Become a childminder or nanny (England)
Register as a nanny
You can register with Ofsted as a nanny or au pair to look after children in their own home.
You cannot work as a nanny from your own home.
If you want to look after children in another home that is not the child’s, including your own home, you’ll need to register as a childminder based at home instead.
A nanny can look after children from 1 or 2 families at any one time in one of those families’ homes.
If you want to look after children from more than 2 families at the same time, you’ll need to register as a childminder.
What you’ll need
You will need:
- first aid training
- childcare training - speak to your local council
- public liability insurance
- a certificate of good character from an embassy - if you’ve lived abroad in the past 5 years
You will also need an enhanced check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Depending on where you live, you’ll need either:
- an enhanced check with barred lists for home-based workers, if you live in the home where you work
- an enhanced check with barred lists, if you do not live in the home where you work
Ofsted will reject your application if you do not have the correct documents.
How much it costs
It costs £103 to register with Ofsted. This fee is not refundable.
How long it takes
It usually takes up to 10 weeks to process your application.
Register online
It should take you about 15 minutes to fill in the form.