Retainers for teachers in school holidays

[poppiesmom]

I work school holidays and have been asked for a place for a baby... Should i charge a retainer during the holidays??? If so how much???.... I've never had this situation before?? What do others do... ??

Advice please...

3 of my 4 little ones are term time only and I don't charge any retainer during school holidays, although I do work them for one child, that is however fairly normal in my immediate area and I do it to attract the business which is few and far between. I have been lucky this holidays and have had a couple of holiday mindees to fill the gap.

My childminder charges me half fees in all holidays so 39 weeks of year full rate, 13 weeks half rate but totalled up and spread into 12 fixed monthly payments throughout the year so she gets the same amount. However, I always then have the option of using her in the holidays (I don't) and she consults me if she takes on an extra child in the holidays as a courtesy or she chooses to take her own holidays then.

I do know childminders who only charge term-time because they know they will have summer child-placements from other working parents and if my child's place was going to be taken in the holidays I certainly wouldn't expect to pay full-whack for a place I couldn't use, iyswim.

My childminder only charges for the time children are with her. But I think she is unusual doing this.

Apart from being a fab childminder, I also chose her because she doesn't take holidays in term time (has school age children herself) and is part of the reason why I am happy to pay a retainer.

I understand why teachers only want to pay half or nothing for the holidays when they're not using the CM and if the CM is ok with that it doesn'rt really matter. However I think it needs pointing out that teachers get paid throughout the holidays when they're not at work. What's sauce for the goose.....

Teacher salaries are averaged out over 12 months to take into account our non paid holidays.

A childminder doesn't have to take on a teacher's children but surprisingly there are quite a number who only take or prefer teacher's children because they get the holidays with their own families.

I just think there are some inequalities here but I have no real gripe as long as everyone is happy. However if a teacher's can be averaged out over 12 months, surely it can apply to a CM's salary as well. Or do teachers pay their CM more for the time they have them than parents who employ them full time ie wthout the holidays that teachers have?

Just promoting the great job that CMs do for the pittance they get relative to teachers. btw I am not a CM

In my case, my term time children pay the same as full year children, just the way I have to run my business unfortunately as there are lots of childminders in my area, I am however running at full capacity now because I need to do that to earn the money I need to live. I average it out over the 12 month period so I know how much I am getting each month. Unfortunately parents still occasionally argue over paying when their child is or they collect early. I would of course love to charge retainers but they just wouldn't/couldn't pay them.

Oh and I should say, when one of my mindees recently moved to another village (a mile away) and I school I cannot collect from, mum was astonished to find that she would have to pay a minimum of 2 hours a day to after school club when she only uses 1.15 hrs, unfortunately that us her only option though so she is paying it. It does seem in our area at least that parents are going for cost rather than quality of care.

Bearing in mind most parents wouldn't accept a deduction of pay from the companies they work for I think it's sharp practice to expect the CM to reduce their fee if their child is collected early.

I look after some term time only children - mostly teaching staff - and they all pay in 12 monthly instalments averaged out over the year, no charge for holidays. Works out quite well for all concerned.

very interesting comments...

Mirry, it's usual to average out a CM's pay over 12 months, otherwise they'd find their income would veer up and down, and most prefer a steady income as they still have their bills to pay. Am not sure you can compare a teacher's salaried post-grad wage with a childminder's income for a single charge - if they were on par there really wouldn't be any point in working/paying a CM! UK childcare rates are some of the highest in Europe. However if a childminder has enough charges under her wing, as mine does (a baby, a toddler or two and a gaggle of pre and after school children) then they can earn a good income, in fact more that I earn.

No teachers don't pay more in term time, just the going-rate and usually half fees over the 13 weeks holiday period. Childminders either take the holidays off and spend it with their own children, who the rest of the year have to share their parent's attention, or CMs take on extra mindees for parents who can't get holiday cover. Many childminders go into it to fit around their own homelife and children, giving up the hectic commute for a different kind of hectic. Teacher's children can be 'in demand' or so I've personally found; my children have been with their CM for 4 years so far (with a third to join her in a few years) and have been her most reliable income. DC2's input as her only under 5 that day and the stonking reference hitting key EYFS strands I wrote was one of the contributory reasons for her outstanding Ofsted CM and the dcs in a mutual fan club :)

It's usual to pay a fixed fee for hours worked, paid a month in advance, and if the parent picks up early it doesn't make a difference as the CM was still contracted to be available to that child in those hours.

Olympicnmix.... Thank you sooooo verrrrry much for that... I'm the cheapest in my area @ £ 3.50 per hour which includes all home cooked meals and snacks.. So believe you me... i work very hard all year around and do not come out with a fortune after my bills....

I pay my CM the same as you charge for before and after school care (she has rising 5-8yr olds and then older ones age 8-11 who I think fall into a different category?) but it is the standard going rate for the area.

She charges a flat rate for a child with her whole day though, rather than per hour, otherwise she works out uncompetitively against the local outstanding nursery which has always historically charged a bit more. My CM does a tea (pasta, beans on toast fare) for all her charges, as her own dcs were either waiting to be fed until after 6pm or were eating with hungry children as an audience.

It's also very common for teacher parents to pay in childcare vouchers via a provider straight into your account, as part of a LEA salary sacrifice scheme. It's a minor admin faff at the beginning and the parents need to remember to set the payment as perpetual, otherwise payment automatically stops after a year as a built in safeguard, and the parent has to instruct to pay again.

i get paid by vouchers for all my mindees... topped up with account payment... i think the best is to give a choice of either half pay or split it over the 12 months.... The 3 under 5 places are valuable to my income and my charges of £3.50 are for any child regarding of hours.... With 3 meal's plus 2 snacks a day..
In my area most are £4.00 / £4.50 with either no food or additional costs for food...

Hi,
I'm very interested in this post, as I am also a childminder, But, I charge the same fees as I would in term time. Ive had several teacher's children over the years. I have never encountered an issue with this arrangement. I'm suprised as all the childminders in my area that I know well, also charge the full fee as well as 4 weeks paid leave for ourselves, plus bank holidays.

I will say, I do usually take my holidays during the half term, due to having children of my own.

Surely as a childminder, you are out of pocket if you have such arrangements? I do understand though, that it depends on your area and how much work is about. I live in London, and there is a very high demand for childcare.

Niamh

I don't charge a retainer, I look after siblings 5 & 8 for a teacher. Plus a 10 yo, who I am minding for 2.5 weeks in holidays.

They were my first customers and I was keen to get them through the door.

Although I am worse off financially in the holidays. I am better off in terms of spending time with my own children who share me the rest of the time.
And if they pay a retainer I might actually be asked to look after them.

I might ask if they'd like to work out costs over 12 months though.

I don't charge a retainer for teachers in the holidays as I like to go part time and take my own holidays then. It's very important that I get to spend lots of time with my own DD, she tends to get a bit lost in the chaos of the other children sometimes :(

I love term time only clients. I invoice monthly and charge nothing in the holidays as it gives me time with my own dcs