Contract help please

[ilove]

Hi

Has anyone a link to a standard nanny contract please, I'm Ofsted registered and am in talks with a family who want me to start in September, so I need to take a deposit to secure the place etc.

Thanks, I'm new to this!!!

I don't think taking a deposit is standard for a nanny - sounds more like a childminder thing to me. I never took a deposit from the organisations that offered me jobs to secure my time before I started with them! And normally the parents as your employers will supply you with a contract (though I guess a standard contract might be a helpful point of reference for you to compare against if you have any queries about any of the terms they are offering?)

They won't be my employers, I'm self employed as I will be working for more than one family at a time. I read online that it is standard for them to pay a deposit to secure my services as they don't want me until September?

It's not necessary standard but if you meet the guidelines to be self employed. Then like a childminder/nursery it's up to you to set the guidelines and rules. And if you want a deposit they either pay up so they can Guarantee you will be free or they don't.

Just write your own. I employ carers I have to write my own to include everything. You want to include personal things like what happens on holidays when you can book holidays, sick days paid if any etc.

Not sure of deposit either- by all means get them to sign a contract and if they breach it you have rights but don't see how paying a deposit prevents that except to make a reduction on your first months pay.

A contract of employment won't help if you are self employed. You would be wanting terms of business.

Are you sure you can be self employed? Working for more than one family would not in itself make you self employed, many people have multiple part time jobs where they are an employee. I would be careful about the employment status and check it out, perhaps even getting a decision from HMRC.

As someone running their own business you would decide your own terms, so make a list of the things you will do and won't do for the fee you are proposing to charge. Think about timing, how much notice do you require if they want to book you, how much notice for cancelling a booking. How much notice you will give them if you have accepted a booking but now wish to cancel that, such as because you are on holiday. Think about what happens if they fail to pay you, how much time would you give them to pay, what action would you take and when. Have a look at various books and websites about running your own business to see if they give any help with how to create your terms of business.

The deposit thing is something that childminders and nurseries do as they have limited childcare places. Not sure how it would work for you but maybe it could. I would not call it a deposit, that sounds like something that can be repaid. I would call it a retainer. It is a fee charged now which prevents you from taking other work - but is that what you want? Is it what they would want? Seems a bit odd to me to pay for childcare but not to use it. September is quite far off, lots of things could happen between now and then.

I work for several families and have no set hours with any of them, I spoke to HMRC and I'm definitely self employed as I also do agency work for several agencies. The new family need term time only, varying shifts, and the deposit to hold their place - or retainer - will be knocked off their final month fee. there is next to no Ofsted availability where I live for childcare' so they want to make sure they have me booked (their words not mine haha)

Thanks for all your help xxx

Why would you knock it off their final month fee? Is it not more like them paying to secure that you will be available for when they want to start?

Yes it is them paying to secure me keeping myself free for them, but I don't intend to keep it unless they cancel me at very short notice