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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

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Original poster

Childminder for teacher parent?

16 replies

Smerlin · 22/08/2013 15:46

Hi all

Just wondered if I could get some advice from current childminders. When I go back to work after maternity leave, I am hoping that DD will be able to go to a CM rather than a nursery (she will be coming up for 1)- am really looking for one person that she could build up a long term bond with over the years (assuming there isn't some big change of circumstances of course).

However I am a school teacher and would only want to pay for CM during term time as during school holidays, I would be at home.

Would any of you offer such a service or is it not financially viable? Is there a different rate for full time day in day out and for term time only? I would understand if the term time rate was higher than for someone who wants all year but I think DH would baulk at paying fees for example during the 6 weeks summer break!

Advice would be much appreciated!

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Runoutofideas · 22/08/2013 15:51

Term time only childminders do exist. I am one! I now look after 8 children, 6 of whom are teachers' children. I do not charge anything for the holidays as I do not wish to be available to work. I have 2 primary school aged children of my own, who like to have me and their toys to themselves over the holidays, so it works well for us.

Other childminders may offer term time only contracts, as it can be fairly easy to fill up with other children in the holidays. It is worth asking a few local to you as they may well all have different fee arrangements to each other.

DerbyNottsLeicsNightNanny · 22/08/2013 18:13

I'm in the East Midlands and have a term time only contract with the cm I use for my son, I do book him in for occasional days in the hols - just charged at normal hourly rate, but normal contracted hours are tt only.

I also found another cm and a day nursery willing to do tt only when i was looking, so it's definitely possibly to find someone.

missmapp · 22/08/2013 18:18

I am a teacher and my cm gives me a term time contract.

She works the hours out and divides it to work out a monthly amount- this means we pay the same each month, much easier for us and using child care vouchers

fivesacrowd · 22/08/2013 18:35

I'm a cm and have 7 mindees all children of teachers and I only charge term time as it suits m to have the hols off with my own dc - though I expect I'd be lynched by some of the other local cm if they found out as the norm is to charge at least a retainer if not full fees in the hols. I have some parents that pay over 12 monthly instalments so that I still have some income in the hols and it suits us all really well. Good luck finding someone.

elvisola · 22/08/2013 18:47

I look after 2 teachers children and don't charge for the holidays. It suits me to have most of the holidays off with my own children and I do a bit of part time holiday care for school aged kids to keep some money coming in.

Panzee · 22/08/2013 18:49

My childminder does term time only, she wants the holidays free to spend with her own children.

ChildrenAtHeart · 23/08/2013 23:54

I do Term Time only too with no school holiday retainer fees, There are quite a few around & if not specified always worth asking

MrsBottesini · 24/08/2013 00:13

our cm also takes only teachers' children so that she has the holidays free for her family. win-win

we don't pay during school hols and our contracts reflect this.

BackforGood · 24/08/2013 00:14

As a teacher, I've always had to pay 1/2 price over the holidays. Onnly since joining MN have I found that term time CMs exist
Do remember to look at what you will be paying out over the whole year though - in order to have enough of an income surely term time only CMs would have to charge higher rates in term time to make up for 13 weeks of not working?
Also, it's quite useful to have the option of them going to the CM for a couple of days when you go in to sort your classroom etc., or if you want to get a room decorated or some other task that's not easy with a toddler round your feet

TwasBrillig · 24/08/2013 00:17

Ah that's interesting. The cm we were lining up charges half rates through all the holidays.. . .

Its all part of the returning to work equation.

SummerHoliDidi · 24/08/2013 00:23

I am a teacher and my cm charges half price for the school holidays, other than the 3 weeks per year that she takes as her holidays (always during school hols). Dp begrudges paying this but I don't. I have looked into other cms and nurseries and over the year we are saving quite a bit of money by using our cm as she has one of the lowest hourly/daily rates and anyone with lower rates charges holidays in full.

Even now that dd2 gets the 15hrs free nursery we still save by using our cm who takes her to the school pre-school over using either of the nurseries able to have her ft inc the 15hrs free, because with them we would be paying MORE for the holidays when we aren't using the place.

natwebb79 · 24/08/2013 19:40

I'm a teacher and my lovely cm does a term time only contract. She does work in the holidays so if I need her she will accommodate. Plus she makes her money in the holidays by caring for kids whose parents need to work still when they can't go to school.

Mummyoftheyear · 24/08/2013 22:38

I used to have childminders. They were lovely and the first adapted to agree to a term time contract. The second preferred it, anyway ;)
I'm sure you'll find someone who'll happily do this.

anewyear · 25/08/2013 10:31

The children I mind are supposed to be Term Time only.

I would actually prefer to do this.

(Ive changed my Insurance provider just recently so prehaps new contracts will be the way to go?)

However the 'contract' appears to become a little blured on the parents side, in a jocular way 1 parent queried the holiday dates I was taking this summer!!

I think this is because, that as parents annual leave doesnt cover all 13 weeks, And Me, being the lovley, understanding childminder I am often mind them during the holidays,

I dont charge retainers etc etc when I dont have them, May be I should think about that, or prehaps charge more during the holidays, but to be honest I dont want to work/be available during these times.
(re doing contracts as said earlier in post?)
I would like to be able to spend more time with my own kids and catch up with the decorating and other chores I just dont seem to get done.

apotomak · 25/08/2013 15:15

Definitely do your maths and work out what the childcare will cost you over the year. I found that different families have different needs.
I have one family who pays the same fee each month ... (I worked out the annual cost and divided it by 12 months) ... it's just easier for them this way to manage their finances.
I have term time only contracts that only pay in term time and for what they're actually going to use in given month.
I do charge a higher fee for term time only contracts as I know I won't be able to sell the space in the summer holidays.
It's also good to check when your CM takes her holiday and if you're expected to pay her/him while they're away.
Good luck.

MrsShrek3 · 25/08/2013 23:13

I do charge a higher fee for term time only contracts as I know I won't be able to sell the space in the summer holidays.

you would in our area. In fact you could take as many children as your insurance would allow.

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