Friend has offered to look after children. What should I say?

[ziopin]

A friend of ours (a stay at home mum with children in full time school) has offered to look after out 2 children next year.

Our dd will only be needing the school runs catered for and ds (2 and a half) will need caring full time)

She is a lovely, very sensible lady but does not have the nanny/cm qualifications. She has a primary teaching degree but is not interested in going back into teaching.

We currently employ a full time nanny who looks after the 2 full time at present but this arrangment could save us around £700 a month.

What do you mums think? Should I take her up on this offer?

depends on how well you know here and if you feel that you would beable to tell her how you want the littlest one looked after(to an extent)

are you going to be paying her at all?

would you feel that you couldn't mention somehting that you weren't happy about because it's a favour or are you close enough friends to be fine with that

Hi

Yes we would be paying her. Don't know how much as yet though, does anybody know the going rate for a weekly childminder in Cardiff?

Ziopin x

Um, technically she should get registered as a childminder first. Personally I am always wary of doing business with friends - very awkward if things don't work out. Would be different if it was just the odd day a week...

If she is ok with looking after them in your house, you could ask her to do a child first aid course (they last 1 day and cost between £50 and £125) and employ her as an 'unqualified nanny'.
Nannies don't always have qualifications.
Agree that, if she is intending to have them in her house then she would need to register as a childminder though.

Agree if she's looking after them in her house she really needs to register as a cm. Otherwise it's illegal yes, she probably wouldn't get caught, but she might do (if one of the kids had an accident and she had to take them to A&E, for example) and I'd feel uncomfortable asking a friend to break the law for me.