Interview about men in caregiving professions and a childcare agency in Munich. Mr Dreilich, you took over Kids Concept, an agency that places childcare in and around Munich, in 2009, and fundamentally reworked the concept. Why? Even before Kids Concept, I was self-employed offering care for special needs and worked as a childminder in private households – exactly the field we now place staff in. At the time, I saw how difficult it is to find good staff, and that was exactly the challenge I faced when I took over in 2009. By now we have a very good instinct for whether someone is honest, reliable and genuinely wants to do the job wholeheartedly, or is simply looking for any job. A roughly 30-minute interview gives us many impressions you’d never get over the phone, and we can also ask follow-up questions, quite different from a multiple-choice questionnaire our applicants also have to fill in. A lot has changed for our customers since 2009 too: within one year, customers are guaranteed a replacement placement if the caregiver we placed falls ill or if, for other reasons, the working relationship doesn’t continue. In addition, customers are given trial days, and every family can take their time to really get to know the caregivers, because the chemistry and gut feeling have to be right on the customer’s side too. Did taking over Kids Concept also have to do with wanting to better balance your own career and family life? Of course. As a childminder in a private household, there’s very little time left for your own child, but I also saw how much others struggle to reconcile work and family, and how difficult it is for them to find qualified care. From my previous self-employed work, I knew what matters when placing caregivers, and where there’s a need for clarification. Because you’re affected yourself, do you have a better understanding of the needs of working parents? Oh yes! That’s probably also why it’s so important to us at Kids Concept to get to know every caregiver personally, so we can judge which applicant fits which family – someone who can also step in spontaneously if a child falls ill, or if the parents just want to go out for dinner together. You mostly talk about female caregivers. Are there no male caregivers? In fact, the number of male caregivers is vanishingly small, mainly because the profession isn’t really recognised. Children are supposedly our greatest asset, but those who look after our children aren’t recognised, and combined with poor pay and limited career prospects, that puts a lot of men off entering this profession. How much time do you have for your child alongside your self-employment? Unfortunately very little; our little one is with a childminder during the day, and in the evening there’s only a little time left for dad and daughter. In return, the whole weekend is reserved for my family, as are the school holidays, when Kids Concept always stays closed. Did you take parental leave? My wife took twelve months of parental leave at the time, and I took two; as an employee and self-employed person, you’re allowed to work up to 30 hours a week during parental leave, and that’s exactly what I did, with the advantage of organising my working hours freely around my child. Why did you go on parental leave? I wanted to spend as much time as possible with my daughter. As a trained childcare and special-needs carer, I know how important modern male role models are for children’s development – some children lack their own father, and boys in particular often look for a male point of contact, but there are also girls who prefer a male caregiver. Were you completely at home during parental leave? Yes, and even now I’m mostly at home since our office is in the house; that has advantages and disadvantages – I can respond quickly even outside office hours, but I was often in the office from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. in the early days. By now we have fixed hours that we stick to, so our private life doesn’t suffer. How did the people around you react to you caring for your child so dedicatedly? They all thought it was great, with no objections whatsoever. Did you learn anything during parental leave that you wouldn’t otherwise have learned? Oh yes! I saw how difficult the job of homemaker and parent really is – many people still underestimate that. Which family skills did you acquire that also benefit you in your job? Over time you become a real organisational talent and plan your time better; it’s largely about reliability, flexibility, assertiveness and a sense of responsibility. How is the division of labour at home? It’s roughly 50:50 for us; we usually do the basic cleaning at the weekend or in the evening, and I’m mostly responsible for cooking during the week, while my wife, who works nights, does the shopping. What advice would you give other fathers regarding parental leave? That’s something everyone has to decide for themselves, but I’d advise all fathers to enjoy the time with their children, especially in the first years of life, since that relationship is so important and can’t be made up for later. There’s ongoing debate about the right age for children to be placed in the care of a caregiver. What’s your view? I think the mother should definitely stay with her child for the first few months; some of our clients entrust their child to a caregiver just a few weeks after birth, but personally I’d advise against that, and I always recommend a gradual transition. Then surely it would be ideal if fathers also took parental leave? True, although there’s nothing wrong with placing a child under three in daycare or with a childminder for half the day, provided the facility is good and trustworthy – it’s also good preparation for kindergarten. It’s not exactly cheap to have children looked after. We’ve made it our goal to offer our placement services affordably, including caregivers with excellent training who offer affordable childcare; customers simply state on our request form how much they can pay per hour, and we match that with our pool of caregivers.
