CM Club - Am i the only childminder in the country still working at 5.30 on a Friday

I finish at 4pm when schools on and 3pm in the holidays!! i'm quite lucky as most of the other cm's in my area work till 6ish!

One CM friends kids leave at 3pm. She's given notice, new ones don't even come on a friday, and she's not intending on changing that.

Another CM friend has lo's that leave at 2.30, 4.30 during school holidays.

Mine are supposed to finish between 5.30/5.45 all year round, but I have a parent that goes to the pub after work on a friday and is regularly showing up around 6.30

It's not acceptable to be late. I always ring through if I will be and it's rare.

Saltire - I understand why you are pi**ed off. If you're paid til 5pm and then end up waiting til whenever the parents turn up, it is VERY annoying!! (I don't mind one offs if can't be helped but this isn't is it)

We have loads of tidying up, cleaning etc. at the end of each day so of course we want to finish on time. Plus, a lot of us not only have the cleaning etc after, we also have our own lo's who need sorting for bedtime.

I know it's not clear to everyone what Saltire was getting at in her OP but in fairness, she did put 'CM Club' at the front which means we are talking to the other childminders, and a lot of us have followed her other discussions and therefore DO know what she's talking about.

I hope next week is better for you Saltire

Saltire - sometimes it is difficult to get your mood across on here, and of course MN threads usually do deviate from the original post as they develop.

I'm not sure, if I'm honest, why in this situation a CM is different to a nanny?

Are you paid until 5.30? If so then I think it is reasonable of the parents to expect you to work those hours. If you aren't paid for the time then I think teh parents are taking the piss!

And not being paid as a nanny isn;t any differnet from not being paid as a CM - both are totally out of order!

Saltire - Xenia was talking to nannyl not to you!

That's dreadful. In 22 years I've never once paid a nanny late. May be you could say I'll come back into work when you pay me. that would soon make them reach for the emergency savings account. Or I can't leave the house tonight until I'm paid.

i was paid 28 days late this month. (ie a couple of days ago)

a total of 90 days late so far in the past 6 months!

Im a nanny with my own child and i do 8.15 to 7.15 . I dont get home untill 7.45pm and then I still have to do dinner and the washing and make packed lunch . funny though I always find the time to come on MN . I am off all next week yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Our nanny's core hours are 8.30 to 6.30. Ov course we always pay her if we need her to stay late or come early and try to give as much notice as poss. But frankly you pay more for a nanny to have some flexibility on this front-at least that's what I thought. It doesn't seem like the nannies think of it this way though!

I wasn't trying to get at nannies. I think they are usually brilliant. I was just remembering how I'd sometimes rush home to be home before their leaving time so I might have 15 minutes to get changed, not have a child anywhere near me and time to check the day's post without 3 tiny people pulling at my skirt and sitting there thinking I've exactly 5 minutes left of this peace before I take over etc.

Must not live in London and have to deal with our lovely transport system.

I finished at 12.45pm today and i'm a childminder so some parents are obviously able to work and make time to pick up their children before 6pm on a friday - not having a dig just saying.

SOSHA - You know I am around most of the time, feel free to moan and rant to me if you need to god knows you help me enough xxx

Quite honestly I finish at 6pm too

I choose not to work later

Most Friday's my parents come reasonably on time 6.05-6.15

I normally just knuckle under & get on with it

But on the Friday before Christmas I got a phone call at 4pm....can I keep the children until 8pm

Umm no chance....not a hope in hell

& since then I have been a bit more assertive about closing times

But I do love it when they go early

I'm reading this really puzzled about what your expectations could be about when most people finish work. 5.30 is late for you? Most people don't have nine to five jobs anymore anyway and with any sort of commuting time I can't see how a parent could get to you any earlier than 6. I'm still in the office now, for what it's worth, getting a report out.

My nanny wanted to work 8 to 5 - which meant my day would have been 8 to 4 with commuting time. Ha! I wonder what sort of job that would be - let alone one that would allow me to pay a nanny £70+ tax per day.

It's not that I don't sympathise with you -everyone would like to finish early esp on a weekend. I just can't see how it would be at all realistic for a childminder.

Sorry but this is a bit of a sore point from a parent's point of view!

Wednesday should be for a month so that will help to. Thanks sweetie

Hi Saltire, not seeing Gp till next thursday she wants to hear from the Rhuemy first, it hit home tonight took the DGd to see Charlottes web, dropped her home after and coming back home burst into tears, not somethinmg Im very prone to, but DH is still away, and suddenly felt very scared.

Ahhh! That makes sense now Saltire!

And I agree about Dad - although maybe Mummy and Daddy were catching up - while the mice are away the cats will play