I think I am at end of the line.

[joanna4]

I am so cheesed i have signed contracts with a mum and now she isnt coming basically cos she didnt pass the assessment test.I did suggest she did pass the test first before signing with me explaining she would owe me 4 weeks pay if it fell through but no she was confident.Anyway now she hasnt and has told me i will have to take her to court for the money and cos she is a single parent it will take forever to pay it.
I am qualified as a teaching assistant so i am gonna put feelers out i think i am so fed up with all this.

Oh Joanna how awful, in our job the children are fine it's the parents that cause the problems

And you've wasted the cost of the contracts

Isn't that the pits

Sorry for my ignorance but what assessment did she have to pass

I think the final stage to get a job.....so she booked C/Ming without having a job

I don't sign contracts until child has actually started. It's probably not the "proper" way to do things, but I've always done it that way. By the time a child has done a two-week settling-in period, we all know whether the hours agreed are correct etc. To be honest, if the parent hadn't even got a job, I would have verbally agreed everything, but wouldn't have done contracts. I also wouldn't expect 4 weeks money in lieu of notice (that's why I have a "settling-in" period, when either parents or me can cancel everything without any problems).

Ok I will clarify- she approached me 2 weeks ago asked me if i had a place i said yes,she said no 2 ways she wanted it.So i kept it open for her.She said she had been for some kind of interview but needed to go back for this open day to find out what the hours would be.So she went came back and said oh it isnt a job its a course to get on it you have to do a little test then they train you up and get you a job at end.So today she has done the test and failed.So she has been to see thelone parent woman and she has said well we have nowt but friday she came to me and i stressed then if she didnt know she had a job for sure she really shouldnt sign the contract but she was adamant.So today i have had oh well now i cant do the course so i arent bothering -although she did say i really thought i had a place on course etc i wasnt leading you on.
aNYWAY I SAID WELL REALLY YOU OWE ME 4 WEEKS MONEY AS I HAD STRESSED ON FRIDAY S -sorry!
So she said ok take me to court for it if you have to.Even worse her 2 girls i had no spaces for i sorted them for after school club and now they will be after the same.

it's the parents i blaim