how much for a school run..?

[saya]

Hello
My 7y.o daughter's school is 20 mins drive from our house and I work full time so cant do the school run, not keen on breakfast, afternoon clubs again due to my working hours.
A friend offered to do the school runs for us but I am not sure how much to pay her.
Would be grateful for any advice.
Thanks

[ChocolateWombat]

Would you literally be dropping at the point that they leave for school, or would it involve them having her for a short while each day? Is it both ways?
Personally I would pay for an hour in the morning and in the afternoon, even if it is just 20 minutes at each end. So about £10 per day.
Yes, there is less than an hours work, but it will be cheaper than the alternatives and you want to make it worth her while,so that she is reliable and continues doing it.
Has she asked for payment? Even if she offers to do it for free, I would ask to pay, because then there is a clearer arrangement, rather than one which is just a favour when it suits her. Although she might be going anyway, 10 school runs are quite a lot (more than just a favour) and the equivalent childminder or after school club would cost more, so £50 for the week is a cheap deal for you and decent pocket money for her.
You say it is a 20 minute drive for you, is it 20 minutes work for her at each end of the day or more?
Err on the side of generosity. It is a friend and you want something a little bit unusual, which will be reliable and lasting.

[ChocolateWombat]

I would also make sure you are clear about what will happen if her children are sick and not going to school, have clubs after school etc. when you want a regular, guaranteed service, it is often better to not use a friend and to have everything written down, for clarity. It would be good if you had everything written down with this friend and it was clear to both of you what will happen if she is not available. Although it is a friend, which can make this kind of thing (writing it down) difficult, I think the level of care you need (10 runs a week) means it would benefit you both....you are looking for much more than an odd favour.
You should also expect to still,pay if your daughter is off.
See it as childcare which costs, rather than a cheapo option.

[saya]

Thanks very much ChocolateWombat, very useful reply.
Its just dropping her at school and picking her up..2 mornings and 5 afternoons as she also has a part time job so the other two mornings me and hubby rearranged work start time with great difficulties.
Cab companies said they will charge 12 one way even if we get a "school run deal" with them.
She is a good friend and didnt want to be paid but I insisted on paying her that's why I need to get an idea of how much to pay her as I dont want to overpay and certainly no underpay.

[noramum]

I wouldn't use a friend as you can run into difficulties if you fall our, have issues with sick children and I think paying for a regular service could cause other tax issues as well.

Why not try to get a childminder? They are normally more flexible and reliable.

[Mrsgrumble]

I would offer about fifty pound for the week?

[WipsGlitter]

So, pick up from your house and drop to school and then look after in the afternoon for how long? Our afterschool is about £3.50 per hour.

But I agree with a pp, this is a precarious arrangement and could lead to great resentment on both sides.

[erin99]

Are you taking her DC those 2 mornings she can't?

[erin99]

Also does she have free space in her car so her DC can bring playdates home, or does taking your daughter mean her children get no playdates ever? How will she feel on days when her DC are out on playdates and she still has to get your daughter? What about if her DC get a new activity that starts at 4pm and she doesn't have time to drop your DD off first, or she can't share lifts with someone else because she has your DD? I'm not saying don't do it, but explore these possibilities. I think there is potential for huge resentment to build up. My advice is for you to use before and after school clubs for some of the week, and do tit for tat favours on the days she takes her (eg if you can do 2 drop offs, she does no more than 3 drop offs OR 2 pick ups)

[saya]

thank you all for replies..
We will be actually dropping her off for 3 mornings
She will do the drop off twice and pick up 5 days
no childminding after as my parents can look after DD as soons as she gets home..my parents dont drive hence the need for a school escort purely not childming..all she has to do is to pick her up form our house, drop her at school and pick her up from school and drop her at our house.
She is a very reasonable lady and the mo our only option..cab too expensive and mine and hubby work just not very flexible and parents dont drive..

[CaulkheadUpNorth]

I did this for a while as a student and got paid 40p per mile plus £5 per day. Te £5 was to cover the "care" and the mileage was for the petrol

[SoonToBeSix]

Are you sure she wants paying? My friend takes my dd , she has her from 7.15 gives her breakfast and takes her to school. Our dd's are friends. I don't pay her she wouldn't accept any money. Isn't that normal for friends to do favours.

[saya]

yes but she doesnt have to take her own child to school, they are all grown up she is doing this for me on a regular basis hopefully so its not fair not to pay..especially with fuel price etc..
friendhsi aside, its a service that I feel I need to reimburse otherwise I am taking advantage of her..

[teacherwith2kids]

Just as a comparison to 'professional' costs:

For years, my children have gone to the childminder st 7.30 am. She gave them a good breakfast, a chance to play / chill and then drove them to school leaving c. 8.30 am. School run wasn't very long, but probably took a good 15 mins including parking, then 5 mins walk to school. She also did all kinds of other random stuff - signed me up for parents' evenings, picked up school uniform from the office etc, as well as being our 'third contact' for school when children were ill etc.

£7 per child per morning - £35 per week, about £150 per month. Fully trained childminder, fully insured, up to date first aid, really good breakfast (fruit, fruit juice, porridge / cereals, homemade bread for toast, that kind of stuff).

[SoonToBeSix]

Sorry op totally missed the bit where she didn't take her own child. Yes I would pay her then, very kind of her to go out of her way.

[Bilberry]

You are working out the timings wrong - for her you have to consider the time from her house to your house (unless you are on the way), waiting for dd to get in the car, then the 20 mins to school and back to her house.

If you are paying her you have to decide on what basis. If she is doing this as a friend then covering her petrol/car depreciation should suffice along with a heap of returned favours and an acceptance of occasional times when she can't do it. It needs to be clear you both know you are only covering her costs not paying her. If it is as a more commercial arrangement then she needs proper pay as well as costs covered and £10 a day isn't enough. This route seems risky for your friendship and her car insurance.

[erin99]

She is an absolute saint. She is basically writing off every afternoon - the school run is a big imposition on what you can get done in a day, and she will be planning all her own activities, shopping etc round making a 100% commitment to being at the school gate every day. That is really what you need to reward.

As a starter, petrol & running costs at 40p per mile both ways, what does that come to? Then time on top.

[MinimalistMommi]

You'd be basically be using her as a childminder, for legal reason and safety reasons, shouldn't be a registered childminder? If it's just a friend doing it with no payment, fine, but if she's being paid then that makes it a grey area? It's a big responsibility, what if anything happened?

[MinimalistMommi]

...it would actually be relatively easy for her to become a registered childminder and so this for you officially. This way she will take a first aid course, fill in the correct paperwork and be insured etc.

[saya]

thanks for all your replies..didnt think of legal issues..just wanted to reward her for being so nice and saving my neck...will need to find another way maybe...

[teacherwith2kids]

"Rules state that friends cannot gain a ‘reward’ by looking after a child for more than two hours outside the child’s home unless they register with Ofsted and follow the same regulations as normal childminders."

2x 20 mins journey is obviously under the 2 hours limit, but if there will be fairly regular occasions on which the time might mount up, then if you plan to pay her you MUST get her to register as a CM officially.

[ChocolateWombat]

Have you made a plan for times she cannot do it, for whatever reason. Because when friends are doing favours, rather than there being a proper commercial agreement,this does happen. What about when she goes on holiday? Or is sick?
If you need someone who will reliable always be there, it is not reasonable to expect a friend to be that person. You are basically expecting too much. Has the friend really thought through how this will affect her day, every day. Have you actually talked about illness, her holidays etc. she won't be able to do it every day you need her and then you and both in to pickle.

If an escort taxi costs £12, that is what it costs. I don't think it is reasonable to look to a friend for a BIG week by week favour, to save money. It is fine for an occasional one off. However you need to pay whatever the going rate is for escorted service if you need that on a regular basis.

What is the arrangement re holidays, illness, times when friend would like a whole uninterrupted day without school pick ups, to do whatever else she might like to or need to do?

[ChocolateWombat]

And I'm not sure it totally works to just compare it to an hour or so of child minding costs.
A childminder is working other hours and earning from them too, so your £5 per hour or whatever, is just part of the days earnings. It works for the childminder to take on after school care which doesn't earn her lots of money, because it fits in with other children who are being looked after and earning her money too. So it is fine for a childminders day to be interrupted and determined by the 3.15 school pick up.

This friend though, has no such earnings or reason to have a restricted day. So to limit oneself EVERY day, is a huge ask, when it is going to net less than the £12 for a taxi. I think you need to look at it terms of the disruption to her day. In actual fact, that is worth far more than £12 for a taxi!

[erin99]

Is it really not possible for DD to do before or after school club for some of the week? Does depend on work of course but could you and DH each finish in time to pick up when after school club closes, one or 2 days a week each? Otherwise look at childminders who are local to the school, and who would offer care after 6pm or whatever time ASC closes, or au pairs.

She isn't your only option. What would you do if she broke her leg next week? There has to be another solution for at least some of the week, to reduce her load, even if you still use her for part of the week.

Come to that what happens when your parents get stranded somewhere or have doctors' appts, go to stay with friends etc? Generally you get by with juggling things about but relying absolutely on your parents AND your friend, 7-8 sessions a week, with no back up or flex available would be more precarious than I'd like.

[ChocolateWombat]

Agree with Erin, that for 7 sessions a week, relying on a friend and parents alone, is not great. A friend and parents are more likely to manage it all on a consistent reliable basis, if what you are asking is less onerous and regular.

For regular, reliable (and peace giving reassurance for you) for this amount of care/travel you need a proper professional arrangement. Friends and family are fine for lower level commitments and/or emergency cover.