Full Fee for CM Holiday?

[SugarSpunSisters]

Hello,

My childminder intends on charging full fee for two weeks off per year - is this usual practice? I do not take exception at their time off at all btw, it is the paying full price for it that I am taking umbrage at.

Whilst I accept for parent/child holidays the place cannot be used and full fee applies and I also pay for Bank Holidays when they are not open, I can't help but feel pissed off that she is charging me £300 for not providing a service and during those weeks I have had to make and pay for additional childcare.

I do not pay my hairdresser or window cleaner when they are away on holiday

It is for the childminder to present the financial proposal to his/her client in the way it will be best received. I had an enquiry recently and not surprisingly, the mindee's parent had been speaking to a number of different providers. It was made clear that she did not want to pay for my time off and was clearly also looking for some time off herself for which she could pay a reduced rate or possibly nothing at all.

Having established her requirements in terms of hours/days and the amount of time off she would want (I had already told her that I like to take a minimum of 3 weeks) I told her I would get back to her.

A quick 10 minutes on the calculator followed and having started with the figure that I would have normally earned for a 35 hour per week child over 52 weeks, I then divided the figure by the number of weeks she was looking to pay for (i.e. 45). I called her back and gave her an offer of a place with the newly-calculated rate. Her response was, "You are dearer than everyone else but I like the fact I am not paying for your holiday or mine"!!! She starts with me at the beginning of September and has paid her first month's fees as a deposit to secure the place. I am getting the amount I would have earned on my normal terms and she is delighted as in her eyes, she is not paying for 7 weeks care.

I will of course need to be especially carefully about how I write the contract/agreement to ensure the amount of time off on either side is stipulated and what happens if this is exceed on either side but as a previous poster has said, one needs to look at the total cost.

I charge an all inclusive rate which is payable whenever I'm available (includes - amongst other things - food, wipes, outings, nappies, etc).

I feel this is easiest to explain to parents and although I have not deliberately inflated my rates, if you add it up over the year, I probably charge the same as another local minder who charges for holidays.

Most parents appreciate having a lower bill in a month when they may need to find and pay for alternative childcare, because I'm on holiday, but others pay by standing order, so pay the same amount every month anyway.

It is different to other Self Employed businesses, because it is a contracted arrangement, often based over 10 years of care. The most important thing for both parents and CMs is to make sure the contract is clear at the start.

(Interesting reply from Akasa)

SugarSpunSister, charging separately for food, nappies etc. is just the same as charging for holidays. Some CMs do it, some don't. Those that don't will have factored it into their rate or may charge for something that another childminder does not. That's why Minderjinx said you have to look at the whole package and not get hung up on the holiday charge.

Some parents actually prefer to pay for holidays separately and be charged a lower overall rate. It is simply the way some childminders run their business.

As self-employed operators, childminders are in the unique position of providing their services for more than one client simultaneously. That can make it very difficult to charge a higher overall rate in order to factor in holidays, especially when the childminder has tailored contracts individually to suit the client (e.g. Term time only contracts).
That's why a lot of them charge for holidays and bank holidays in a way that is clear and transparent for the client.

A lot of parents do prefer to see exactly what they're paying for and when. Others prefer a higher overall charge and no extras. It's up to the client to decide which is preferable to them.

The food and wipes and that isn't so straightforward either. My CM prefers us to send little ones with a packed lunch, but will give them dinner (I can see this is easier as she is cooking for 6-8 people then, rather than 1-2 toddlers at lunchtime) and so far isn't charging us for the odd dinner DC has. She also provides snacks and milk included in her fees. Outings she has never asked for money for, and even took DC to Pizza Express the other day and refused our offer of any money to cover that - it was unplanned and I thought it polite to offer. We provide our own nappies and wipes.

I don't think there will be a standard. Our CM really is very cheap, but I know packing a lunch every evening for an 18mo would drive a lot of parents barking.

There keeps being threads on here with parents questioning childminders paid holidays, fees etc.

If you have read and signed and agreed the contract then you are agreeing to paying the fees. Simple isn't it?

I charge four weeks holidays every year, I have only ever had one perspective parent argue about it, but she only wanted to pay me £2 per hour.....needless to say I never cared for her children.

My CM charges full fees for 2 weeks holiday and 50% for a further 3 weeks. I have no objection to this. Surely as a self employed person you are free to set your charges out as you see fit, and people can use your service or not? My CM has a waiting list, because she's excellent, so why shouldn't she charge for hols if people will pay? She's running a business, not a charity. The fact that self-employed people in other industries don't routinely charge for holidays is neither here nor there. They would if they could, I'm sure.

I'mnotbloody - it's clearly not the same if it were:

All SE people would be doing it - rather than just a few childminders. As its easier for them to be paid rather than saving for a holiday.

The OP wouldn't have posted

If the childminders holiday period is different to the parents contract period, you may end up paying for more holidays.

Having paid holidays wouldn't be a question on the HMRC website when working out employment status.

I think lots of childminders do a fantastic job, lots of parents wouldn't be working at all without them. But it is bloody cheeky to charge for holidays when you are self employed. Maybe it's one for HMRC to sort out.

We have to pay our CM if we take holiday when she is available but we don't pay when she is on holiday.
I hear that is the norm but of course it depends if you have any room for negotiation. Ie are there any other convenient CMs for you that would take your lO instead & not charge you?
If you don't have any room for negotiation then there is no point even getting worked up about it!!!

karoleann- if SE people aren't charging enough to allow them to take holidays then they wont be taking holidays. if SE people are taking holidays then they have calculated their fees to allow them to take holidays- this is exactly the same as a CMer working out her fees to cover the cost of 2/3/whatever weeks holidays. if you cant understand that then there really is no point me engaging with you any further.

Imnotbloody its not the same for the 4 reasons stated above.

I suspect you're a childminder who is now feeling guilty (as you should be) of charging when you're on holiday.

Anyway off on my holidays (without holiday pay) as I am SE.

No im not a childminder but ive used several and ive used nurseries. I, unlike some, understand that they are a business not a charity and they must cover all their leave through their fees.

And none of them should feel guilty for earning a living at what can be a very difficult job for various reasons

karo why on earth would a childminder feel guilty for having paid holidays?!

They can charge what they like and up to parents to use their service or not. It's such a simple system, why can't you get your head round it?

I agree why should a CM feel guilty?

One parent pays me for my holidays as I pro rata the term time only rate. That is effectively what those who charge for holidays are doing. (Although she doesn't gave to get additional cover obvs)

As SE people we set our own hourly rate. I charge 25p-50p more than some if the CM's near me. Should I feel guilty for that?