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Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

Original poster

Need very occasional days..

33 replies

CharlesRyder · 24/12/2014 18:34

Until recently we have had comprehensive CM/ pre-school cover but DH and I have changed arrangements so we now mostly manage to do all our childcare between us. However, there are very occasional days we can't cover (maybe 8 days a year).

We have no family close enough to help out and I don't want to impose on friends this often or to our 'schedule'.

Is there any sort of childcare that would be this flexible? It would be full days so I guess a babysitter is out? The days will almost all be INSET days directly before terms start or just before the end of state school terms so holiday clubs are unlikely to be in action.

DS is 4 and in Reception.

Any ideas gratefully received!

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Karoleann · 29/12/2014 22:58

Great - glad it worked out.

Original poster
CharlesRyder · 29/12/2014 16:39

I have a booking with sitters.co.uk for the next occasion which is only a couple of hours so thanks for that tip karoleann. Flowers

OP posts:
itsnotjustastick · 29/12/2014 11:06

suppose your local childminder had lots of term time only kids. your child would be a welcome addition to that cm being able to get someone in for that unused slot.

you dont know if you dont ask

Imperial · 29/12/2014 11:02

Obviously weed out the ones with poor personal hygiene but one of our children's favourite sitters is a 17 year old boy. From what I can gather he spends the entire duration he is here giving them piggy back rides around the living room and letting them lather chocolate spread on toast as thickly as they like. In their eyes that makes him a God and the one time there was a minor emergency (projectile vomit - probably as a result of the piggy back rides and chocolate spread) he was brilliant. I'm sure you'll find someone - boarding school communities are usually pretty good at that kind of thing. Cleaner? Maintenance man's wife/teenage daughter etc.

Original poster
CharlesRyder · 28/12/2014 19:59

Umm, interesting thought Imperial. DH's school is all boys and very much full boarding, but I know there are a few children of staff who are local. I will ask DH what he thinks about that. He has seen his 6th formers trying to be responsible for their own socks though, so I'm not sure he'd trust them with our son!

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Imperial · 28/12/2014 19:39

My DH also works in an Independent school and we use 6th formers a lot to babysit and cover those odd days at the start/end of term when he is in but the children are not. Would something like that work for you?

ANewMe2015 · 28/12/2014 11:59

Wow :) I'm not deputy head material any more though sadly. More p/t 6th form. I did look at a live in job at a girl's school pre kids/husband ...so have kept flirting with the idea over the years!

Good luck with the childcare :)

Original poster
CharlesRyder · 28/12/2014 07:24

Yes, I did well! I work in a niche that is very hard to recruit for so I have had quite a bit of luck in calling the shots over hours since I had DS!

TBH, if it's your thing, working in the Independent sector is great. We also live in a beautiful big house all paid for by the school. Grin I'm glad DH does it so I don't have to though mind you I would enjoy sweeping about in an academic gown pretending to be Snape.

OP posts:
YonicSleighdriver · 27/12/2014 23:49

If you can take a child back for a day or two in the holidays, who hit seems you can, it makes asking a favour easier?

ANewMe2015 · 27/12/2014 23:46

I'm impressed at the hours you got!

I nearly went for a job at a senior school that would probably have come with reduced rates for my children. We couldn't really make it work unfortunately as it looked a lovely school and looked fantastic. (I like their state one, so all good, but the site and opportunities looked amazing!)

Maybe a similar job will come up in a few years...

Original poster
CharlesRyder · 27/12/2014 09:59

Theas DH works in the Senior bit of the school, DS is at the prep which is virtually on the same site, shares some Governors but is not the same school (so he has no influence over holiday club policy!!)

It's an odd school (the prep). We didn't really 'choose' it- it kind of came with DH's job. It is LOVELY though so we got very lucky. It is surprising in that although it is small and pretty much unheard of it is frequented by very wealthy families. There are lots of daddies who work in London during the week (it's in the South West) and yummy ex-London mummies who stay at home with the chickens and dogs and also 'old' County families. As a result it is not at all set up for working families. The reason the pre-prep has care and activities until 5 is because that's the finish time at the Prep so they are set up for children to wait for their older siblings. The school has a small number of boarders in the upper years but runs itself very like the full boarding senior school next door. There are frequent 'exeats' when Friday after school club doesn't happen as the Prep bails out early and on the first day of the holidays it's 'trunks in Landrovers' and the place is deserted until term starts again. It is NOT like the independent preps and day schools in the South East, which is where we have come from, where full wrap-around is now pretty standard. They are not catering for the same market. (Sorry, you didn't need to know all that! We are finding it fascinating though. We have never lived away from the commuter belt before and it is like a different world!!)

Luckily I've managed to score 9-2.30 at my (very normal, city) school so generally we are OK.

Thank you so much for all the thoughts everybody. I'm feeling less like the problem is insurmountable!

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CheerfulYank · 27/12/2014 00:30

I do PT childcare and do the occasional drop in. I've just had my hair stylist's little boy for a week I'm exchange for a few free hair sessions. Xmas Grin Ask around.

Theas18 · 27/12/2014 00:22

If you DH and ds are in a prep/ pre prep set up is there not a holiday club he could attend? We don't need it but DH prep has pretty much every non school day bar xmas covered by some for of childcare for the kids if parents want to pay for it. If we had a small boy they could attend too.

It's run by mainly pe staff / ta staff who earn a bit obviously from this ( mostly it's sporty things the boys do).

If your school hasn't got a holiday club it's misding a trick!

HSMMaCM · 27/12/2014 00:05

I don't do regular school runs, so I take school children for holidays and inset days on a first come first served basis. You could just book all inset days as soon as you get them.

PhoebeMcPeePee · 26/12/2014 20:50

I'm a childminder & have a child on my books who solely comes on inset days and the very occasional day at the start or end of term (mum a teacher but in a different LA so her days often don't match). I charge my standard hourly rate of £6ph in SE so definitely worth checking with local CM's if any can offer this - 2 children on my books don't come holidays or inset days hence having space and this is quite common IME

Karoleann · 26/12/2014 17:49

I'd just register with sitters.co.uk.
They do daytime care in most areas and although you're unlikely to get the same sitter all the time, they are all checked and we've generally always had good carers (only time we didn't I wasn't happy with the standard of their English).
Perfect for ad hoc care.
You'll probably find that as you get to know people more in the area you get more offers for childcare.

Original poster
CharlesRyder · 26/12/2014 16:59

I think we are going to go with a nanny agency. As NewMe points out, the cost will be a drop in the ocean compared to what we were paying this time last year.

DS's school is not bad for wrap-around. 8-5 available everyday ad hoc no need to book and tonnes of brilliant activities available. No holiday care though. They have 'gappies' you can book for babysitting but I don't think they would do full days and I imagine they attend INSET too.

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eeyore12 · 26/12/2014 16:48

You may find a nanny who works like I do tues to thurs so would be free for the occ mon/fri cover when I would think most of the inset days would be. Try advertising on your local netmums site or gumtree/nannyjob. Or childcare.co.uk

ANewMe2015 · 25/12/2014 21:44

Wow sleep! Thats fantastic. our school doesnt have any such thing!!

sleeplessinderbyshire · 25/12/2014 21:14

our school holiday club is always open on inset days and all school holidays. If you book way ahead it's £17.50 for a full day including breakfast and a snack tea but need to take packed lunch, if booked less than a fortnight in advance it's £25 (I think maybe £22) they usually have spaces on the day.

The breakfast club is open daily, no need to book, £2.50 a day and afterschool club bookable on the day by text (including texting at 320 when stuck in traffic and meant to be there at 330) costs £5 til 530 or "7.50 for a 6pm pick up

Worth asking?

ANewMe2015 · 25/12/2014 09:44

The cm around here coupdnt guarantee you a space (I looked at a similar situation as a teacher) so although cheaper they may or may not have space when you need it. With teaching you absolutely have to be there don't you!

ANewMe2015 · 25/12/2014 09:43

I'd be tempted by the nanny agency. You're saving on childcare for most of the year so in effect, although expensive, it's provably worth it for guaranteed qualified cover!

Original poster
CharlesRyder · 25/12/2014 09:32

I don't really want to ask friends Yerazig, especially as all the friends we have locally we have only known for a few months!

I do have a local friend who I could and would ask to help in an emergency but I would feel terrible planning to use her as Plan A.

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Yerazig · 25/12/2014 09:07

I would suggest you make friends with some local school mums who don't work or are free those days. Or there is an agency called sitters who would be able to get you a nanny in. But that would mean more then likely would be a different person each time.

insancerre · 25/12/2014 07:46

How about a childcare student at a local college?
Some nurseries may take them for the odd day or they may have staff willing to look after them in your home on their day off. Plenty of staff are part time

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