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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To charge £6/hour for childminding in Tunbridge Wells

185 replies

pingu2209 · 07/01/2013 00:28

For those of you in the Tunbridge Wells area/villages around. Would you pay £6/hour for childminding?

This would be between 8-6.

Any time outside these hours would be time and a half, based on half hourly increments.

OP posts:
Monty27 · 07/01/2013 00:30

So, about 50 pounds a day? That's 250 a week. Are they minted? Shock Shock

Sorry if I've got the maths wrong Confused

bellabelly · 07/01/2013 00:32

I'm quite near TW - had a quote recently from a local childminder of £5.75 per hour. So no, I don't think YABU, seems to be roughly the going rate.

Original poster
pingu2209 · 07/01/2013 00:36

Thanks bellabelly

Monty27 where do you live?

It is difficult because fees vary across the country dramatically. Somewhere in the North East may charge £3 or £3.50 per hour. I know that the South East is more expensive

However, it is the double whammy that I would be the only childminder in the village or any of the local villages to the south of Tunbridge Wells.

Childcare is a nightmare because most people commute to London which means they need care from 7 till 7 but I think the unsociable hours of before 8am or after 6pm would normally mean higher fees.

OP posts:
CloudsAndTrees · 07/01/2013 00:39

What does it include? Meals, trips out, or what?

It sounds reasonable to me.

BaronessBomburst · 07/01/2013 00:39

Are they minted?

Yes. There are 17 houses for sale at £1,000,000 or over on Rightmove alone. TW and the surrounding villages are always fantastic for property porn!

Monty27 · 07/01/2013 00:39

Pingu I'm in inner London! If you're in TB they must pay about 4k for fares too.

You'll be earning more than me if you have more than one.

Good luck to you, as long as they're happy with it. Confused

larks35 · 07/01/2013 00:41

That sounds a lot to me but I don't live in Tunbridge Wells.

I live in Bristol and I pay £3.75 per hour and that is for 8-5 but is usually less and sometimes more and I'm never charged or refunded the difference. As a teacher I don't need her services in the holidays and she doesn't charge me a retainer. She is a great childminder in many ways and I know I struck gold when I found her.

I'm pretty sure she charges more to new parents now but has kept up our old contract with my newer baby out of loyalty and understanding of the situation we are in.

Original poster
pingu2209 · 07/01/2013 00:43

It would include breakfast, lunch and dinner (on the basis they are there to eat at 8, 12.30 and 5.30)

It would not include nappies or wipes

It would include days out and trips for preschoolers. But not trips for school age children with me over holidays.

OP posts:
nailak · 07/01/2013 00:44

I live in London and the rates are between 4 and 6 pounds, depending on if you want full time or part time, part time is more expensive per hour

Parker231 · 07/01/2013 00:54

Not unreasonable - minimum wage is now £6.19 an hour

madbengal · 07/01/2013 01:05

Well Im in Edinburgh and pay £5.00 per hour so sounds about right to me, my CM is fantastic and includes meals etc

Delayingtactic · 07/01/2013 01:05

Flipping hell. I paid £4.75 an hour in Zone 4 London. And on right move there are 20+ properties over £700k in that area. But being the only CM might work in your favour (or there might not be a market for CMs)

ChippingInLovesChristmasLights · 07/01/2013 01:13

What on earth does MW have to do with anything here?

Being the only CM in the village (LOL) and surrounding villages - I'm sure you can probably charge pretty much what you want. £6 sounds reasonable. I would include toddler groups but not activity groups in that if I were you.

Monty27 · 07/01/2013 01:13

Parker re minimum wage, fare do's, but how many is Pingu going to be minding?

There's a minder who lives near me, and I kid you not, I've seen her bring 12, yes, 12, children back to her house after school.

Clearly not registered etc etc, I realise that...

deleted203 · 07/01/2013 01:14

Don't know about the rates, but I'm presuming you are just starting up as a CM. I'm asking about providing 'dinner' because my fabulous SIL who has been a registered CM for 20 odd years (and had all mine) has had to stop offering meals this last year thanks to Ofsted who have told her that because her kitchen isn't 'Catering' standard - ie it's a normal family kitchen, rather than a restaurant one with stainless steel worktops, etc, that she is no longer allowed to cook for the children in her care due to Health and Safety requirements. Apparently you can't 'sell' food if this is the case. Just wondering if you'd checked this out?

holidaysarenice · 07/01/2013 01:40

I think I should be a childminder in TW!! Friend has just put her child with a childminder, 6 month old, four full days, = 2.75 an hour!!

anothershittynickname · 07/01/2013 01:48

How odd sowornowt as OFSTED haven't told me or any of the childminders I know this :-/

fidelma · 07/01/2013 01:58

If you were amazing I would pay as much as I needed to.The right person is very important and for that I would pay.

12ylnon · 07/01/2013 05:03

Very steep IMO. My childminders in tunbridge wells charged £4, then £4.50 ph, but that was inclusive of everything.
I'm now a childminder in Crowborough and charge £4.50.
I don't think you'll get many takers at that price tbh.
Re food, you need to have your kitchen inspected by the local authority before you start providing meals and do a food hygiene level 1 course (mine was about £15 online), just like any catering establishment would. I wouldn't worry about it though, they just come round and check you're putting the things you learnt on the course into practice. There is a piece of food standards agency literature available in the website designed ESP for cms.

12ylnon · 07/01/2013 05:14

Also remember that not everyone in TW is minted! We certainly weren't. Its an Expensive place to live and it puts lower income workers at a disadvantage.
I have found that many of the middle income to higher wage earners in TW tend to go for nannies and au pairs.

HollyBerryBush · 07/01/2013 06:02

Sounds about right fpr the area.

I am so thankful I don't have to make my wages over these day to the CN!

ceeveebee · 07/01/2013 07:18

In in SW London and £6 and hour would be about right for round here.

nokidshere · 07/01/2013 07:44

I'm in the South West and I charge £4 per hour inclusive of everything including meals.

sowornout your information about catering is inaccurate. Some councils now do environmental checks for childminders kitchens and all childminders are required to do a food safety course but there are no restrictions on providing food as long as you have completed the course.

Crazycake · 07/01/2013 07:50

Wow maybe I should move house Grin
I live in the northwest, I charge £3 per hour. This includes; All meals, snacks, outings, baby wipes. I work from 6.30am until 5.30pm.
I am however aware that the cost of living etc is higher down south, but double? Hmm

TheDoctrineOfSnatch · 07/01/2013 08:00

I pay £5 per hour which doesn't include meals elsewhere in the South East. I wouldn't expect the children to want breakfast as late as 8am though - you could do a breakfast hour 7-8am and charge a little more for that?

I would also do tea a bit earlier than 5:30 or not all children will have finished eating by the time parents arrive to collect and you will be doing handover for the first parent whilst trying to, say, spoon feed the last child being collected.

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