Term time only minders

[doughnut44]

Are there many minders who only work term time even if the parents of the children you mind are not teachers?

I would love to! You can only ask - some will/some won't. Try your local family information service or childcare.co.uk

I do TTO. Most parents are teachers, but some have been students (mature and otherwise!) or school/college admin people. One had a grandma who was a teacher so could cover holidays. Some of my after schoolers do summer camps.

I am a minder and currently only have 3 weeks plus bank hols - below holiday entitlement. I know I am self employed soI am not entitled to paid hols. The parents I mind for are all entitled to 5.6 weeks a year and I would like to do the same. I have been off sick this week and my own kids have loved it. I just think it's worth losing money to suit my kids. I just don't want to put people out too much.

i thought your name was familiar doughnut!!

I'm with you on this - i would love term time only - i don't charge for my holidays or bank holidays and would happily have all of the school hols off if it meant my two ds didn't have to suffer with me working - it's very restricting, can't get out and about etc!

i have found term time only hard to come by - you may be lucky depending on your area, if you are near to universities/colleges etc....

I'm a CM, and I generally give myself 6 weeks a year. I find if I don't give myself that, I get knackered and less good at my job.
Never had a parent complain or query it: it's in the info I give them before signing contracts, and I plan out my dates in January for the whole year, so they have plenty of time to plan.

i take 4 weeks a year unpaid and don't charge for bank holidays. if i take on any more before giving up i am going to change my terms as realise i am taking far less holiday then anyone else in my area, am the only one not charging and am under charging!!

I have a mix of TTO & year round so have a much lighter week in the holidays with 2 full days off which I find my kids really need. I also take 4 weeks paid leave plus 1 unpaid which I hadn't planned on taking but recently decided to take october half term off & have already informed my parents.

I'm term time only but it's a lucky accident. All the parents I mind for are either teachers or work tto contracts in education. Love the time it gives me with my own dc in holidays but not so much the drop in income in the hols although 2 of the parents pay through voucher schemes so its averaged out and paid all year round giving me some holiday income. My decision not to take a retainer in the hols however, suits me and the parents but probably makes rubbish business sense!

i would do the same as you fivesacrowd - i would rather the drop in income to have time with my own dc. i think if you charge a retainer for holidays you run the risk of the parents wanting to use the place and then having the awkwardness that that brings!!

I don't charge a holiday retainer either as I don't want them to feel obliged to use the space they're saving!

I will hopefully be avidly looking for a TTO cm when i have a child, I will have to go back to work at 6-8 months and hope that my parents will have moved back over from the south of France by then, Mum has offered to look after 2 days a week.

I am a secondary school teacher, so have all holidays off, obs some of that time is needed to prepare for the next term, so if i am paying a retainer over the holidays i am likely to want to use that, otherwise would hope between mum and i we can organise the 2-3 days every holidays i currently spend working!

I would prefer to pay a cm, spaced over 12 months as this is how i get paid, but would be flexible to however they would like to be paid.

Think the voucher scheme will have moved on before we get there (having just had a set back and mc)