Is starting FDC worth it?

[AuHope]

Hi Everyone,
I am debating whether I should have a career change from professional office worker to FDC.
My main reason for starting FDC is to be with my children at home at least while they are so young.
I have started looking into it and here are my main questions:
- Where have you completed Certificate III and how much did it cost and how long did it take?
- Can I enrol into Cert III, establish FDC and do 'work placement' hours at my own FDC? I can really take 3 weeks off work to do that at another day care centre.
- How much money did you spend setting up the house? I don't think I will need to do any changes to the house (safety glass, baby gates etc.), but will require to buy high-chairs and mattresses to sleep on. What is the best way to reduce setting up costs?
- What other expenses should I take into account (scheme fees, insurance, electricity)?
- How much time does paperwork take (timesheets, reports on children's development (not sure what they are called))?
Sorry for so many questions, but information online is a bit overwhelming.
Thank you in advance for your advice.

[tinytots]

This link from the forums may help you AuHope

http://aussiechildcarenetwork.com.au/fo ... ycare-8092

[Lorina]

If you want to start your own business then starting your own FDC is your option. FDC gives you the flexibility to work from home and be an educator to your own child (if necessary) as well as others. To start in FDC you will need to obtain a cert 3 qualification. There are so many course providers to choose from it's difficult to pin point which course provider is best... I also suggest since you are new to the industry is not to rush into it. You will need to be familiar with the regulations and law, workplace health and safety requirements, quality areas, implementing a framework to deliver a quality program for the children and much more. Since an FDC is your own, you will need to familiar with all this information... For now, I suggest to give yourself a year to complete your cert 3 including work placement at a long day care or even family day care setting just to give you an idea on what to expect when becoming an educator, then you can decide if you want to further your career into FDC. I'm in no way stopping you starting an FDC I just want you to have a clear idea of what you're getting yourself into...

The link given above, will provide you with information on starting an FDC setting. I will also give you some more topics that you may find useful:

FDC Daily Costs
Managing Governments Cuts TO FDC
Comply With FDC Requirements
Setting Fees For FDC
FDC Wages

I understand that this is a lot of information to take on board! You need to be informed before you make your decision...

Feel free to ask for further clarification!

,
Lorina