hours

· Anybody who feels they need a more tailored approach to education than a school environment can offer

How much will a private tutor cost?

Depending on the subject and level of education, you can expect to pay somewhere between £20-£35 per hour for private tutoring. However, many trainee teachers will offer their services as a private tutor for much less than this as a way to hone their teaching skills further. If the private tutor will have to travel, it is generally expected that the tutee will pay their travel expenses.

I want to become a private tutor. What qualifications do I need?

You will need to have an excellent level of knowledge in the subject you wish to teach, plus the ability to tailor your teaching techniques to your student. Excellent interpersonal skills are of a very high priority. It is not necessary to have a teaching qualification, however your level of formal qualification will dictate how much you can charge. PGCE graduates will be able to charge more than those who haven’t qualified yet, just as experienced teachers will be able to charge more than NQT’s (Newly Qualified Teachers)

How can I find work as a private tutor?

You can advertise your services anywhere you wish – local papers, shop windows and billboards are popular choices. However, arguably the best way to advertise is through specialist agencies. These of course will charge a fee but many feel that it is a small price to pay to ensure your ad reaches those who want to see it. Many private tutors find work solely through word-of-mouth recommendations, so do a good job and you may find your tutees spread the word!

Is there anything else I need to know?

As a private tutor you will be self-employed, so you will need to deal with your own income tax and National Insurance contributions. Also, it would be very beneficial for you to obtain an enhanced CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check. At the present time it is not possible for individuals to obtain these, so signing up with an agency for private tutors would be a good idea.

Nursery Jobs

Nurseries take care of children from just a few weeks old until the age of 4-7 (depending on the nursery), so they are usually very noisy and busy places! One thing’s for sure – no two days will be the same!

You don’t usually need any specific qualifications to start – employers generally want to see some evidence of education in the form of 3 or more GCSE passes, but specific childcare qualifications are unnecessary for somebody starting out as a nursery assistant. One thing that everybody who works with children is required to provide is a CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check, the cost of which will usually be met by your employer.

Aside from qualifications, to be a great candidate for any nursery jobs you may apply for you will need certain traits, such as:

A caring and sensitive nature
A love for spending time with children
Responsibility
Ability to work as part of a team
A positive, fair approach to discipline
A good sense of humour
Creativity is always a bonus
The ability to relate to young children
An awareness of safety and hygiene practices, although training on these areas will be provided

As a nursery assistant, you can expect to earn about £10k-£12k pa. Fully qualified nursery nurses can earn up to £18k and other nursery jobs, such as a nursery manager, can provide in excess of £30k. There are other jobs available in a nursery, such as cooks and cleaners, the wages of which are usually not far above minimum wage.

In nurseries, there are separate rooms for different age groups, the baby rooms having a higher staff ratio than the rooms for older children. The days are usually structured, especially so for the older children, but play is the focus for the majority of the time. Gone are the days of strict learning schedules for young children. Play-based learning has been proven time and time again to be more effective (and more fun for all involved!).

So what does the average day look like for somebody with a nursery job?

Planning and facilitating activities such as arts, crafts, cooking, music and dancing
Personal care such as changing, feeding, bathing, and assisting toilet training children with using the bathroom
Reading stories in a group setting, or one-on-one
Taking children on planned outings
Playing outside
You may be responsible for some paperwork
Implementing health and safety guidelines
Being aware of possible signs of abuse and neglect, and reporting any concerns you may have to the appropriate person

There are many opportunities for advancement in nursery jobs. From being a nursery assistant, you could qualify as a nursery nurse, then a senior nursery nurse, and move on to becoming a nursery manager or an EYP (Early Years Professional). To gain further qualifications, you may be able to train on-the-job (an apprenticeship), or work part time and attend a college course.

Babysitting

We all remember having a babysitter at some point in our childhoods. Usually a babysitter was a trusted family friend, or a familiar and responsible neighbourhood teen.

Babysitting can be undertaken by anybody, qualified or not. There is no legal lower age limit for babysitting, however the NSPCC recommend that any babysitter should be over the age of 16.

Babysitting is somewhat of a hybrid job, somewhere between nannying and childminding. The babysitting usually occurs in the child’s home, but babysitters aren’t generally required for the same long hours as a nanny would be. Babysitting usually entails just a few hours at a time, often in the evening when the children are already in bed.

Babysitting is usually thought of as an odd job for a teenager or older sibling, but it can be a great way to make extra money on top of your normal job. Many childminders and nursery nurses offer babysitting services for evenings and weekends. Babysitting is a good way to top up your earnings, as the money is normally rather good.

So, what do you need to do in order to make good money as a babysitter?

Babysitting Courses

There are many courses available nowadays that will give you the basic skills you need to be a good babysitter. These courses usually teach basic first aid, child development, early childhood education and the importance of play. Of course, these things can be learnt elsewhere – and many babysitters don’t have any formal qualifications – but it is reassuring to parents if you can show them proof of your skills.

First Aid

It is very wise for anybody to have up-to-date, basic first aid knowledge – especially those of us who spend any amount of time looking after children. However, to ensure that the children in your care are as safe as possible – and to give you the edge over other babysitters – it is advisable to undertake an in-depth first aid course, with a focus on first aid for babies and young children (assuming that’s the age group you’ll be working with).

Own Transport

This isn’t essential for all babysitting jobs, but it may come in very useful. You can’t always rely on the parents to drop you home when you are finished, and you may finish too late in the evening for public transport (depending on where you live, of course). Make sure you always have spare change for a taxi, should you need one.

Set Rates

When applying for babysitting jobs, you should be able to give the family a quote for your services. It is perfectly acceptable to charge more for evening, weekend and bank holiday babysitting, as they are considered to be unsociable hours. It is also worth considering working ‘special’ nights such as New Years Eve, when babysitters are traditionally paid a lot more than usual.

A Contract

If you regular babysit for a family and it is more of a job as they expect you to cook a meal, do homework or bath and put the children to be it may be wise to have a contract in place.

Also, don’t forget that you may need to complete a tax return if you are babysitting regularly and earning a certain amount of money. You should seek further advice from HMRC if you are unsure.

Private Tutor 101

What is a private tutor?

Who would hire a private tutor?

A teenager wanting to improve on a certain subject that they are struggling with for their GCSE’s
Parents of a home educated child, who feel that their own knowledge or teaching skills in some subjects is lacking
A mature student (or indeed any student) who feels the need to ‘bulk up’ their learning outside of school hours
Anybody who feels they need a more tailored approach to education than a school environment can offer

How much will a private tutor cost?

I want to become a private tutor. What qualifications do I need?

How can I find work as a private tutor?

Is there anything else I need to know?

A Career As A Nanny, Is It For You?

What is a nanny?

A nanny is a professional childcare provider. A nanny works in a similar way to a childminder, with the difference that she will work in the client’s home rather than in her own home.

What does a nanny do?

Many people are under the assumption that being a nanny is easy. They think that it’s simply a case of playing with somebody else’s children all day. Well, there is playing involved, but there’s a lot more to it than that.

A nanny will usually work long hours, and will spend the majority of her time ferrying children around to various activities, doing the school run, preparing meals and tidying up after the children. As a nanny, you will earn a reasonably good wage but you will not usually get very much time off.

Being a nanny is hard graft. You will need to have excellent interpersonal skills and a high level of patience. As well as looking after the children, you will likely be responsible for some housekeeping too – the level of which should be negotiated when drawing up your contract.

However, the rewards are not just monetary. Being a nanny can be an incredibly enjoyable and rewarding job for somebody who loves taking care of children. It is a very important job – the children you care for will remember you for the rest of their lives. You will be the person who is mostly responsible for their day-to-day care, therefore the bond you will forge with them will be strong.

Why a nanny?

All kinds of families hire nannies, but the majority of families that do are busy, full-time working parents. They choose nannies because they are the most convenient solution to their childcare needs. They often start work early and finish late, so they need a childcare provider who will either be on-site (most nannies are live-in nannies) or who will come to the house to work. They haven’t got the time to be dropping off and picking up their children from nursery or from a childminders home.

Additionally, many parents prefer to use a nanny because it can be beneficial emotionally for the children. It is vitally important that children are able to form strong attachments with their carers in their early years. A nanny often becomes like a much-loved relative, or even a third parent. This kind of bond is very important and this may well be the parents’ motivation for choosing a nanny.

What qualifications do I need to be a nanny?

Although you do not technically need any qualifications to be a nanny, employers will be looking for proof of your skills. The N.N.E.B Diploma is widely recognised and, up until recently, was considered to be the only nanny qualification that was necessary. Now, there are many courses you can attend to gain skills, but an N.N.E.B Diploma is what employers will be looking for.

However, many experienced and brilliant nannies will have no formal qualifications. They will have excellent references, though, and many years of experience under their belts.

You will also need to provide an enhanced disclosure to be able to work as a nanny in the UK, and at least a basic first aid certificate.

Please note – for the purpose of this article I have referred to nannies as female. However, there are male nannies out there, but they are not as common as female nannies.

Childcare: Which Provider is Right for You?

Childcare is something that nearly all parents will have to consider at some stage. Nowadays, most parents need to work at least part-time, or they may choose to work. Even those that are full time stay-at-home parents will probably need to utilise the services of a childcare provider at some point during their children’s lives.

There are lots of options available to choose from when it comes to childcare. In this article, we will go over the commonly available childcare providers in the hope that we will make a sometimes-difficult (and often emotional) decision a little easier.

Childminders

Childminders are self-employed childcare professionals who look after children in their own homes, from very young babies to pre-teens. They are usually able to provide flexible hours, and are sometimes able to pick up and drop off children, which can make life a little easier for a busy working parent. Childminder rates across the country vary, but the average is £3.84 per child per hour. The benefits of using a childminder are many, especially for the child who will usually find it easier to settle in than they would at a nursery.

Nurseries

Nurseries provide childcare to many children at once. They generally accept children from a few weeks old, until the age of four. The children are usually cared for in large groups, with the babies being kept separately from the older ones. Many parents prefer to have a childminder or nanny to provide childcare for their little ones because the busy environment of a nursery can be too much for a baby or toddler. However, some children thrive on the stimulating and structured environment of a nursery – it all depends on the child’s individual temperament. Nursery fees vary, but for a child under two it can cost £177 per week for a full-time place – even more in inner London.

Nannies

Nannies provide childcare in the child’s home, and usually live on-site. You would be the nanny’s employer, and therefore would be responsible for paying her tax and NI contributions. Nannies are a popular childcare choice with parents who both work long hours. They are generally the most expensive childcare provider, with their take-home wages ranging from £280-£380 per week. Many parents see this as a small price to pay to have their childcare provider on site, available for unsociable hours if she is needed (although her hours will need to be agreed upon in advance and contracted). There is also an emotional benefit to the children, who will be looked after by the same person each day in a familiar environment.

Au Pairs

Au pairs are usually the cheapest childcare option, as they don’t generally charge a real wage. They will live in your home, so you will be required to feed them and house them, as well as paying them pocket money of a minimum of £65 per week if they are working 25 hours. Au pairs come from other European countries, and come to the UK on au pair schemes to improve their English whilst doing some babysitting to earn money. They will also usually do some housekeeping. Au pairs should be treated as part of the family rather than an employee, and they shouldn’t be required to work the same long hours of a nanny because they need time to study.

Jobs in Childcare

Childcare refers to supervising or caring for children under the age of eight years. It is also called early childhood education or early years education due to an increased awareness of the impact of early experiences of a child on his or her psychological development. With governments spending more on creating early childhood workforce to improve the quality of support young children receive; a lot of jobs in childcare are opening up.

Jobs in childcare are diverse and offer different roles and working environments. On a broader level, jobs in childcare can be divided into two categories – home-based care such as nannies and family care and centre-based care such as day-care and preschool.

Different levels of qualifications are needed to work at various stages of career in early years and there is a range of training and education available to help you qualify and pursue part-time or full-time jobs in childcare.

The Children’s Workforce Development Council regulates the statutory framework and qualifications norms required for various jobs in childcare in United Kingdom. Training starts from Foundation Level (also called Level 1) to Foundation Degree (Level 5). Level 6 is the gold standard for people working with children and is called EYPS or Early Years Professional Status.

Working with children can be a rewarding one but almost all jobs in childcare demand high energy levels. While it is fun playing with young children, you need to take your job seriously. You must always keep in mind that their parents have entrusted them to you and you are responsible for their safety and well-being.

Work as a Nanny

Becoming a nanny can be a satisfying career and it lets you contribute to a child’s learning and development. The responsibilities of a nanny may vary from one household to another depending on how you negotiate with the child’s parents but the basics remain the same. Normally you are expected to provide care for the child, mentally stimulate them by playing and reinforce appropriate discipline. You may also be required to cloth them, prepare meals and do the laundry.

Although nannies are largely female, male nannies or mannies are also not uncommon. These jobs can be part-time or full-time or on a live-in or live-out basis. Many parents and nanny placement agencies prefer you to have a professional childcare qualification such as Level 3 Diploma for jobs in childcare as defined by Children’s Workforce Development Council.

Work as a Childminder

The roles and responsibilities a childminder are similar to a nanny except that they work in their homes instead of the child’s home. They must have a professional qualification recognised by the local authority and must hold a paediatric first-aid certificate. They must register themselves with OFSTED or the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. A childminder can only take care of a maximum of six children.

Work in Playgroups or Pre-schools

Pre-schools provide early education to children aged two to five years. They primarily focus on building social and educational skills in children through play and play-based activities. Pre-school education improves the confidence in the young children and helps them adapt faster to a school environment. This segment offers the most number of jobs in childcare.

Playgroups generally operate for about two to three hours during school term time. Playleaders or the people who take care of children in preschools are required to have at least a Level 3 qualification as defined for jobs in childcare by Children’s Workforce Development Council.

Work in Nurseries

Nurseries may operate as voluntary or community organisations or private business or as a part of a school. They vary greatly in size, handling about 15 children to around 100 children. There is greater emphasis on educational play and child development than childcare alone.

Normally you can join a nursery as a trainee nursery assistant without a childcare qualification but to progress further in the career you need a minimum Level 3 qualification. With adequate experience and proper qualifications, you can move up to become a qualified nursery assistant, supervisor and finally a manager of the nursery.

The Manny Poppins Phenomenon

Childcare is no more a career for the girls. Male nannies or mannies, as they are known, are increasingly invading what can almost exclusively be considered as a female turf. Working mothers are increasingly open to the idea of hiring mannies rather than nannies.

According to a survey, eight of ten parents replied that hiring a manny is more acceptable today than it was ten years ago. 94 percent of respondents said they would surely consider hiring a manny to take care of their children. And about 20 percent said someone they knew actually had a manny.

According to an October 2009 survey by Children’s Workforce Development Council, mannies form a miniscule 1 percent of over 30,000 registered nannies working in England. Though this number is small, what is worth noting is that more males are looking at childcare as a long term career option and have a strong commitment towards working with children.

Another trend in nanny business is mushrooming of agencies specialising in male nannies. Though there is a societal prejudice over males entering childminding business, the manny population is on a steady rise.

Some celebrities like Britney Spears, Jemima Khan and Gwyneth Paltrow are among those who hired the services of a manny and certainly had the media talk about it but there is also a general surge in the public interest about manny services. So why is there a sudden interest in manny poppins phenomenon?

Matthew Black, who has been in manny business for eight years, said that the threat of an attractive female spending so much time in the house is an issue to working mothers. Male nannies, on the other hand, do not offer any titillation to fathers and do not stoke the natural female insecurity, jealousy and suspicion in anxious mothers.

Mothers are also happy that their boys are at more ease with a manny than a nanny. Mannies do not mind to go out, get a little dirty and play with the kids a lot more than nannies who just tolerate the boys. Young boys relate to their female nannies as an extension of their mom rather than simply a girl. But with a manny, it’s different. He is like their elder brother and the kids tend to be completely at ease with him.

“The attitudes are really changing. Earlier when someone hears the words male nanny, the first thing that would probably come to their mind is paedophilia. Such popular anxiety is lessening and now people view a manny with more respect and admiration. The bottom line is, man or woman, anyone can do anything to your kid. To think that only men can be sexual predators and female nannies are safe can give you a false sense of security but this is not true,” Black said.

He has a point. The idea that male nannies might be a sexual threat to children is overblown. A 1988 study by Crimes Against Children Research Centre at New Hampshire found that women are more likely to abuse children at daycares than males. Another 1995 academic research paper found that 23 percent of female sexual abusers were babysitters and 8 percent were teachers, only 8 percent of the male sexual abusers were babysitters and none were teachers. A 1997 BBC report found that 86 percent of sexual- abuse victims were not believed when they complained that their abusers were actually women.

Male nannies realise that they are entering what is traditionally a female bastion and hence put a lot more effort than nannies in doing their job. They usually have more education and experience and hence a more verifiable history than nannies. The natural hesitation over male nannies also drives agencies to conduct a more thorough background check and ensures only the most qualified come out on the top.