Paying the childminder/nanny................................................

DS and DD haven't started at the childminder yet but we will be paying monthly in advance.

I haven't worked as a c/m (thinking about it) but have done tutoring with older children, and I think parents often pay late because they think that what you do is a glorified extension of babysitting. They also seem to think that because you enjoy what you do and enjoy nurturing their children, that somehow you are doing it out of goodwill and therefore payment isn't so important. I think this applies especally if you work part time or combine with another career. You do get more experienced at spotting problem parents from the outset though. If I do go into childminding I will be asking for payment in advance by standing order, and making my boundaries clear from the outset.

I had a parent who left his whole cheque book here full of signed cheques to me to fill in as and when!! He occasionally needed a cheque, so would beg for one in front of other parents, and then tell them what a tyrant I was!!

I kept forgetting to take a cheque to my CM's. So I started giving her 4 signed cheques in advance. She is extremely trustworthy. I often have to remind her to pay herself.

Sorry. Just meant that I don't think parents are uncaring about paying their childcares. But, then there could be an exception I suppose.

I think it's just the nature of who your client/employer is. Working parents with young children are generally very busy people, and often struggling to juggle the finances. So, it's easy to forget the money when your running out of work to pick up the wee ones. Or something happens at work which means you don't have time to get to the ATM on the way to the childminder or you'll be late, and she won't like that either. It's not malicious... at least not usually.

Soapbox, I was a nanny and wasn't always paid on time. There were two families in particular who took the piss and I can still remember the feelings of helplessness and anger it inspired in me, to know that they would basically give me my money when they felt like it and there was bugger all I could do about it

As a parent I paid monthly and was more than a little late usually. But it didn't help that the cm never had a calculated figure ready and we always had to check the hours she'd recorded. We also had to check her charges for those hours (She would cut corners by charging per day or half day regardless of the contract which said by the hour, unless of course that would leave her worse off in which case she would scrupulessly add up all the hours). And then she had that blind spot for adding the figures which always erred in her favour. It wasn't huge amounts but the recalculating it for her and getting her to agree sometimes meant we were 2 weeks late in paying.
Sometimes I just forgot it was payday, I'm shamed to say. But reading mn has made me vow never to be so lax if I have a cm again.

soapbox - I used to have a childminder and she asked to be paid in cash - which does make it more likely that people will forget. I was probably a day late a couple of times (but as I was paying her in advance on a Monday, I don;t think paying her on Tuesday is really late - just not as in advance as it should have been). I wanted to set up a direct debit but she didn;t want me to.

as a nanny im paid a month in arears

It is interesting though the split between nannies and childminders. All nannies and their employers have posted that they are paid/pay on time.

However childminders are often not it seems.

I wonder if this comes down to the fact that nannies are employees and childminders are self employed. Perhaps parents take their responsibilities as employers quite seriously?

I wonder whether also, the self employed generally are paid far later than the employed. Most self employed people I know are often extremely lucky to be paid within 14 days of raising an invoice.

Also paying in advance is virtually unheard of for any other self employed group - so again perhaps people take it less seriously??

I've no real idea though - just throwing in some suggestions

Our nannies have always been paid weekly with cash going into their accounts by DD on the Thursday of the current week.

TP - If I don't earn money, my family (& the mindees) don't eat

So if people pay late.....I let them know I am unhappy

as it is I tend to get bank transfers or chqs in plenty of time

I so agree with FrannyandZooey about not being fooled that your childcarer doesn't mind being paid late.

I get the "forgot my cheque book", "cash machine didn't work" or "is it OK to pay next week because ..." and I dutifully smile and say, "no problem." But it is!! As a family, we don't rely on my income to pay bills etc., but that doesn't mean I don't mind waiting. It's not the end of the world, just a bit irritating that I'm just not assertive enough!

All my contracts get renewed in September, and I think I will reword them a little better!

I have worked for more than one family who were always late with payment. Don't be fooled into thinking your nanny or CM doesn't mind - of course she does. Would you like it if your employer "forgot" to pay you, with no prior warning, or would it really mess up your life? Nannies are people with bills and mortgages and food to buy as well. It's very hard to convey this to an employer without unpleasantness, and much easier to just say "Oh well, ok then" and mentally curse them. Paying your chidcarer late is taking advantage of the good relationship you have with them.

my nanny is paid by direct debit. once (with a different nanny)it bounced which meant she was charged for going overdrawn. I reimbursed her the charges. Although she was horrible and undiplomatic about it (as, it turned out she was about most things) that I somehow felt annpyed with her instead of feeling horrified and embarrassed and covered in repentence had she been nice about it.

I think I have paid a day late once or twice in five years. I used to pay two weeks in advance just in case something caused a problem.

My childminder has made it clear what she thinks of people who don't pay on time....

always paid late thats the joy of being a childminder!

I am invoiced each month as the amount varies. I give my cm a cheque the next time dd goes (so could be next day, or next week).

I always pay on time. My cm provides a fantastic service and I feel it would be disrespectful if I paid her late.

I transfer the money online from my account to nanny's account on the last working day of the month (which is when I get paid). When we used a childminder, she asked for cash payment at the start of the week. I was not so good about this. It was usually Wed. or Thurs. by the time I remember/had time to get the cash. She had another parent who was the same. She didn't seem to mind too much. She always got paid by the end of the week.

SSD, how late are they? Are we talking days or weeks? Are you still nannying?

we pay by bank transfer every week in arrears - i think a late payment fee is more than reasonable.

I am invoiced every month but that is because the amount to be paid varies - dependent on whether it is a 4 or 5 week month, whether she or I have booked hols and whether DS is at school or not.

ayla99.... that sounds liek a very good idea