To expect work to cover my child care costs?

[CatThiefKeith]

Background is I work as a receptionist at weekends, but the weekday receptionist is having some health problems following a routine operation and I got a phone call this morning asking If I can cover her job for the next fortnight.

Dh works full time, plus 3/4 evenings in a different job, so the only way I could do so would be to employ a childminder or increase her days at preschool and use a childminder for the rest of the day ( it is only open mornings)

It is a minimum wage job, so I would effectively be working 14 days without a day off for less than £3 p/h.

Would I be massively unreasonable to say I will do it if they cover the childcare costs?

When I worked p/t they either paid my salary or my child care costs, not both. They don't pay both on your normal days, so why would they on extra days?

However, since it seems to be a massive emergency and a huge amount of work to cover, there's no harm in asking.

But I think you won't be able to find a childminder at this short notice for just a fortnight?

Ask for a higher hourly rate that week?

Are they generally a good employer? That would have a lot to do with whether I would do this.

Only do the extra hours if you are benefitting in some way: either because it will increase your (actual) income or because it will enhance your long-term employment prospects.

Neither sounds the case here, does it?

My guess is that they will decline your suggestion. Which is reasonable for them.

But you shouldn't feel pressured into taking the extra hours. It would be irrational of you to do so.

You sound as though you are a bit cross. Is that right? There's no reason to be really cross. It's fair enough that they are asking you; you'd be happy if you didn't have the hidden cost of childcare. But it would not be reasonable of them to pressure you to take it. You would end up out of pocket. And, let's face it, they are not Medecins Sans Frontiere, are they? So your working at a loss (actually paying out money in order to work) is not actually going to benefit humankind. It will just live you feeling a bit exploited.

So just say thank you for the offer but, unfortunately you can't afford it.

I probably could find a childminder, I know quite a few as I used to run the local toddler group.

I don't usually need childcare as dh has her at weekends.

I don't really want to do it, but I suppose I will have to.

Why will you have to?

Seriously, if it is going to leave you with less actual, real money, it is going to eat away at you. Maybe not this week ... but soon, you will start looking for another job. And they will have lost a good employee.

you don't have to do the extra hours, but you should realise that you are fortunate in not normally requiring childcare and incurring cost for it when you usually work. It's the same as transport or cost of reheeling office shoes - cost of having a job.
curious as to why it's less than £3 an hour though?

I think you need to say no really. How will you find a child minder for just two weeks and would you be happy leaving your DC with someone who you are just using because you are desperate.

They really need to have plan B in case their weekday people are off sick, it's not really your problem and unless you are going to come out of it really well then what's the point....plus 14 days without a break is going to be knackering for you.

Just tell them that much as you would like to help out you have no childcare and you cannot get a CM at short notice (they don't have to know that you probably could).

You don't have to. Certainly you don't have to if the cost of childcare will mean it's not financially worthwhile. You can say 'no'. Or you can say yes to some of it, but not all of it if that works better.

CatThief, you don't have to do it.

If you don't want to do it, don't do it. They can get a temp. If they say they can't, they are just trying to guilt-trip you into working for them when it really doesn't suit you.

Bristol, I suspect that OP is not 'fortunate' (i.e. lucky) to have a job where she doesn't have child care costs, but rather she chose the job so she could avoid this. It is not the 'cost of having a job' where you have planned around it.

Work out how much it will cost for childcare then add a bit and then say you would happy to do it for an hourly rate of "x" as you need a higher rate than normal to cover for childcare. I would also be inclined to say that you would only be willing to work four week days each of the weeks so you do get a bit of a break.

I would suspect that your higher rate would still be lower than any rate that they would need to pay a temp agency.

I don't know, I'd say it was pretty fortunate to be able to organise yourself so that you only work two days a week so that there aren't childcare costs. She's chosen that arrangement but most people can't.

Is she fortunate, BristolRover, given that "fortunate" implies a gift from fate, unearned, rather than thinking that she might have chosen, consciously, a job which (albeit poorly paid and p/t) does not require childcare costs?

I have a job that requires no outlay in childcare costs.

Fortune had fuck all to do with it.

On the contrary, I employed my brain and actively sought out a job requiring no childcare costs.

If someone told me, to my face, that I was fortunate in having a job with no childcare costs, I would smile indulgently at them and silently append "half-wit" to their name and list of personal attributes.

Seriously, there is nothing "fortunate" about this kind of thing.

I am going on about it because there is a growing tendency on mn for people to rock up and come out with the most stupid shit. Most of it irrational drivel but linked with a common thread of telling people not to moan about employment conditions. They can't all be muppets of Neo-liberalism. Some of them must simply be a bit silly. So the above is to explain why it is not "fortunate" at all. Not random. Not chance. But rather the outcome of considered reflection.

And so may it continue - until such a time as people actually have no choice about where they can work, and the conditions under which they work.

No point working if it will leave you out of pocket.

No harm is saying 'I'd love to help but the hourly wage doesn't cover my child are costs during the week. Happy to work the shifts if we up the hours rate to [x]'

just ask for more money
a temp would cost them anyway

to the idea this work arrangement is 'lucky' - what a coincidence her job coincides with her dh being off

I don't know, I'd say it was pretty fortunate to be able to organise yourself so that you only work two days a week so that there aren't childcare costs. She's chosen that arrangement but most people can't

I wouldn't say it's fortunate, OP has obviously taken the trouble and time to find a job which fits in with her DH being able to look after them. What an odd thing to say.........

No harm in asking. My work have paid 90% of my nursery fees when they have asked me to work extra days. I did have to provide an invoice from the nursery, I paid in advance and they refunded me.

Agreed that she is not fortunate. I would say that although she has no childcare costs due to her good planning and arrangements, she is more than likely paying a price in family time. A closed minded comment.

OP, I would just tell them sorry but no because you have no one to look after your daughter. I don't see why you should flog your guts out doing extra hours when over half of that will go to a cm. You could of course tell them you will do it for time and a half or whatever, so more of your costs are covered. It would still probably be cheaper than agency staff.

If you're not going to be making extra disposable income, don't do it. If it's just covering childcare costs for you to work those weeks, you're working for free. You know that right?

I agree with others.
Tell them you would love to, but due to childcare costs you cannot do it unless they would like to pay for this.
A temp costs a lot of money so they may well jump at the chance.

If you think you can get childcare then ask them. No harm in that.
I work part time too but occasionally have to do full time training courses. In those circumstances my employer does pay extra childcare costs.

TheCat. I'm not cross exactly, but I do quite a lot of extra cover already, and they do know that childcare is quite difficult for me as I have no family nearby.

I got the distinct impression that it would not go down well if I refuse.

It is the type of company where I'd you phone in sick you are expected to die within the next 48 hours, and if you don't you get the cold shoulder for the next fortnight!

I do think it would be utterly reasonable to say "No. I'm sorry but I can't do it," or "That's lovely. However, you will have to pay me x per hour for the period of cover. Obviously, I would be happy to be paid at the usual rate for my usual hours."

But I completely understand why it's hard, and why you are not feeling happy about it all.

Oh wow, lots more replies!

I am not 'fortunate' to not incur childcare costs, as pp's have pointed out we planned very carefully what hours I could work. Dh works 8am-5.30 pm Mon-Fri, then Thursday Friday and sometimes Sunday nights, leaving home at 6.30pm and returning anywhere from midnight til 3am.

I will barely see him for a fortnight, and all for less than £30 per day (minus travel and parking, the parking is free at weekends)

OP, I've worked for companies like that in the past and you know what?? The more you accommodate them the more they take the piss!

Try and stand firm on this one if you can stand the cold shoulder - if you refuse a couple of times they will try and find another one to take the pee out of.