I'm a childminder but aibu to not do all I'm asked to do.

[Missymoo71]

I mind 3 children from 7.30am to 5pm, 4 days a week. All in Montessori and school so free from 9.30 to 1pm. I have been doing jobs in the house as asked. Exp: change the bedsheets, wash and dry. All washing for the house hold wash and dry. Then I have to iron everything....I do their weekly shop for them also. Clean out the fridge, clean out the food presses and giving the playroom "a scrub ' I also make dinners, drop and pick ups for Irish dancng have swimming clubs for the 3 and have to stay while class is on. Now, here's my AIBU. They have a cleaner, she gets paid a lot more than me and yet it seems I'm doing a hell of a lot more than the cleaner. She has actually told me she used to have visit them twice a week, until I started. I'm feeling a bit used. I know I should be helping as I am paid while they are in school. But just feel like she is taking the absolute piss expecting me do the cleaners job as well as caring for the children who are my priority. At the interview, she specifically stipulated that she had a cleaner so I wouldn't be asked to do much. Wwyd?

I would speak to her and ask to be paid the same as the cleaner for the hours you clean & your current wage for the hours you are a nanny.

What would you do if you didn’t do the jobs, just sit about? you are working for a family as a mothers help, you just do what they ask or find a new job.

Agree with PP you’re not a childminder you’re a nanny, I hope you’re being paid accordingly and as an employee not self employed like a CM would be!

As a nanny it’s normal to do child related chores, especially when the DC are at school and nursery. But not more general housekeeping usually. They sound like they’re taking the piss!

You are a nanny and housekeeper and should be paid accordingly. She's taking the royal piss. Fuck that. I'd look for something else because she'll never see what a piss she's taking until she has to hire someone else and see what they charge. I hate people who take advantage of employees like this.

I'm ex Ofsted. You are not describing a childminder.
Happy to help you with any queries.

How did she manage to get you to work as a nanny and a housekeeper for, I'm guessing minimum wage?

I think it depends what you’re being paid. Are you being paid a good wage for the hours the children aren’t home?

You're a nanny

They are CFs

The OP’s clearly in Ireland. Childminder doesn’t have such a rigid meaning or definition there. Nanny is rarely used. I have a similar set up and she’s called a minder.

That aside, yes they’re taken the piss. I’d draft a list of task you see as ‘your’ remit and give it to them.

What would you do if you didn’t do the jobs, just sit about? you are working for a family as a mothers help, you just do what they ask or find a new job.

No, she isn't. A mother's help does not have sole charge of children - she helps with childcare or housework while the mother is there. Anyone who has sole charge of children in the family house for several hours a day is a nanny and is paid accordingly.

Where children are at school or nursery for a period a nanny would normally be expected to prep meals, perhaps tidy toys or childrens clothes, but if they are doing 'heavy' cleaning, or any housework or chores related to the adults who live there, the role is a combined nanny-housekeeper one which typically pays significantly more than nanny rates.

What is your hourly rate. I imagine less than the local rate for a nanny. You are being taken for a ride.

It sounds to me as if you are a nanny housekeeper - if she is employing you from 7.30 - 5 even when the children are not there then it is not unreasonable for her to expect you to work for her during those hours. You say that the cleaner is higher paid - is that because she is self employed? You would expect self employment rates to be higher as she would have to cover her own tax/NIC/pension/holiday pay etc whereas most domestic staff are paid on a net hourly rate (so their employer pays tax etc n top).

If you are working in the non school hours 4 days a week don't think a weekly bed change plus laundry and ironing is an unreasonable ask during that time along with childcare after school.

I don’t think it matters what you’re called really. I’d be miffed at getting paid less than the cleaner though; childcare is a much greater responsibility. Are you qualified?

I think you need to know what outcome you're ideally hoping for then work the conversation based on that:

More money, same job - explain that you don't mind doing the cleaning but it wasn't part of the deal so can they pay you more.

Same pay, no cleaning - they told you there was no cleaning and you don't want to do it plus don't really have time.

Different job unless much better conditions - both of the above but more forceful if you know you'd walk away.

Those saying that she is not a childminder, the OP might not be in the UK where 'childminder' is a very strictly defined term. In most of the rest of the world (like Ireland where it sounds like the OP is) anyone who minds children can be called a childminder.

OP, what would you like to change? More money, less work? Do you get enough breaks in the day? Decide what it is that you want to change and then go to your employers with your proposal. If you're in Ireland (especially Dublin) then good nannies/childminders are relatively hard to come by so you should be able to move to a different job is you want to. It's never very highly paid though. Cleaners do get more per hour generally, but then they have a fair amount of unpaid time moving between jobs.

Plus household cleaners are invariable self-employed in Ireland, so what she gets is gross, presumably your employers are paying you net. She will have to pay her own taxes and other deductions but your employer will be doing that for you since you are an employee not a free-lancer.

I’m confused by this too as what you describe is not a childminder, in the UK at least.

It’s closer to a nanny. Childminders are self-employed, nannies are employed by the child’s parents (and if you’re only working for them with regular hours, IIRC HMRC will see you as an employee).

It has a totally different set of requirements from the parents if you are a live out nanny.

This sounds very dodgy OP. If you are a registered childminder then they are taking the piss or it’s a deal that works for both of you?

You’re employed as a childminder but taking the role of a nanny/au pair. You’re probably being employed on a lower rate as a childminder. They’ll be able to access support from the government as well. They are paying you for the hours that the children aren’t there as it’s probably cheaper and they save on the cleaner.
Or this could be a pretty sweet deal for you as there are 3DC and you’re getting paid whilst not minding whilst still entitled to holiday pay.

By the sounds of it you both seem to be benefitting from this situation so I’d give the place a tidy whilst the children are st school.

Sometimes MN is so incredibly UK-centric. OP might NOT be in the UK, the rest of the world doesn't have the same defined role of 'childminder' as the UK.

Sometimes MN is so incredibly UK-centric

What with it being a UK forum and all... how unreasonable!

You are not a childminder you are a nanny-housekeeper. But perhaps it's different in Ireland?

It all depends on what your contract is, whether you have any qualifications, and how much you get paid. I am guessing you don't have any childcare qualifications and are really a babysitter/cleaner. Are you earning the legal minimum wage?

Your a slave not a childminder!!

I gather you're an inexperienced nanny?

A good nanny is like gold dust. They need you more than you need them. There's plenty of families out there needing childcare.

If this is genuine, request a meeting with your employer and clarify your contracted duties. Nannies generally only do cooking, shopping and washing and ironing for the children, not the parents!

I am guessing you don't have any childcare qualifications and are really a babysitter/cleaner

Lots of nannies don't have 'childcare qualifications', in the UK at least, and are still great nannies. It's up to parents what they hire for obviously, but experience usually counts for more than qualifications.

I think the only thing that is unreasonable is that the terms of your contract did not stipulate cleaning / housework, not that this is unreasonable per se, it should have stipulated childminding / housekeeping, with housekeeping defined.

You are in the household for presumably 9.30 - 2.45ish without children, so about 5 hours a day?

You're entitled to a lunch break if you're employed (as in salary, not paid by the hour), but that's still about 4 hours of down time. What were you expecting to do whilst the children were at school (assuming not ill or school holidays)?

To be honest, in your employer's situation I'd probably still keep my cleaner for a couple of hours to clean the bathrooms and kitchen but I wouldn't think it unreasonable for someone who was being paid for 4-5 hours during the day without children there to take on hoovering or dusting, laundry etc. But I would have made that clear from the outset.

You can talk to your employer about it if you're not prepared to continue doing it but she will probably find someone else who would be.