When Mick Godber - a 5ft11in, 16-stone biker with a shaved head and goatee beard - says he's a minder, people presume he means a bouncer. But he's been a childminder for 16 years.
Mick now works in partnership with his wife, Vicky, in Clifton, Nottingham.
'We married three years ago and it was a natural progression to work together. We complement each other,' he says.
'Some of the parents like it that we're presenting a typical family unit.
They like it that the children see my wife and I working together and not arguing. It is quite a rough area and many of the children I care for have conflict in their lives. We provide some stability.'
Added benefits
Increasingly, more couples, like Mick and Vicky, are recognising the benefits of becoming registered and starting a childminding business.
Childminders John and Bernie Cawley, from St Albans in Hertfordshire, have worked together for three years. They believe 'working together is not a job halved but a job quartered'.
The benefits include:
* A double allocation of places, making the business more financially viable
* The ability to offer children a wider range of activities
* More flexibility - 'We do not have to wake a child to do a school pick-up,' says John, and one person can keep on top of paperwork while the other is caring for the children
* Less stress, because there is always another adult for support - 'If a baby keeps crying we can let the other take over and have a break'
* Parents know that if one of the minders is ill they can still run a skeleton service
* It does not feel isolated, unlike working from home alone
* Through raising their own children together they already have agreed childcare techniques on issues such as behaviour management
* It is more of a family environment for the children - as John says, 'People who look for a childminder tend to want a more homelike setting than a nursery. What can be more like that than a husband and wife working together?'
But for John and Bernie the biggest benefit is that they can both spend proper time with their own children. 'I became a childminder largely for family reasons,' says John. 'We have three daughters and I was coming home from work late and missing out on quality time with them.
'I can now see them grow up and it's a better quality of life. I'm having far more time with my children and they enjoy the activities we provide and have made a vast array of friends. Their socialisation skills have come on in leaps and bounds through us doing this work.'
Barriers
Judith Dealby has been childminding in Bradford for 11 years. Her husband, Robin, joined her in the business when he was made redundant from BT almost eight years ago. He says, 'I'd worked too long with grown-ups, and children are a lot more fun!'
The parents find it reassuring that they work together, although Judith says that some distant relatives thought that Robin was 'showing the family up by choosing to do "women's work". They thought it was disgraceful.'
Unfortunately, there are still barriers to men becoming childcarers, Robin says. 'Childminders do not earn a lot of money and it has not got the same status as, say, an electrical engineer. There is also the increased risk of a male being accused of abusing a child. Men are still not always trusted as childcarers, but there's absolutely no reason why people should think like that. It's just a hard idea to shake off.'
John Cawley has endured 'some stick' from his mates about his profession.
'But it's only playful,' he says. 'And they were jealous during Euro 2004 when I was able to get the children involved in looking at which countries the teams were from and what their flags were.'
He adds, 'One of my main concerns when I became a childminder was, would I be the only man in the school playground? But although I may be the only male childminder there, there are always dads and grandads picking up their children. I don't stand out.'
Teamwork
Couples need to have a strong relationship to be able to cope with working together. 'I'd recommend this work to any couple,' says Mick Godber. 'But they would have to be best mates and there is no room for prejudice or chauvinism. You have to be totally equal.'
Robin and Judith say they work as a team. 'People are often quite shocked that we spend 24 hours a day together and still get on. But we do,' says Judith.
'The only down side is that we're always at work and find ourselves constantly thinking about displays, children's record books or planning. We even take work with us when we go on holiday to our caravan.'
Jane and Mike Groves, childminders in Donnington, Cambridge- shire, believe working together for the past four years has made their relationship stronger. 'We are able to bounce ideas off each other and make activity suggestions. It's also good to have each other's support and not have to worry about confidentiality,' says Jane.
They are careful to keep the balance between their business and space for their own children and work is kept to a minimum during the school holidays so they can spend time as a family.
'In previous jobs I have worked shifts and during school holidays,' says Mike. 'I missed the early years of our first two children and I do regret that, but I've made up for it with the two youngest. I think the work we do has made us a stronger family unit and we all spend proper time together. I now wish we'd made the decision to do this earlier.' NW
The men's group
Kim Lane, childminding network co-ordinator for North Somerset Sure Start, has set up a monthly drop-in group for male childminders. Currently three men regularly attend and they are all working towards accreditation to enable them to deliver early years education.
Oliver Clark, who gave up working as an NHS data analyst to become a childminder, says the group 'provides a forum for men to discuss some of the problems male childcarers face and some of the barriers to men joining this industry, for example sexism. The fantastic thing about the group is that it emphasises that men do have a place in this work environment and there is support available to those men who want it.'
Case study
Mark Shepherd of New Cross, London, says, 'Before we had children, my former partner and I decided that whoever earned the most money would continue working. So when our daughter arrived I gave up my job as a wedding photographer and became the primary carer.
'I undertook a diploma in childhood studies purely to learn how my daughter "ticked". The course covered child psychology, play and development and I did placements in a nursery and home. I really got a feel for childcare and my profession rolled from there.
'My close friends were surprised at first and a lot of people couldn't understand how I could afford to be a childminder. But I am able to do this as a career and have taken on an assistant.
'Five years down the line, I still really enjoy my work. I love having children from when they are babies and watching them grow through the stages. It's special to watch children who are learning to walk and see how confident they are when they've got their balance.
'Nowadays I think more people are looking for male childcarers. The stigma of men working with children has gone. Some single mothers have come to me specifically because they want a male influence in their child's life.
'Generally, children only see women in a caring role but the children I mind know that men can be equally caring. I do a lot of cooking and cleaning in front of them and they are used to seeing me put my Marigolds on. The oldest child I mind says that he too wants to be a childminder when he grows up.'
Further information
For further information on becoming a childminder contact the National Childminding Association on 0208 464 6164, or visit www.ncma.org.uk.
