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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

fees on bank holidays

48 replies

ditzyprincess · 17/07/2007 09:54

hi im a newbie cm what do you girls charge for bank holidays and family holidays and what about sick days ? also does anyone charge a month upfront and then weekly in advance ?

OP posts:

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HelenLoveJoyOfSpringfield · 17/07/2007 16:38

I'll never understand why a self employed person [c/minder] asks for holiday pay over Xmas..... seeing as everyone is off & want to spend time with their families, surely they would be unavailable for c/minding anyway.

I pay my c/minder weekly. Say for example £20 a day... so for the 2 days over the summer that's £40 week.

I was going on holidays for 2 weeks... I have to hand her £60 for minding my child for a week... even though she had a child to take ds's 2 days over the 2 weeks he was going to miss.....

ayla99 · 17/07/2007 17:09

Eleusis you did suggest "You can pick up extra work at busier times by extending your hours" I was trying to explain that Childminders can't do this.

I'm sorry I haven't been able to explain myself clearly enough. Suffice to say, the way I run my businesss works for me and the people I work with are more than happy. However, what works for one isn't going to suit everyone else. I accept that there are different arrangements which work very well for other people too.

There endeth my contribution to this thread - I'm happy with agreeing to disagree IYSWIM.

eleusis · 17/07/2007 17:24

But, I was reponding to you. It was not really me suggesting you pick up more work.

Anyway, I too am happy to disagree.

HelenLoveJoyOfSpringfield · 17/07/2007 20:21

Obviously I meant I had to hand over £120 not £60 My counting is pants.

anyway, I can see that we all feel differently about pay & hours I like my childminder.... I'm happy to pay her... but also looking forward to the day I no longer need her... if that makes sense at all

eleusis · 17/07/2007 21:40

Oh, I hear ya. I can't wait for both kids to be in full time FREE school. I've got 2 1/2 years.

Kewcumber · 17/07/2007 21:41

£20 a day! you're not in London, are you...

eleusis · 17/07/2007 21:48

Might be a 4 hour day, Kew.

somersetmum · 17/07/2007 21:52

I pay my cm for dd who goes termtime only:

All school holidays (including Christmas week): half fee retainer.
Her holidays: nothing.
Bank holidays: nothing.
Switched day (i.e. if dd is sick, so I work a different day to catch up): nothing extra.
Unplanned sick day, dd or me, not switched: full fees.
CM sickness: nothing.

If a cm is sick or on holiday, it is very likely that the parent will have to find (and pay) another cm, so I would not expect to pay if my cm was sick or on holiday.

HelenLoveJoyOfSpringfield · 17/07/2007 21:53

No, I'm not in London.

She has him 5 hours a day.

Actually, sometimes I think that where I come from they print a license for c/minder to charge whatever they want, as there are so few of them they can charge whatever they feel like.

Mine was relatively new when I started. She also told me that she is charging whether she has ds or not, because other c/minders "got at her" outside school about being a "soft touch"

dmo · 17/07/2007 21:54

well does your childminder not just take hols in the school hol time? so you are in affect paying her while she is on holiday

HelenLoveJoyOfSpringfield · 17/07/2007 21:56

My childminder took Fri, Sat Sun & Mon as her holidays.... she doesn't have ds on any of those days so it didn't bother/effect me.

But I had to pay her when we were away, even though she had replaced ds's 2 days & was not losing money... I didn't say anything, she's very good to ds & it's not worth a row about money.

somersetmum · 17/07/2007 21:56

No, my cm works through the school holidays.
She took two weeks' holiday in June and she did not charge me for these weeks. dd went to another cm instead.

eleusis · 17/07/2007 21:59

If it makes you feel better, around me a childminder is £6 per hour per child. That's £12 an hour for me. A live-in nanny is cheaper. But, it does require a bigger house. But, then, I never have to do a childcare or school run.

HelenLoveJoyOfSpringfield · 17/07/2007 22:12

I don't think I'd like to share a house though. It's not really the "done thing" round here

Henie · 17/07/2007 22:45

Hmm, I think that as childminder I'm in the minority here. I don't charge for bank holidays, simply because I would rather spend time with my own family, however, if parents were desperate I would charge 3 times my normal hourly rate to make it worth my and my families while. I also don't charge for my holdays,mine or my childrens illness and only charge half fees for mindees holidays or illnesses.

Kewcumber · 18/07/2007 10:11

blimey Eleusis at £6ph I wouldn'y expect them to charge for holidays or bank holidays either

eleusis · 18/07/2007 10:43

My friend in twickers pays £6 per hour for her one child, and has to pay half for the childminder's hols. I told her I would never agree to that. She said the childminder wanted full pay for hols. No way. She should get a nanny share.

alibubbles · 18/07/2007 18:59

I charge 52 weeks of the year, a months deposit and a month in advance. I have done for 21 years, no problems.

My families are excellent, they have also paid me three weeks sick pay, I also get days off for professional development as long as I give sufficient notice, which I do. things like National Conference I take the Friday off and special weekends away like my 25th wedding anniversary and 50th birthday weekend to come.

chel86 · 18/07/2007 20:42

I don't charge for bank holidays purely because the parent stated at contract that she would never need me and bank holidays are time for me and my family. If a parent was desperate then I would as long as I didn't have plans and it would be double pay.

When I/my kids are sick, it's no pay as I am not available to provide care.

If they are off sick it's full pay as I am available.

Holidays, I have an agreement that it's half pay either way. Purely because we try to coincide our holidays anyway, and although I am not available when I am on holiday, the parents find that to pay me in full and pay for a holiday plus spending when they go on holiday is too much, so this way it isn't so expensive for them when they go away.

Rubybees · 19/07/2007 20:49

OKay then

I charge 1/2 fee for parents hols (4 weeks in advance notice)
Full fee if child ill
No fee for my hols
No fee if me ill
I do not work BH as it is one of the only days me and dh have together with the kids!

As dh is RAF I stop around 20th Dec as do the parents I work for so we have an agreement (on contract!) that I don't work/get paid from then until they start back (2-3rd Jan) which works out nice for hols eh hehe

Like someone said, go with your market, and what others in your area do. I don't charge for when kids are at pre-school/creche, but know of some that do!

hth

SueBrom · 25/07/2007 00:43

Poss a bit late to add to this, but why don't you charge for Bank Hols? I charge time and half if child comes on bank hol and single time if child doesn't come. This is because if parents work bank hol they get time and half, if they dont work they get single time. If they are getting it, why can't I? It's not going to make a hole in their pocket and I still have bills to pay.
I am closed on Christmas Day only. When I worked in an office I only got Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years day off. Any other days I had to fight for and if I took them off one year I had to work them the next year. However, anyone with children should be with them on Christmas Day (sorry about other religions, but Eid is counted as well).
One of my friend's had a good idea. In most jobs you are entitled to holiday pay after 12 months so she doesnt charge for her annual hols until she has minded for that family for 12 months.

islandofsodor · 25/07/2007 21:30

SueBrom, that is wrong, many people don't get time and a half for bank holidays if they work them (I certainly never have)and self employed people like my dh doesn't get anything if he doesn't work them.

I can chose to use my annual leave for a bank holiday day and in that situation I get paid for the day, if I use my holiday entitlement elsewhere I don't.

Childmiders are self employed so shouldn't get paid for a service they are not providing. I wouldn;t pay my daughter's ballet teacher for a class on a day she is closed or her nursery on a day they are closed, my dh would not charge one of his pupils for a day he choses not to teach so why should a childminder be any different. If he was available and the student chose not to come that would be totally different.

fedupwithallthispaperwork · 26/07/2007 14:06

i charge for bank hols, stating that i dont work them but will at double time, never had any trouble. i dont charge for my hols, know loads who do, but feel it rather unfair as i like at least 6 wks (inc 2 at xmas) and they would have to find alternative care, which i alsways find for them but would feel dreadful if they had to pay double.

full fee if they go away and im still open and full fee if they are sick.

hope all makes sense.

i charge £5 per hour, would not charge retainers for term time only as ncma advised against this, again know people who do.

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