Holiday pay!

[SwimmingUpHillThroughCustard]

at my training course last night, i was 'told' by the business manment trainer that 'here' (where i live), its not the done thing to charge the parent when 'i' am on holiday, now this same thing caused a bit of a stir recently and i agreed that i thought we should be paid something...but appently not??!!

I think in the ncma books it says to charge for it.

I dont charge for mine but i do for theirs.

That's easy decide how much hoilday you want

Work out how much you are going to charge for your hourly rate and holiday

Multiply your holiday rate to find out the total amount and then divide down by the number of weeks left

ie 4 weeks @3phr = £12
Divied by 48 weeks = 25p

So add 25p on to your hourly charge

I think you have to look at what others really do in your area. Around here (smallish town)some charge and some don't, so I do not charge for my holidays, my parents are allowed 4 weeks at half rate and anything over 4 weeks is full pay.
In the end it's your business and it's up to you what you do, but if like round here there are far too many childminders and we are competing for work you have to be careful what you charge, some childminders are trying to charge too much and are struggling to find work whereas I charge a similar hourly rate but don't charge for my holidays and I am full.
If your area is struggling for childminders then I think you can do it but if there is an abundance of them then maybe not.

I would agree with FeelingOld about finding out what really happens in your area. The tutors running the training courses are not necessarily local to you, so the advice might be OK as a generalisation, but not what goes on around you.

Try and talk to some of the local childminders and ask what they actually do. I don't charge when I am on holiday (some of my parents have to pay for alternative care), but I know a couple of minders who do (and also know parents who have to pay and are desperately unhappy about it too!)

If there is limited work available, there is no point doing something which might put parents off.

There is a real difference of opinion on this. NCMA do recommend you negotiate a specific period of holiday pay. And my ccp tutor's argument was that parents are usually being paid when they are on holiday so why shouldn't we?

However some people think its wrong to charge when you are closed and the parent then has to pay 2 childminders for the same week! As we are not employed by the parent should we really expect holiday pay?

I now charge 1/2 fees at xmas & easter, when I've never been asked to work anyway but I don't charge for any other holiday when I'm closed. I always charge full fees when the parent is on holiday.

Another argument that came up when I was doing my ICP is that alot of parents get a big chunk of there childcare paid for so if you both take the holiday at the same time and you don't charge they are still getting the money.

I'm lucky my mindees are siblings and their mum told me she wanted to pay full fee for all holidays (hers and mine) it works out that I'll be off for about 10 weeks this year (4 weeks mine the rest hers)

The woman running my course told us to charge for EVERYTHING including late fees at £10 per half hour... and to weedle as much holiday as possible.

The woman who did my friends told her not to charge for holiday, and to only charge people HALF RATE for siblings which I find bizarre!

i have been registered for nearly 3 years now and this was a big question when i started. i decided to charge half fee for parents hols and half fee for mine and all the parents are fine with this and either take time off at the same time or get other family members to help out. i used to take two weeks hol a year but as of this year have increased this to 3 weeks and the parents are still ok with this.

I dont understand why they are telling you what to charge? Arent cm self- employed? Can you imagine Richard Branson being told - 'now charge £10.50 for a cd'! Rates are driven by the 'marketplace' in which you operate which is your local area.

Ishyan, they don't tell you they just advise you.

I charge half fees for parents holidays and no fees for mine I don't work or charge for bank holidays either.

I've never understood the half fee or reduced rate for siblings either. Does anybody actually do this?

I have given a sibling discount before, but if parents want a discount from me now they need to come for 3 full days and then I will drop the hourly rate for the older child by 20p-50p.

I charge for four weeeks holiday at full fee - most childminders around here do and no parents have ever had a problem with it. I also charge full fee when parents go on holiday.

As for the sibling discount, I only do it for one friend who uses me (they are very short on money) and I give a discount of 25p per child per hour.......but everyone else then no!