Cost of Childcare, can anyone help

[JoJoManon]

Hi all
Can anyone give me any advice on the cost of childcare in London?
No idea which option to use whether a childminder, nursery or nanny.
I'd be looking at 6.30am - 6pm, 5 days a week.
I hear nurseries are about £1700 per month, nanny around £35 k a year and no idea for childminders.
Anyone know about these things? Thank you so much in advance..

I don't know any CMs who offer those hours.
And very few nurseries.

Some childminders will you just need to ring a few. I offer hours that suit the parent as I find its too limiting saying I'll only offer certain hours.

Contact your local families information service or look on childcare.co.uk, they may give you an idea of prices.

With one child a childminder will be less than a nanny.
I feel 6:30am start time will be a struggle. Can you reconsider your working hours?

You'd be unlikely to be able to get a nursery start that early, and very few CMs either - if it was me I might do it but I would charge a premium for the early start. A nanny is probably best if you can't change the hours - for 57 hours a week you're looking at just under the £30k mark on a salary of £9 per hour. Check out Mr Anchovy's calculator here: www.mranchovy.com/calc/paye201213

I work in central London as a childminder and currently have a child who is with me for similar hours. I would charge you around £400 per week including all meals, nappies and outings.

6.30-6, 5 days a week - wow, how old is your child??

do you have no option of cutting down at all? That is a long time for a child to be with another carer.

I don't know any cms who work those kind of hours in London. Work is easy to get here so most people would not chose to work even 8am-6pm 5 days a week but that is the maximum you would get I think. You would need an au pair to take the child to the childminder I think... or alternatively an au pair to take child to a nursery, most day nurseries operate 8am-6pm 5 days a week.

London costs vary depending on which area of London but you are looking at between £50-£70 a day for 10 hours....

you will need a nanny for those hours and probably live in

I don't know of any nursery open that early

i would seriously look at changing your hours if possible - you can apply for flexible working hours as a parent of a child under 5

do you have a partner????

I'd love to cut my hours but I work in the City so it's very inflexible with no option to even go 4 days, it's either same hours as before or you're out. Not only are the hours terrible but I have to go back when the as yet unborn baby is 5 months old. Horrendous. But unfortunately the law states that I can ask for flexible hours; my employer "considered" it for about a day. The answer was no.
I guess a live in nanny is the only option, something I really wanted to avoid.
Thank you all for your advice.

Alas it is the start time that is the problem. As a live-out nanny on some days I do 7-7 (not today, I'm not working until Midday) and some nannies may well work later than 7pm.

So with a 6.30am start time, you need someone very local or more likely Live-In, so they can take over care of baby whilst they themselves are still barely getting up.

As a nanny I have cared for 5 month old (and younger) babies so if you find the right person you should not have too many worries about your baby being cared for by someone else. It will however be hard for you at first, as your maternal instincts may be quite strong and you may not want to leave your baby. Other mothers sometimes find that they need to get back to work, not let their brain turn to baby mush. It is still hard for them to leave their baby but they make that decision and stick with it, knowing that their baby is in safe hands with a childcarer they respect.

Try advertising very locally for a live-out nanny, you never know there may be someone living in a local street but live-in is probably going to be your option with that start time.

Jojo why do you have to go back when your baby is 5 months old? Aren't you entitled to 12 months maternity leave?

However, for a 5 mo baby and those hours, I think a live in nanny would be the best option. It's a long time for a little one to be out of the house.

Live out nannies are around £12 / hr gross in London. I don't know about live-in but assume a bit cheaper.

Agree with the others, JoJo - you're entitled to a full year and then your job back.

OP - I suspect this is more of a case that you will be expected to be back after 5 months and that it is quite a "hard" environment? I have worked in a similar environment, although now don't.

Have you thought about either: Having 2 live out nannies (one doing 2 days, the other 3 - as it would be a long day) or having an aupair with a live out nanny. Nursery 5 days a week for very little ones is quite a lot, although I do know people who have done it and their children are lovely!

I think an au pair with a childminder would be cheapest option, live in au-pair hours could be from 6:30 and she'd do the drop off at childminder (at around 8), and pick up at 6 and spend one-to-one time with baby. A childminder in London (depending where you live) would be between 45 and 65 pounds a day. An aupair is what nowadays, £4,000 a year plus food and extra pocket money? I am not sure.

Other advantages with a nanny vs childminder though - cooking, laundry (ours will cook for as well as the DCs sometimes) someone there for deliveries/workmen etc which is valuable if you have a full-on job, and your DC wont have to fit in with other children's routines re naps, feeds.

I'm a childminder and would not work those hours, and do not know any childminders that would. you should get a live in nanny. I work 8-6 and charge £55-£60 a day.

please don't take this the wrong way op - i don't mean to sound judgemental - but your baby is only young once and if there is any chance of cutting down your hours I really think you should for the baby's benefit. The baby is not even born yet - you have no idea how you will feel after the birth but the thought of not being with my child (even now they are older) for that length of time makes me feel sick and very sad for the child
I thought all companies have to offer flexible working. If you really can't go back and work less hours, dare I suggest you reconsider whether you really want to go back??

Employers are not legally required to offer flexible working, only to consider it & provide "sound business reasons" if declining a request. The City is notorious for not allowing this.

As for a year's maternity leave, in some careers/professions you'd be obsolete by that point.

Some women simply don't have choices, for various reasons, when it comes to maternity leave, childcare etc.

Poor OP has got a bashing because of her circumstances. Us women should be supporting eachother, rather than criticising (lack of) choices.

I don't think the OP has got a bashing at all - just some people concerned for her.

I'm a childminder and I would (and do) cover those hours and more. I do work with my DH, though.
I'm sure I can't be the only one.

I'm a CM and I have offered a 6.30am start and a 9pm finish; however that was for much older children on a shift basis.