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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

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Original poster

Childminder wants 2 weeks off in Sept/Oct

44 replies

Debbiethemum · 01/02/2006 10:40

I am peeved as our childminder wants 2 weeks holiday in Sept/Oct. DS is in school and this will be his first term in Year 1 so we cannot take him out of school then for our holiday (also its too cold to camp in England then).
It looks like I will have to take at least a week of this as parental leave so I won't get paid but she will!!!!
I know she is entitled to holiday and not just when I say she can have it, but do childminders with non-school age children normally do this?
I guess I am asking for permission to be angry.
I am very annoyed as this was just after she has given me 1 weeks notice (contract states 1 month) to go on holiday, which I can cope with by persuading my boss to let me work from home for 2 days - I wonder how much work i will manage as I also have a dd of 21mths.

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lunavix · 01/02/2006 13:21

Hi!

I think she's been quite reasonable, bar the week off in a weeks time which I'd never do bar personal emergency. (I'm a CM too)

As a CM who minds school age kids I wouldn't take holidays in school holidays as my parents would be losing out... they pay me an average over the year, so in theory they're paying me already for the holidays, so if I have them off their losing out. Much as I'd love the time off then!

I told the first mum I took on that I was happy to try and work around her holidays if I didn't take on other kids for a long time. Which I didn't. I only had a week off in eight months, and took it when she wanted a holiday, so received half rate. Her job wasn't open for christmas, but she seemed rather edgy about paying me for the bankholidays plus a day off to, so I let her pay me half rate for the one day she took as holiday, to be fair I wanted christmas off too.

She's taking a week holiday without the kids in the next few months, and has let me know she might be taking them away for a few weeks in the summer. No mention has been made of me taking holiday.

I told her when I wanted a week yesterday and she wasn't overly happy with me, kept saing 'well my week off is in...' but as she isn't taking them I'd have thought it would be more of a struggle. Plus my holiday is closer to summer. i want a week before that one though( was just checking that with all the parents as that one we are going away for) and I know she won't be happy, as she has essentially planned her four weeks for this year.

I might try really hard and offer to have my week off the week she has off, she might get grandparents to help, but I know she's going to complain. Plus I want a week off in September to go away, which she will see as more inconvenience. I always take a week at christmas though, which will be my fourth week.

I can see how it puts her out, but I'm entitled to it aren't I. I take my holiday at half rate, and I feel that the two weeks she has off in summer, when she realises she has to pay me full, might spark off something big.

SwimmingUpHillThroughCustard · 01/02/2006 13:27

debbie, i havent read all the thread but firstly..(i am training to become a child minder), i would think she may have some child minder friends who may be able to step in for a few of the days shes away?, i know its up heavel, but will mean you dont have to take so much time off and you could treat it as an adventure for the children??

secondly..i dont think it is right SHE is CHARGING YOU when SHE is unavailable???..i would bring this up with her, regardless of what the contract says, this sounds wrong and we are told in training to consider all parents opinions?..i would
good luck

lunavix · 01/02/2006 13:29

swimminguphill - a lot of childminders charge for their holidays (either full or half rate) everyone gets paid holiday so why shouldn't we?

SwimmingUpHillThroughCustard · 01/02/2006 13:32

sorry Lunavix, i have only done two nights of training..i dont know the 'rules' in childminding, but i assumed as it wasnt that well paid, that we wouldnt be able to charge when 'WE' were not available.

lunavix · 01/02/2006 13:35

It's well paid if you have the right mix of kids and ages... but very stressful.

I charge full for bank holidays, full for parents holidays, half for mine (if I can I try to accomodate parents holidays as mine but as in my previous post it's now a struggle) and nothing if I'm sick. Full price if kid is sick.

I'm pretty standard around here, bar a friend who has two weeks holiday at full pay, but I'd rather have four weeks a year.

Booh · 01/02/2006 13:38

I have always charged for my hols - and so do most childminders that I know. I am sure that the NCMA info says that 60% of childminders are paid for holidays!

No parents have ever made a fuss about my holidays we just all work around each other - when I go away one of my mums takes the other school age child to school - mums are best friends!

nzshar · 01/02/2006 13:38

swimminguphill.....cm's are self employed and it is their right to charge or not charge. It is then up to the parent whether to choose that cm or not.
I will be charging half pay for my holidays. AND taking 5 weeks! But on the other hand i will take 2 of those in the school summer holdays and 1 over xmas, so it is only 2 that will be in term time ...perhaps. I also will not be charging for bank holidays and therefore will not be avaliable for them either. As a cm you have to be clear about some things and flexible about others. Because i feel i need holidays just as much as any working mum they are very important to me so that is why on this subject i am strict. But ask me about hours, days, even price and i will try and work out a plan that would suit everyone

lunavix · 01/02/2006 13:42

I am flexible on prices, I'd rather take a paycut then lose a child. But I will ask for the right for four weeks holiday as this job is hard work.

motherinferior · 01/02/2006 13:57

Sorry, I think you are being unreasonable. My childminder tells me well in advance when she will be away, and now that she doesn't have school age children that may well be in term time, and frankly I just have to cope. She also charges me half rate while she's away. And full rate the rest of the time when she's still working. This frequently inconveniences the hell out of me, but frankly I can fully see her point and I feel as it happens that she is fully entitled to paid holiday.

motherinferior · 01/02/2006 13:57

I'm freelance, and I charge a much higher daily rate than my CM precisely because I need to cover my holidays, btw.

HellyBelly · 01/02/2006 14:01

I don't charge for holidays but many do. We run our own businesses and can do what we want. If the parents don't like the terms of what a childminder offers, they shouldn't sign up with them.

SwimmingUpHillThroughCustard - don't know why you were told that in training? NCMA (National Childminding Association) recommend 4 weeks paid holiday a year - it's on their contracts!

Also, as someone else pointed out, parents often forget that they are not the only people paying their childminder. If this childminder changed her holiday to suit you then it may well upset another parent!

crunchie · 01/02/2006 14:15

I don't think we pay our childminder when she is unavailable eg when SHE is on holiday or when SHE is sick.

However we do pay her when we are unavailable eg. When our kids are sick or we are on holiday, BUT I think it is 1/2 pay then.

She usually takes at least one week at Christmas, one week in the summer holidays (she has a school aged child) plus odd days and another week some other time!

IIRC these are her terms. But ATM we only use her for a Friday aferschool, so I am not 100% sure. Since she is not full, she doesn't mind odd hours and she knows if she gets a FT child we will just have to move ours IYKWIM. We usually renegotiate contracts as and when DH changes job hours (he's an actor) so when he works more, she does more. This wouldn't be possible if she was full though, and we have been with her about 2 yrs on and off!

badgerhead · 01/02/2006 14:39

As a childminder I take between 4 & 5 weeks holiday a year (usually 4) I charge a reduced rate (£1 off) for my fortnights holiday in the summer and no charge for any other time off I have. My dh's holiday year goes from November to October so I know well in advance when I am going to be off & advise my parents as soon as I know. e.g. this year I am off over Whit week (summer 1/2 term) and the 2 weeks leading up to the August Bank holiday plus the Thursday & Friday b4 this due to travelling arrangements. I also don't work (unless in exceptional circumstances) between Christmas & New Year. There are also odd days booked off e.g. A friday so we can go away for our Silver Wedding & another Friday so I can attend the NCMA annual conference.
I charge my parents for their holidays at full rate if I am available to work & also for their/childrens sick days but not for my occasional days/sick days (touch wood only had one, apart from maternity leave of 6 weeks in nearly 11 years of minding). I don't work bank holidays & don't charge for them, we are caravanners & make the most of these long weeekends)

ThePrisoner · 01/02/2006 18:34

I booked my two-week summer holiday before Christmas so that I could give as much notice as possible to parents. Taking any holiday causes problems to someone, whenever you take it. Financially, for me, it is mad that I take holiday during the school summer holidays as I am usually quite busy, and am therefore earning nothing. I don't charge for my holidays, but that is my choice, and lots of childminders do charge.

I ask for as much notice as possible of parental holidays, particularly main ones (ie. a week or more). Although it would be nice to have as much notice for occasional days off, I am more than happy to be flexible - sometimes I may only get a few days warning that they're having a couple of days off. However, there are odd occasions when I've wanted to finish early one day or have a day off, and parents are happy to accommodate me because I will be flexible with them too.

We're just one, big, happy family!!!

HappyMumof2 · 01/02/2006 19:19

Message withdrawn

NannyL · 02/02/2006 19:25

TBH i think it IS unreasonable to be angry when she has given you 8 months notice! (tho im not sure i would have been so impressed about the weeks notice she gave you!)

SwimmingUpHillThroughCustard · 03/02/2006 13:44

helly belly - i didnt say i was told that in training, i said id only done two nights of training and i 'assumed' that because the pay was low, it would be the norm not to be paid holidays.
i now understand after hearning from Lunavix, that obviously, as we are self employed and have an on going contract with them, we ashould be entitled, but i was just thinking of plumbers/ electrictions etc who are self amployed and obviously dont get paid holidays..gone off course a bit there, but i think ive said what i meant?

morningpaper · 03/02/2006 13:49

I agree, see it as a positive - why don't you take the 2 year old away for a few days yourself?

HellyBelly · 03/02/2006 14:08

SwimmingUpHillThroughCustard - I misread your post - not really with it this wek, got really weird cold thing that's making me feel all drugged up . Anyway, good luck with your registration

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