Childcare for 6 and 2.5 yr old - Sept

[Marie38y]

Hi
I'm moving to Hackney area (not sure where yet) in the summer - I'm a single parent of 2 and the eldest will be attending Gatehouse school, the youngest will only start in Sept 2018.
I'll need wraparound care for the DD1 and nursery/childminder/nanny for DD2. Currently I have a fantastic childminder - we got to know eachother when I was pregnant and she became first a babysitter and then got Ofsted registered for sole purpose of taking my two, which fits nicely with her looking after her own child who is a year younger than my eldest.

I'd love to do the same again. Last time it happened organically, this time I would advertise etc. This works so well for my family as my ex is around half the time and likes to see the children when he is. However when he is away I do need someone who is willing to do those longer hours 8-6.30 Mon to Thurs and 9-5:30 on Friday.

Nanny is of course an option as well but the problem is that I then pay whether I need help or not. The great thing about my childminder was that she wanted some extra money but it wasn't her main driver. I did pay fairly @ £10 an hour, but there were some weeks that she earned nothing, as only charged on hours agreed.

Any advice appreciated.

[imisslivinginhackney]

Gumtree or nanny job.co.uk.
I lived in Hackney for 10 years. Now over the border in Harringay.

I think you will be lucky finding someone you only pay for hours worked. Even nurseries expect you to commit to a certain number of hours.

I did a childminder with DD1 (exactly like you - she was an NCT friend who then got OFSTED registered to look after my DD with her DS.
She then got pregnant, so DD went to nursery (£1200 a month) for four days a week.

Then after DD2 we got a nanny (£2150 per month). Had her for 4 years and now DD2 has gone full time at school we have gone down to an after school nanny.

I pay her £12 an hour, for 12 hours a week. And I pay her this every month - regardless of her actual hours worked. I need commitment to the family and really reliable childcare. The danger in London is that lots of people do childcare as a stopgap - so are happy to head off if something more suitable comes up.

By guaranteeing a minimum amount every month, my nanny (she does acting and tutoring as well) knows her rent Is covered. And if I don't need her - I let her know, but she still gets paid.

It's a great deal for her, but importantly, it means she is happy with us for the long term. And my DDs have stability. And I don't worry about a text on Monday morning telling me she's left...

Also - £12 an hour for an after school nanny is cheap. But, I feel ok with that because of the minimum guaranteed. Any extra hours she does for us are paid on top.

[Babymamamama]

Not sure what you are proposing would be that attractive to prospective employees. No job security. And not a particularly high hourly rate to compensate for that. By all means advertise but you may need to rethink if you don't get suitable response.

[Marie38y]

Thanks imisslivinginhackney for the facts and figures, really helpful.