Struggling to find a solution, fitting childcare around a fireman's rolling shift patterns..

[bobkate]

Hi, apologies in advance if this is confusing. My head is spinning with the logistics of it all.
Basics are my husband is a fireman, works on a 8 week rolling shift pattern,
Wk1 Mon & Tues day, Weds & Thurs night
Wk2 Tues & Weds day, Thurs & Fri night
Wk3 Weds & Thurs day, Fri & sat night
Wk4 Thurs & Fri day, Sat & Sun night
Wk5 Fri & sat day, Sun & mon night
Wk6 Sat & Sun day, Mon & Tues night
Wk7 Sun & Mon day, Tues & Weds night
Wk8 back to mon & tues day..... and so on

We really need to earn some more money and so I've been looking at TA work, as I'm a qualified teacher. We have 2 young DDs, one is in morning nursery at school and the other at home.

I've seen a job that is mon, tues & Thurs 9 to 12 and Weds all day which would be about the right amount of money to help us stay out of our overdraft and break even.
I asked a local friend if she could help out with childcare as our need is not the same daily or even weekly. But I've been told, when I asked on MSE, that it's illegal to pay a non registered person to care for your children. Is this really the case?
If so - can anyone come up with a solution?

For example, week one
Monday...We'd need DD1 looked after from 7.30am-8.30am, dropped to nursery, then picked up and looked after 11.45-12.45 when I'd be back.
DD2 would need to be looked after from 7.30am - 12.45
Tuesday - same as monday
Weds.nothing as DH is at home until 6pm
Thurs - DD1 7.30am-8.30
DD2 7.30am - 11am when DH is home from nights so can then pick up DD1 from nursery
Fri - I'm at home

Week two
Monday - nothing as DH is at home
Tues - DD1 7.30am-8.30am, dropped to nursery, then picked up and looked after 11.45-12.45 when I'd be back.
DD2 would need to be looked after from 7.30am - 12.45
Weds - DD1 7.30 - 8.30, 11.45 - 4pm
DD2 7.30 - 4pm
Thurs - nothing as DH home until 6pm
Fri nothing as I'm at home

Week 3
Mon & Tues, Fri - nothing
Weds - both girls all day
Thurs - DD1 7.30am - 8.30, 11.45-12.45
DD2 7.30 - 12.45

etc etc.......just a bit confusing.

Am I missing something really obvious with regards to childcare? I think that childminders and nurseries are happy to do part time, but can't imagine they could just fit it with a system like this?

So desperate for a solution...can anyone help?

Oh, and well done if you got through that lot...but I reckon you'll have given up by paragraph 2!!!

But I've been told, when I asked on MSE, that it's illegal to pay a non registered person to care for your children. Is this really the case?

NO. You can pay whoever you like to look after your children. I think the only requirement would be that they come to your home so they are a nanny or mother's help rather than a childminder. You would obviously need to pay them legally/officially etc. If your friend is interested it is fairly easy to register as a nanny and you could then use childcare vouchers to pay her, saving you money.

Have you actually asked any local nurseries or childminders?
DS's nursery accommodate the irregular shifts of a paramedic and an air steward.

OMG!! Really! Can I ask a stupid question about how do I go about paying them officially? We're talking about a couple of quid an hour ( more to make me feel better for asking, than her needing the money iyswim ).
Also, being a dimwit - what are childcare vouchers? I've just been as sahm up to now and so have no idea. But I guess if I do get these magic vouchers, maybe we could pay her more.
Finding it less stressful already so thank you holyno :)

Well, no I haven't - just taken the word of friends. Crikey, that's embarrassing isn't it!!! So I'll also do some ringing around tomorrow!

There are nurseries out there that work around shifts - try looking for a nursery attached to a hospital

My nursery (hospital grounds) asks you to book sessions by the 21at if the preceding month. You can have different days/times each week, but you have to know the upcoming month by the 21st (which I guess they've set that way because the nurses find out their shifts by then?

You're welcome

WRT paying offically most parents use a company like nannytax. They sort out contracts, wage slips, tax, NI etc. They cost around £100-130 a year, but are probably worth it to avoid the hassle of having to do it yourself.

MSE explains childcare vouchers here; www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/childcare-vouchers

Thank you thank you and thank you. I've really not made myself clear on my MSE post and now they think I'm just looking for ways to get more help via tax credits and I'm expecting handouts, which I'm not. The whole point of me looking for work is so that we can get some more money, not to get more handouts. I was simply wondering if I was missing something as didn't understand the difference between WTC and CTC and feel like an idiot now.
Thanks for not making me feel silly!!! and thank Happyas... we're not too far from an airport so maybe there is hope! and also we know DH's shifts for as far in advance as we want. The shift pattern never changes!

oh and thanks for working through that first post!!!

I've covered this sort of shift pattern for parents working in the Emergency services. I'm registered for overnight care and I've had the children staying some nights.

Thanks Tanith. I think I've done too much presuming and not enough hard research!!!

Our CM works on a week-to-week basis for us to cover my DHs shifts.

I have had far worse shift patterns than that to cover. Yours is only a 7 week rota I have had 13 week rotas before. I just average hours over the total number of weeks and divide by number of weeks so parents pay a set amount.

Eg as an example for a four week pattern

week 1 = 12 hours
week 2 = 4 hours
week 3 = 18 hours
week 4 = 26 hours

Total hours = 60 hours
divide by 4 weeks

so you pay for 15 hours every week.

That way we all know where we are at money wise. If you do extra hours for any reason you just pay the hourly fee per extra hour worked.