Au pair or childminder?

[MyBoysHaveDogsNames]

Would appreciate some feedback on what kind of childcare I should get. I am studying fulltime in September for a year and will probably need to work fulltime for a year or two after that before going part-time.

By then I will have a 6 year old at school and an almost 3 year old who will be at pre-school in the mornings. I will need drop off and pick up for both so will need care for the younger in the afternoons and my older one from 3.30 to 6pm every day.

I am considering getting an au pair but feel nervous as to their experience and whether my children would be too young. Would 5 days a week be too many hours for an au pair even if both children were at school - pre-school every morning?

Thanks for any advice!

Hi
From a cm point of view you would be charged for the time your little one was at pre school as you would be taking up a place which a cm couldnt otherwise fill.

the older one would just be charged as an after schooler and for the morning drop off.

a cm would be fine with those hours if she has a space.

dont no about au pair but from the age point of view I think that would be fine though would she have to drive???

A childminder is an option but I'd say an au pair would be more cost effective as their weekly pay is similar (maybe less than) that of a chilminder but would all depend on the au pairs experience. Also consider the fact that most au pairs are expected to babysit once or twice a week (weeknights), do light housework, the childrens laundry and prepare meals.
Goodluck.

With the au pair it would depend on how many hours you realistically needed. Say 1 hour in the morning, 6 hours in the afternoon, so 7 hours a day - it doesn't leave much time for going to English classes by the time you've dropped off and got back for pick-up.

You'd also be looking at paying above the threshold for tax/NI, given that it's a 35 hour week, which removes one of the major advantages of having an au pair type person because you need to register as an employer and administer payroll etc.

You would probably be able to find an experienced au pair, possibly someone who has been an au pair before or is qualified in their own country. You would have to rule out Romanians and Bulgarians though as you need more than 5 hours a day. One reason I wouldn't use an au pair for a preschooler is that it's a large amount of the day they're spending with a non-native speaker of English (unless you'd have the au pair speak their own language to the children but most want to learn English) which raises 2 issues in my eyes - firstly the possible effects on your DC's linguistic development and secondly the potential for communication problems between child and au pair. Driving is definitely something to consider - car insurance can add significantly to the overall cost of having an au pair.

What would you do in school holidays once you've stopped studying?

A significant plus of a CM is likely to provide continuity of care over the 3 years, you would need to recruit a new au pair every year assuming they stick around. Also they'll automatically be able to accept childcare vouchers and/or tax credits whereas an au pair would have to register with OFSTED which is a) difficult and b) time consuming.

If you feel nervous about their experience I probably wouldn't do it.

Thank you all for replying. I would prefer a childminder but I was looking into the possibility of an au pair for financial reasons. I hadn't realised about the thresholds regarding tax and NI, so thank you for that info. And the continuity of care was bothering me. I was extremely lucky with my previous childminder who looked after my boys for nearly 4 years and still helps out with my younger one. Sadly, she cannot do the drop offs and pick ups at their school.

You've all helped me answer my question. I will definitely now get a childminder but maybe an au pair will work once both children have been in school for a while and I am, hopefully, able to work part-time.

Thanks all.

Does anyone have experience of shared nanny/childminder? I am going back to work full time in September but will only require care 3 days per week max. Pros and Cons..??Compared to nursery...Any help/advice would be gratefully received.

I havnt had experience cashewsmummy but i am a minder and have experience there and with knowing nursery workers.
I think both are as good as eachother and offer different qualities, as i say to any mum going back to work, its gut instinct when u go.
A childminder should hopefully accomodate ur 3 days requirement, have a visit of a few cashewsmummy and see which you warm to better

Assuming you mean 'by then' is this September and the kids will be 3 and 6 (and in pre-school each morning), then this is not out of the ordinary for an au pair plus and you'd probably need to pay around £90 to £100 per week for those sorts of hours (assuming 6.5 - 7 hours per day depending when the lunch-time pick up is).

This may not be above the lower earnings threshold (about £97) but if it is more then if below the earnings threshold (£110) then the person won't need to pay NI contributions and below the tax threshold of £125 when they would need to start to pay tax (unless they already have another job).

If you mean the kids will be 3 and 6, after your 1 year of study plus your year/two years working part-time, then it implies that in September the children will be say 1 and 4 and thus not really an au pair role if you are not around in the afternoons?

Thanks Treeesa. Yes, they would be 6 and almost 3 (in November this year).

Thanks for the tax info. There is a possiblity that my younger one may be able to go to preschool for extended hours until 3pm so that may make a difference to getting an au pair.

I just ideally want a very experienced nanny or childminder but that obviously costs a lot!