Would this work?

[BangBangTheMightyFall]

I have a daytime job (fits inside school hours) but I am also a registered CM. I have been approached by a Mum at school to provide afterschool childcare for her two children, which I could do. Hers would be the only children I CM, alongside my own DD.

However, she also needs school holiday childcare, as do I. Would it be feasible to suggest that we club together and take on a nanny for a nanny share for school holidays, working from my home, if by some miracle we find one who only works term time? Then I could help her during term time (awkward hours for her to find cover, she has tried an afterschool nanny but it didn't work out) and during school holidays we're both covered.

Is this bonkers or would it work? I understand that I may not find a nanny who can work in just school holidays, but it there anything to stop me looking into it?

Well one issue would be that if by chance you find a nanny who only works term time, she probably takes all her holiday within the school holidays so that takes her out of play for 4 weeks.

It would also be a weird relationship with the other mum because sometimes she's your employer and at other times your co-employer.

Also, how do you split the nanny? 50/50, 65/35?

have you thought about a college student who is doing a childcare course for the holiday?

Strictly speaking the other Mum wouldn't be my employer as I would be a childminder, so self-employed. I am already tied to taking all my holidays within school holidays as I have a school aged child, as does the other Mum. However I agree, it would be complicated to synchronise them all together.

So that's my first point to take into consideration. Thank you.

How we would split the nanny - I would need the nanny more days (5 in my case) than the other Mum (3 days) so I would work out the proportion based on that.

A childcare student would be a good idea.

I think 'how do you split the nanny' is referring to hourly rate, rather than days in the week.

You have one child and the family have two. Are you going to split it 50/50 or 66/34? Plus if they're at your house they're using your resources. Should you pay less because of this? That sort of thing.

The number of days in the week is irrelevant really.

I thought nannies were paid per family, not per child? I know when I did a nanny share many years ago the families split 50/50, even though one family had more children. I would work out a fair weekly wage and then split it according to proportion of childcare.

They can be, it's up to the families to decide.

Factors like number of children, age of children, location of share etc. can all be taken into consideration.

I'm sure the other mum will be happy. She'll be paying half what you are (if worked out price per child) for the care and you're offering to host! Will you provide all the food etc. as well?

The money's not a major issue, it would probably work out better for me as my work hours are awkward - 5 hours work but would probably end up paying for a ft cming space due to the hours being slap bang in the middle of the day. Lack of cms/ demand for cms here due to rural area anyway, which is why I started doing something else.

I have done nannying/ cming for years so I am fortunate that I do know about nanny share/ contracts/ paying gross/ sorting tax. I am happy to have them all here. House is geared for childcare still.

I just worry that it's a hare brained scheme and there's something really obvious that I'm missing.

A nanny could cost £100+ per day. Whilst that may be affordable when doing the share, on non share days could you cover the full cost? There will also be activity, mileage, taxation costs to add.

I think it's a good idea although I don't know how easy it will be to find someone.

You might find the other mum finds your childminding fees expensive if she gets used to half a nanny!! ]

Do all the children get on?

I would only need cover for around 6 hours a day, so unlikely to be £100 a day. Having been a nanny myself I have taken into account all the extra costs. As I don't pay for childcare in term time the costs are ok. I use vouchers, as does she, so that would help too.

Yes, I think the biggest downfall will be actually finding someone!

So you only need the share 9-3 ish? What about the other family?

Is the nanny going to work 3 days full hours, half the day shared and then 2 part days 9-3pm for just your child? Holidays only. Would you have wanted those hours when you were a nanny?

If the other family need full hours, but you only need part of the day how will it work hosting at your house?

Are you going to be childminding their children from 3pm onwards in the holidays or will the nanny work for them until 6pm?

I think there are a number of TAs I work with who would be interested in child-minding during the holidays.

Depends where you are. In some areas TAs are well to do mums who need something to occupy themselves while Dc are at school, but several of ours are really struggling to make ends meet. Would be especially attractive if they can bring their own DC. Even if they don't want to work all their holidays you might find two who'd like to work a week on/week off, or 3 weeks each etc.

NB, I don't know what the legalities of this would be but I don't think they would need to register if they work from your home?

In the hols the other family's needs change and their hours would be something similar to my own. Any overlap, I could take care of.

Yes, I would have done those hours as a nanny. I was a term time only cm (not through choice, through lack of demand) and desperately tried to find a school holiday job, unsuccessfully. Round here it's an employer's market when it comes to nanny jobs.

I couldn't take on an unregistered nanny as I need to use vouchers, also couldn't take on a nanny who brings their own child as it would then be a share between 3 families which Ofsted don't allow.

You might find a CM like me to share with. I don't do school runs but I do do holidays, so if you were near me, I could help out in the holidays. Might be worth asking around.