Oh dear - don't say that - I'm studying to BE a teacher ! By the time I've finished, Cait will be in grade three and junior will be 4 years old. I'm only studying part time so it doesn't take over my life completely.

Before applying for that, I looked at doing the cert 2 or 3 courses run at tafes for childcare, which I think are what childcare centres are looking for when they ask for 'qualified'. The ABC centres have been advertising in the local paper for the past coupla months for staff. I think the cert 2 was 6 months full time or 12 months part time.

Our Kinda assistant has no qualifications - but the pay is only about $13 an hour. I think to be a kinda teacher you need some sort of early childhood development quals and she gets about $19 an hour. (i'm on the committee, I know these things !)

What put me off family day care was you can have them from 6.30 in the morning to 6.30 at night, you pretty much surrender your home to children not related to you, with no break, no adult interaction (if thats what you need/like).

I went to Uni for four years, but wondered during the fourth year what I was doing accounting for !!! I worked in banking and finance for ten years, had Cait and knew I would never go back full time, especially as all the work is in the city.

Maybe it's a bit early for you to think about working ... I took about 18 months off and now just work in a petrol station two shifts a week for the moolah. We looked at me going back to work full time when Cait was 5 months old as Nick had been off work for three months with his back playing up and I cried, I couldn't do it. He got a job shortly after that. I know girls who do night fill in supermarkets and another couple have started working at the MCG during games as food people in the corporate boxes, another makes money out of Avon.

I always wanted to stay home ! I thought when I got pregnant the first time, I had that 8 months and then maternity leave time to think of THE home based business/invention that would let me work from home and make a million or so !

Let us know how you go.

Barb.