Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Paid childcare

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

Flip

1 2 3 4

Original poster

Parents who use CMs. Is it really hard to understand?

76 replies

BarbieCan · 09/05/2014 23:56

That you are paying for a time slot as well as childcare.

That your CM is not being grabby if she charges you in full when you decide that on a particular day you don't need all the hours you agreed in the contract.

That your CM is not being mean when she charges you when your child is unwell.

That your CM is not being jealous when she charges you when you go on holidays but she is still available to work.

That your CM is not being unreasonable when she charges you when you are late.

How can this be explained better so you can understand your CM point of view?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Bettercallsaul1 · 11/05/2014 00:32

What a lovely, eminently sensible post Giraffes!

GiraffesCantDoMentalArithmetic · 11/05/2014 00:42

almaradlu · 11/05/2014 12:01

Every childminder should have a Giraffe

YoureBeingASillyBilly · 11/05/2014 12:08

StatisticallyChallenged · 11/05/2014 12:10

I just wish people would read their damned contracts. Ours is pretty clear - you are charged under x, y and z circumstances. If your child doesn't come over the school holidays, you pay 50% of the regular fee to retain their place for the next term. (I know not everyone does this, but it's how we decided to charge)

Any don't even get me started on later payment. We're payment strictly in advance (most clients monthly, a couple of weekly) and come the first of the month you're lucky if 1/3 have coughed up. Some of that is down to childcare vouchers but I've used these myself and made sure they went out in plenty of time to account for this.

We don't have late payment fees in the current contract but I think I will be changing this for next year!

slightlyconfused85 · 11/05/2014 13:49

I use a childminder for my DD and fully understand this, as written in the contract. I might not be so understanding if she was aggressive about it, like your original post.

Original poster

BarbieCan · 11/05/2014 14:55

My OP is not a contract confused nor a letter from my business to clients.
It is only a post, on a anonymous forum.

OP posts:

slowcomputer · 11/05/2014 19:39

Regarding the locksmith, you're not paying for his time to jiggle the card in the lock, you're paying for the years of experience to know exactly how to jiggle it! If you could do it yourself you wouldn't need him. I'm a GP and I get paid to write medical reports - if you calculate the hourly rate it is very good but it is also a fee for the years of training that I put in to be able to write them, and the vastly expensive litigation insurance that I pay in case I get sued as a result of one of them. So there are hidden costs that you don't see.

hooplahoop · 12/05/2014 11:55

From your original post I'm guessing you aren't really interested in answers... But, from my perspective life's expensive And nobody likes being reminded about that. For example if I'm trying to budget/ save for a holiday I find it annoying to add 180 which I will be paying for childcare I'm not using. Yes I understand thats how it works, but it doesn't stop it feeling a problem....

AMI88 · 12/05/2014 12:47

I think there isn't necessarily a right or wrong in this case, just different perspectives, depending on our personal needs, e.g if I had all the money in the world, and was only a CM for the love of it, I would charge completely differently.
As it is,I don't have all the money in the world, so I have to charge what I deem as reasonable, based on all my expenses, experience and qualifications, the long hours I work, and activities I do with children. This includes charging for my holidays. I have had no complaints so far, as everything else I offer and do, is Outstanding.
I became a CM for many reasons, one of them being financial responsible for myself. I'm sure if we were all self-employed, we would be taking the same steps to look after our own families needs first (financially, and otherwise)

YoureBeingASillyBilly · 12/05/2014 13:13

"From your original post I'm guessing you aren't really interested in answers... But, from my perspective life's expensive And nobody likes being reminded about that. For example if I'm trying to budget/ save for a holiday I find it annoying to add 180 which I will be paying for childcare I'm not using. Yes I understand thats how it works, but it doesn't stop it feeling a problem...."

The holiday is what is being 'added on' not the childcare space. Resent the holiday.

motherinferior · 12/05/2014 13:18

My CM charged half rate for holidays and bank holidays. She was a terrific childminder. Probably there were cheaper CMs in the area (though she was far from extortionate) but I never resented paying her at all.

HSMMaCM · 12/05/2014 16:34

You still have to pay for rent, sky tv, council tax, water rates, etc when you're on holiday too.

ApproachingATunnel · 14/05/2014 07:41

some of my friends are surprised that i pay CM when e.g. we go on holiday or chose not to use the agreed hours occassionally. I think the understanding would come pretty quickly if the source of income for them was childminding as i bet they wouldnt like to have unpredictable income and be at the mercy of other people's whims...

Bellossom · 14/05/2014 07:56

Wow I never begrudge paying my childminder. Even when I really can't afford it. Didn't realise people felt like this.

she doesn't charge for days she can't do though, not sure if that makes a difference.

Original poster

BarbieCan · 14/05/2014 09:22

I think the understanding would come pretty quickly if the source of income for them was childminding as i bet they wouldnt like to have unpredictable income and be at the mercy of other people's whims...

Exactly. Imagine you lay down your work outfit the night before and have an early night to be up fresh next morning, so you can get to work full of energy and follow through your planning to make the day run smooth and productive. Then your boss call you when you are about to lock your front door to tell you that you don't need to come in to work today but NO you will not get paid at all, since you will NOT be working because HE doesn't need you to.
On the top of that, after a few months, your boss decide to go on holidays and close the workplace. You don't need to go to work whilst he is on holiday BUT of course you won't get PAID either.

Got the idea??

OP posts:

YoureBeingASillyBilly · 14/05/2014 09:33

^ this happened at my aunt's place of work one xmas. Boss decided to take a two week holiday and close up for a fortnight instead of the usual one week and wasnt going to pay staff the week of Xmas! It did not^ go down well.

Original poster

BarbieCan · 14/05/2014 10:08

^^^

This should happen to every parent who begrudge paying for their CM while they go on holidays/decide to take time off/child is sick.
Maybe they would understand.

Imagine your boss is sick and call you saying that workplace will not be open, you don't need to come into work. And no, you won't get paid either.

OP posts:

BeCool · 14/05/2014 10:13

I am paying my CM for the whole month of August this year while she isn't 'working'. It can be hard to swallow at first, but I am on holiday and then she is on holiday.

It helps my head to know that I pay my CM for every week of the year and she is available to me for every week of the year except her holidays (which we usually co-ordinate).

Also she is entirely reliable and trustworthy and wonderful and I am happy to pay her - and very grateful that we have her in our lives.

YoureBeingASillyBilly · 14/05/2014 10:14

I'm just imagining what would happen if all a CMers mindees went on holiday the same week (12th of july a really popular holiday fortnight here in NI) and didnt pay CMer. He/she would have NO income for that week at all. Similar possible at easter, mid terms and xmas!

Original poster

BarbieCan · 14/05/2014 10:21

I had clients who obviously still have their income when they go on their holidays.
I don't charge for my own holidays and in the past I tried to coordinate my holidays with theirs so I would not inconvenience them with my business being closed. win - win you would think, a part that this was not being fully appreciated.
They wanted to go to more and more holidays (4 to 5 a year, two tho three weeks at a time) whilst getting paid to do so and apparently I have to be happy to NOT GET PAID when they were away.
Oh but they couldn't afford to pay me.
Meanwhile, whilst going on holidays, they were also changing cars, buying a property and renovating it.

OP posts:

ApproachingATunnel · 14/05/2014 12:39

Barbie, the client you describe was taking a piss, absolutely ridiculous. Yes, whenever we go away it is an expensive month because on top of usual expenses there are plane tickets/outings/fun to pay for. But it is expensive because we chose to have a holiday not because we have to pay our lovely CM!

Our cm also charges for late pick ups and that again, sounds completely reasonable to me. CMing generally is a business not a hobby which some women decide to take on because they have too much time on their hands.

Greyhound · 14/05/2014 16:08

I agree, OP. Having said that, you do need to get a proper contract if you haven't already.

I should get a contract with my clients. I am a dog walker and people think nothing of cancelling a walk at the last minute and not paying. What they don't realise is that I need that money, had added it to my budget and that I am NOT running my business as a lovely little hobby... (and breathe!)

jamaisjedors · 14/05/2014 16:13

I agree with you about how annoying it is to get ready for work etc. and then not work.

And as I said, I pay our cm in this situation.

But I have worked in several jobs where this is the norm, and in fact in my current job (teaching at university level), if for example it snows and the students can't get in, my teaching hours are not counted as "done" and so I have to make them up another time, so am effectively not paid.

drspouse · 14/05/2014 16:54

Our CM doesn't charge for her holidays, and charges half price for our holidays. These include BH (and as he was going on Tuesdays till the end of December which included Christmas Eve and NYE, and Mondays now, including most other BH, there are quite a few of these).

But these are all in her contract. She doesn't make much attempt to coincide her holidays with our holidays but as she only has DS one day a week I can usually find something else for him those days.

We also didn't pay when she had a family emergency.

Flip

1 2 3 4

Swipe left for the next trending thread