By Rob Pittam

Childminding is hard work but rewarding, says Gil

Gil Maguire works an 18 hour day. He's responsible for looking after the needs of 10 different and demanding clients. He is also regarded as an important role model for the next generation.

It's a tough demanding job in an industry where very few men have made the grade.

But he isn't a high flying company executive, he's a childminder.

That makes him a member of an extremely rare breed.

'Few men'

In Nottinghamshire, where Gil lives, there are just nine registered male childminders.

It's something that's worrying many people involved in the industry and they want to see more men take it up as a career.

The Daycare Trust estimates that only 3% of the country's childcare workforce are men.

They want that number to grow so that childminders are more representative of society as a whole.

Perfect job

It's also seen as a way of solving what is a national shortage of child care workers.

"I think any parent who has had contact with a male child minder would vouch to say this has been a positive experience for them and their children," said Megan Pacey from the Daycare Trust.

For Gil it's a perfect way of fitting in with his family situation.

He took the decision to give up his job as a sales representative for Mr Kipling - the cake manufacturer - when his wife became pregnant with their third child.

It wasn't a difficult decision.

Rat race

He was earning �25,000 a year, but his wife, an executive in local government was earning �80,000.

"I was sick of the rat race," said Gil.

"When you're in sales, the pressure is relentless. Every day I was out on the road and you're only as good as the sales you made in the last week.

"I've always loved being with children and so I decided to give childminding a go."

Busy days

When his son Luke was born with Downs Syndrome, he knew he had made the right decision to work from home.

Now his days are filled with painting, playing , singing nursery rhymes and cooking ten meals a day.

There was very little to do by way of preparation. His house was checked for safety and a few stair gates were added.

The social service like the fact that I can be a male role model for them Gil Maguire

There are though stringent police checks and a yearly inspection from Ofsted whose inspectors also have the right to turn up anytime.

Role model

Shortly after becoming a childminder, the marriage broke up and Gil became the main carer for his three children, Matthew, 17, Mark, 15, and Luke, who's now six.

As well as his own children, he looks after five others before and after school and during the day he also takes children on a respite scheme from Nottingham's social services department to give their parents a break.

"That's where being a man is a real boon," says Gil, "the children often live at home with a single mum.

So the social service like the fact that I can be a male role model for them."

Decent income

However, it's tiring work.

"I get my first kids at eight, they go off to school at nine, I grab a quick coffee, then I'm off to pick up the social services kids for 9.30. I have them until 2.30, time for another coffee and then I get the other kids back from school until six.

"But I'm still working then because I have to get my own kids sorted."

It works out as a decent income. Gil reckons he gets around �800 a month from the childminding and �600 for the social services work, which is also tax free.

"It's bloody hard work though, I have to cook meals for them and kids are very demanding.