is it usual to pay childminder when they go on holiday?

[unfitmummy]

hi, i use a childminder before and after school two days a week (4 hours each day). she says that she won't be able to work one of the days because she is off on holiday, but i am expected to pay her. i queried this and she said it was standard practice (ie most people get 20 days paid holiday a year). this does sound reasonable to me - although it is a pain for me and i wouldn't like it to happen too often. i am annoyed mainly because she is taking her kids out of school for a holiday which i would not do - and i am having to pay for it, and take half a days holiday or pay someone else to look after my child! also, she only cm's my child term time only so it is not unreasonable for me to have expected her to not be taking holidays.

i guess this means i'll have to pay her when she's off sick as well?

is there a limit to how often this can happen and i still have to pay her?

What is in your contract, I dont charge for my holidays or sick, but it is up to each CM to set her own rates in her contract, if you have signed that you will, then that is what you pay. If not then no dont pay.

Yes check contract. I pay my CM when I am on holiday but am not expected to pay her when she is away/sick etc.

Plus remember that the 20 days paid holiday per year is normally pro rata so as a term time only childminder that is normally 38 weeks.

Check what your contract says. If she has stated that she gets 20 days paid holiday then you are stuck.

Do you pay her full pay when you take a holiday?

I dont charge for my own holidays or sickness but do charge for parents holidays. Some cms will charge half and half - but this should all have been laid out in your contract.

This question is raised more and more frequently and there is no right and no wrong. Certainly a few years ago it was not so common that a childminding contract provided for paid time off for the minder although someone did tell me that NCMA suggest that holidays on both sides are set at 50% of the fee (someone may wish to confirm that???).

However, judging by the frequency of this question on Mumsnet (and other sites), times are changing with more and more minders building in a period of paid time off.

The important issue as everyone else has said is what is in the contract - the contract is a two-way agreement and the parent should only sign it if they are fully content to accept all the terms and conditions. Sadly I know from experience that some parents do not fully read the contract (I am not suggesting unfitmunny that you are in that category!!) as I have had problems when trying to enforce some terms of my contract with one parent who claimed to know nothing about it!

If a period of paid time off for the minder is agreed and contracted it must be clearly stipulated what the maximum number of days is etc.

I don't charge my mindees when I take holiday but they have to pay full fees when they take theirs and I do stipulate that they must take at least 3 weeks otherwise I might end up without a break. Hope you get your concerns sorted out soon.

thanks for your comments.

the comment about it being prorata is interesting and i recon that would equate to 20 x (38/52) x (2/5) which gives 5.8 days a year so i will keep an eye on that if it seems to be happening more often.

millenium - the reason i am asking is that i have just signed the contract and was discussing this clause of the contract with her. i think it said i was to pay 50% when she goes on holiday.

i'm happy to pay when i am on holiday/or do not need her to look after my child on a normal cm day, which will only happen rarely when the grandparents come to stay! i guess i'm just disappointed that i have to pay her holiday when i didn't expect her to be taking holidays during term time as she has kids at school.

but, i shall agree to paying her and shall only complain if it comes to more than 5 days in a year. thanks

Actually it's 28 pro rata (4 weeks plus bank holidays) and if it's only 4 hours per day, term time only it may work out in terms of hours rather than days.

IMO CMs should take the hit of being SE and not be paid when they're unavailable to work but I'm probably in a shrinking minority there. Some CMs apparently do 50% for each because parents complain about having to pay when they're not using the space - I see their point but the CM is open and the space is reserved for them, it's not like it can be filled for the holiday the parents decide to take.

You should both be going by what the contract said. If it says 50% and she's taking holiday then you pay the 50% (and no more!).

read the contract and only sign when happy...

i charge full pay for parents holiday and child sickness and no charge for my holiday or sickness..

I think thats fair and always go through contract line by line with parents so theres never any problem..

she should have given you at least 4 weeks notice though of her holidays.. i usually give at least 10.

the last parent I signed up was really surprised when I asked her to come one evening for at least an hour (that was after I had already sent her home with policies and other general bits to look through) as I make sure I go through the entire contract carefully, dealing with questions as they come up.

I also don't charge for my holiday/sickness, but charge for parents holidays/sickness.

thats exactly what i now do RosieGirl.. you cant go through a contract with the children in tow..

its a bit of a pain giving up a few hours in the evening but it saves much hassle and quibbles later as all know exactly where they stand..

if a parent wont come on their own to do this I wont take their child on my books.

I think you should get a new cm. None of the lovely cms on here charge for their holidays. I know they can do what they want, but it doesn't seem common practice ime.

sorry guys, cat amongst pidgeons..i DO charge half for my hols and full for child hols, however christmas(when all my chldrens parents are off anyway) i only charge half, despite them being off anyway as i DONT WANT to open, so effectivly, MY holiday and from past experience i only take one week through the year and odd days, all with plenty of notice or we go away on a day i have no children etc..i have always stipulated in my contracts and parents have been happy with it..hwoever as most of my children are part time i usually try to shuffle them so they come an extra day etc the following week to make up for it as im a soft touch lol.x

Sorry PinkChick... you're still a lovely cm even though you charge for your holidays :)

I just wouldn't personally be able to afford to pay extra for childcare when cm was on holiday - so I wouldn't be able to use a cm who charged for her own holidays (I do pay for my holidays - which are 21 out of 52 weeks per year) and if all cms did I'd probably just use a nursery instead purely because of financial reasons.
But I much prefer a cm so I'm very glad I found one who doesn't charge for her own holidays :)

ta chick