To not pay childminder for Xmas day

[emmagreen481]

My DS’s childminder wants me to pay her for Xmas day & Boxing Day when she’s not even open?? Is this normal

What I’m struggling to reconcile is that (in theory) if you have to pay your CM holidays, and then you will have your own annual leave (at least 4 weeks after BHs) then the CM is potentially getting paid for 8 weeks where she has no/less children.

I understand paying if you don’t use the service but I cannot understand paying a self employed person, holidays. It complete negates them being self employed!

My DDs nursery used to charge for the whole holiday period if it's a day they would normally be open.

I never paid it. How they can justify charging for when the children and staff arent there is ridiculous!

Yes, could you drop your child around on Christmas Day or at least tell her, even if you know you won't, that that's what you'll be doing.

At least you'll have the satisfaction of hearing her tell you that you can't while she simultaneously has her hand outstretched for the money. Mind you, it sounds as if her neck is pretty hard so she probably won't care.

Oh, and we deliberately chose not to use nursery on a Monday because that's when most BH are. I do feel sorry for people who have to work Mondays - you do then get a bum deal from childcare providers.

I might just retrain as a bloody childminder

crack on then; same to all the other posters saying we're cheeky fuckers.

Try doing a day when you only have one little one as an extra day favour to the parents and you put in a 12 hour day for £35 minus food, toddler group etc. plus cleaning up afterwards; plus telling your own kids they can't go swimming 'cos little one is here when they wouldn't normally be.

No is a complete sentence. In that scenario above you choose to take in a paying child over taking your kids out, you can't blame anyone else for that.

And you know why we put ourselves out to such a degree? Because 99% of us are totally dedicated to this profession and put outr heart and soul into the job and the kids.

But obviously we're cheeky fuckers with our wanting £3 an hour and the occassional day off

Have a day off, just don't expect to be paid specifically for it. Time off, pension, sick pay, etc should all be worked in to your hourly or daily rate, not paid to you when you don't work.

I'm a self employed contractor. I don't get holiday or sick pay, I've recently had it sprung on me (last week) that the agency I have to work through isn't carrying out a pay run over Christmas week (not holiday days, all agencies normally carry out a pay run) so my weeks pay on the 21st has to last until the 4th. All my DD's are due to come out on the 1st/2nd and can't wait until the 4th. I've also found out today that my site is shutting until the 7th instead of the 2nd so I lose another weeks pay that I hadn't anticipated and I'll also then have to make the payment on the 4th last until the 18th. (Paid weekly, a week in hand).

My rate of pay takes account of this kind of shit though and I don't expect to be paid for days I haven't worked.

Aha! I encountered this exact thing when my children were little. My childminder said “you book me for five days a week, so I want paying even when I’m not working”

I argued that she was self employed, that did no good.

In the end, I told her, “if I’m paying you, you can work for it, I’ll drop Sarah off at 8.30am as normal on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, that’ll mean I can relax”

My childminder changed her mind.

She is being a CF. Tell her to do one (or tell her if she wants paying, you’ll use her services)

I don't know what's "usual"; I imagine it varies.

But YABU for entering into a professional relationship without a contract. So is your CM. There are likely to be other, more serious fallings-out in future if this isn't sorted. You need a contract.

I think it’s a BH clause like the others, except you don’t have a contract so that’s irrelevant.

To those slating CMS mine take one week in October half term, one at Easter, three in summer and five days at Christmas totally unpaid. So it’s not true or fair to lump them all in as some evil money making corporation.

It’s like getting shitty about them charging retainer fees but why should they be expected to keep a slot free for a child if they could fill it with another.

They do very long days, have to plan activities and keep records in line with EYFS, full house cleans everyday etc. It’s really not as simple as people make out.

She is being a CF. Tell her to do one (or tell her if she wants paying, you’ll use her services)

you sound charming

Your CM should reply that you need to find another CM and she will easily, they are like gold dust find another client. Sorted. Even my local nurseries charge us for Christmas.

DragonMamma Mon 17-Dec-18 16:04:03
I understand paying if you don’t use the service but I cannot understand paying a self employed person, holidays. It complete negates them being self employed!

I wonder whether it creates any IR35 issues.

*C*hwaraeteg

Get used to it, most childminders are piss-takers. They want all the benefits of being self employed plus the benefits of being an employee. I've yet to meet one that doesn't charge holiday pay.

Wow chip ok shoulder much how rude!

Tell her to do one to the person who is looking after your very precious child?

It all depends on your contract like others said, my son is only in term time due to me working in a school so I get the same holidays as my daughter, I pay her half for holidays still though and he just doesn't go in, which means I will be paying her for the xmas holidays, it's basically to ensure she is paid for the space that she is keeping open for your child to be able to still attend once they go back into her care, it makes sense to me.

There is many a cheeky fucker on this thread and not one of them appears to be a childminder 🙄

How much are you paying her per hour though? Like I said £4-6 hour probably. That is cheap to look after your precious child. Someone else mentioned that they get NO break in that time and you are squabbling over paying for bank holidays? Good luck finding a child minder who doesn't either charge the same and not for bank holidays or builds it into their hourly rate and doesn't charge and it woek out any cheaper. It all evens out in the end.

Hi op do you get paid for Christmas & holidays?

Is your relative a registered childminder or just a relative who looks after your child ?

Just pay, don't be tight. It's christmas!

my childminder charges half fees when she is off. she’s amazing and had waitinglists of 6 months and more. i get my holidays paid, so why shouldn’t she?

Yura Mon 17-Dec-18 16:39:43
my childminder charges half fees when she is off. she’s amazing and had waitinglists of 6 months and more. i get my holidays paid, so why shouldn’t she?

Because she's self employed?

so she sets her own terms and conditions. they either charge more during the year, or something when they are off. much of a muchness really. she looks after my kids amazingly, she’s earned it

If she insists on charging then I would tell her you will be dropping off your child/ren as usual on those two days. See how she likes that.

How on earth do you think self employed people are expected to cope if you think they shouldn't have money to cover holidays? Do you think they don't have mortgages/bills/ food to buy in holidays?
Isn't it obvious to you that they have accounted for it somehow?
Just like your employer has accounted for it by reducing your salary to allow for pay for your holidays? All's that's happened is that CM charging for holidays have made this transparent rather than charging an increased hourly rate. Presumably because they fear they would lose business over other CM who have a lower hourly rate but charge for holidays.

I don’t think that’s bizarre, some will charge for when they are off.
Doesn’t really matter what mumsnet users think though, all that matters is what you agreed too.

@SilverySurfer problem is, op won’t have a childminder from jan 1st then. guess she wouldn’t like that (and serious trouble getting one - word spreads quickly)