Overnight childcare SE london / NW kent

[changing35]

Hi all

I work nightshifts . 7 night on 7 nights off. I am in SE london / NW kent. 4 children aged 14-7. No special needs or health issues. No school collections or drop off required.

I have advertised on childcare.co.uk but looking at how much it is realistically going to cost me. Many of the responses I have had charge the same hourly rate all through the night but from looking on here it seems the norm is to charge a flat (lesser ) hourly fee through the sleeping hours .

I have received prices for the month. 14 days of childcare at 12 hours a day ranging from £900 to £1650 a month. I require someone who is ofstead registered (I am willing to pay for their registration if they arent already registered) so that I can claim some of the costs back via the tax credit system.

You want 168 hours per month. The rates you have been given so far seem low to me.

You have 4 children, they may well all sleep though the night but someone is having to dedicate that time to being at your home not their own. It won't appeal to many people... they need it to fit around whatever else they do, so perhaps a Uni student if the hours fit.

ChildcareCoUk is usually a good place to try to find someone. Could also try NannyJob.co.uk
You are wanting someone to commit to doing 14 nights a month so keep in mind that it is an employed job, so factor in all costs and which of those tax credits will cover and which they won't. WTF5 I think is the document for Working Tax Credit childcare element. No idea if UC has changed things.

Even at the top end it’s £9 ish an hour so quite low as a gross figure

Yes they will be sleeping most of it

But still not in own house

It’s a lot to ask someone to spend every night a week to be there

Might be worth doing 2 people and 3/4 nights each

Thanks both of you. Two people working would be classed as a nanny share I am assuming. A couple of the people who applied said they nanny during the day and this appealed as they could earn essentially while they sleep. I did feel they were potentialy spreading themselves too thinly and would be exhausted going from a day job straight into a night one.

If you have the space (spare room) a student could be the answer - free room and utilities plus food when working for you topped up with a small amount of pay to make minimum wage equivalent (I'm guessing a room is worth around £500 pcm)

Yes sure their employer wouidnt be happy working 7 nights in a row then to their children