sick pay/hol pay, cm & parents

[KiddieCare]

Would love to hear from both parents and childminders regarding charging and paying for childs sick/hol and cm sick/hols?

Do you parents agree with still paying a cm if they are on hol/sick?

And cm's do you charge for your own days sick/hol?

That's ok, I'm blonde...don't think that helps! Going bed now, in my freshly washed sheets...oh, sorry, that was another thread I was on!!!

It's just as well Gloria doesn't use a childminder because if she went on holiday and didn't want to pay, she could well find her child's place filled by another as the childminder has no obligation to keep the place open if a retainer is not paid.

My families are happy to pay as they know that the place is theirs and will be available when they need it.

I can't stand parents who nit pick over paying fees, their most precious possession and they quibble about paying for the security of keeping their place.

They wouldn't get a place with me, it is not because I am greedy; I am very fair and flexible with my fees, but I need parents who respect what I do as a profession and value the service provided. I am up front about working term time only and have clients on board who are not teachers who are willing to accomodate this because they want ME to look after their child.

Cleaners get paid more than us and YES I pay my cleaner when she is on holiday too.

We are not left luggage storage facilities to be used and paid whenever it suits.

plumbers dont do the same job in the same house every day for 50 weeks of the year though do they?

"It's just as well Gloria doesn't use a childminder because if she went on holiday and didn't want to pay, she could well find her child's place filled by another as the childminder has no obligation to keep the place open if a retainer is not paid."

Eh? I think you misunderstood. Am quite happy to pay if I'm the one on holiday. Just not if the childminder went on hols. When I did use a childminder this was the arrangement. If I didn't show up, full fees. If she didn't show up, she arranged for another registered childminder to look after DD and I paid them what I would have otherwise paid her. She's lovely. We get on great. She is now DD's godmother.

I think you will find the childminder is obligated to keep the place open if she has not given notice. I've never had to pay a retainer because I've never needed a place saved when I wasn't actually using it.

"I can't stand parents who nit pick over paying fees, their most precious possession and they quibble about paying for the security of keeping their place."

And I think it is very unprofessional to use a parent's love as a justification to make a claim to money you aren't earning.

Incidentally, I don't have a cleaner because I cona't afford one. But if I did, I dare say she would be taking in £20 an hour. (4 kids, £5 an hour, £20!)

wouldn't be taking in £20 an hour

And speaking of earning one's money, I better get back to it...

Can't be bothered to get into the arguement. I DON'T charge when I'm on holiday, off sick or for Bank Hols (do charge full rate whenever I'm open but mindee doesn't come) BUT I totally get why people do charge and I agree with their reasons why it's different than plumbers etc etc. who charge a higher fee. I know most people I've talked to would rather as lower hourly rate and to still pay when not available than have to pay more each month and then just get some money back when CM not available (but mainly because they take time off or have emergency contacts).

I don't agree about the being about to fill space if not paying a retainer - you have a contract with a set notice period so you'd legally have to give notice first!

Anyway, I'm off, I answered the OP but I can't be bothered to say anymore - I'm fed up with these threads tbh!!

I don't really understand why this is such a big issue. I have had 3 childminders and they have all had different arrangements for holiday and sick pay as well as different hourly rates. One CM had a lower hourly rate but full pay for holidays and sick pay. Another had a higher rate but no holiday and sick pay. Overall it works out the same for me.

All I care about is that it is very clear in the contract what is going on and that there is a sensible maximum for amount of holiday and sick days if I am going to pay for these.

Thanks all sooo much for your replies, I have decided to increase my hourly fee by 50p, which will cover the cost of 4weeks hol iynwim. I really didnt think my thread would cause so much fuss lol. Thanks again

Good luck with your business! (not that you'll need it)

i shouldnt have come on here again, sorry to OP but hope i helped early on..but as a childminding being compared to a cleaner!..nice!

Kiddiecare, you walked right into that didn't you! If you have any other queries whilst your trying to get up and running, pop into the Staff Room. Its almost all childcarers there and you might be able to have the conversation without the backlash! This one just hit a raw nerve with us. It kicked off big time a couple of months ago and some of the cm's were very badly treated. At the end of the day, its your business and its up to you, but I think your decision is perfectly acceptable, as is Maximummummy's!

is PMT a good enough excuse for being a bit of a mentalist on this thread

i really wish that there was a set way that childminders charged with the same holiday/sickness policy it would save all this kind of thing

For those who are NCMA members, why could a proposal not be brought before the next AGM to have a set policy with regard to how member childminders charge for child sick/hol, cm sick/hol?

i totally agree with maximummummy and nannynick, i am a NCMA member also and would love to have this brought up to them,
it would save so much trouble.
ill def come onto the staff room in the future

I am self employed and don't get paid for my holiday/time off sick. Surely that's one of the down sides of being self employed. I work out how much I am going to charge for the days I do work to take that into account.

I don't think it is nit picking to assume that a childminder would be like any other self employed person in terms of paid holiday. I like and respect my childminder hugely but I don't expect to pay for her holiday because she is not my employee. I do pay when I am on holiday or my DD is sick because she is available to work.

Having said that it wouldn't put me off choosing a particular childminder if she charged for her holiday - I would always choose based on who I thought would be best for my DD. And obviously if something is agreed by both sides at the start then that's fine. But I would be surprised because it isn't what I expect when someone is self employed.

I don't hink it's really a good idea to have a one rule fits all approach. AS someoelse pointed out on one of these threads what the chilminders in her area do will effect her approach. So if you live in an area where all the childminders charge holidays in order to keep the rates down, then that might be the way to go.

But, more so, I think that as a small business owner it is your right and your privildege to run your business as you choose. And so I wouldn't be in support of any organisation dictating to all childminders how they may or may not structure their pay. I think everyne will be better served if it remains a conversation to be had between parent/guardian and childminder.

My Cm doesn't charge for her sickness or holidays but charges for dS sickness and holidays. We just make sure we take our holidays at the same time as the CM!

I have agreed with my new nanny that we will pay for two weeks holiday of her choosing and two weeks when we decide to go on holiday and don't need her, but in reality we'll probably take her with us anyway and pay her the 4 weeks.
Could that be a compromise for the childminders and parents.