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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

do you charge for your holidays?

38 replies

bethoo · 19/04/2008 22:52

i would like to know if anyone else charges their mindees parents if they take holiday. i have used two cm before and if they took holiday they did not charge me but my new cm does and i was just wondering if this is the norm? i may be unreasonable but i feel it is unfair, not only will i have to take time off work inconveniently but also have to pay for the privelage.

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dinny · 19/04/2008 23:02

I wouldn't be happy with this either - I pay for our holidays, but not our cm's

you don't get paid hols if you are self-employed!!

hana · 19/04/2008 23:04

apparently the ncma recommend that cm do charge for holidays, so that's why they do. not many self employed people out there can do the same.

my cm doesn't but we have a term time only contract

dinny · 19/04/2008 23:11

I can't see the logic - obv can if you had a nanny as you pay their tax, NI, but as a cm, as bethoo says, she has to take time off work and pay for it too!

crace · 20/04/2008 07:16

My mindees parents pay for their holiday and I charge nothing for mine. If I don't work, then I don't get paid.

crace · 20/04/2008 07:17

Sorry - so you pay 100% for yours AND hers? Is that what's in the contract you signed? If it is, there isn't much you can do (apart from go somewhere else!)

vInTaGeVioLeT · 20/04/2008 09:50

hi - i charge full-rate for my holidays [4 weeks per year] and half-rate for parents holidays if they wan't extra - we try and co-ordinate our holidays so we are all off at the same time, that's not always possible but we do try - i tell all the families which 4 weeks i hoped to take at xmas and then we have loads of time to make other arrangements for childcare.
ncma do recommend this and yes we are self-employed , therefore we can charge what we like and parents can choose whether or not to use our service, no one has choosen not to use me because of this and most people do get paid holidays or tax credits.

KaySamuels · 20/04/2008 10:00

I am a cm, I charge full fee when I am available, no fee when I am not available, and I give parents my 4 weeks hols for the year in the January.

I do this as I am running a business and as a parent I would feel the same as you and not want to pay for a service I wasn't receiving. As crace says all you can do really is take your business elsewhere.

Original poster

bethoo · 20/04/2008 13:00

thanks for your input, i appreciate what you have told me. i was just shocked, and i cant really go anywhere else as not many cm here want to take on children that do not go to school. she is supposed to be very good so will see how it goes. i will only be with her in October as i am expecting again. i put my ds on the local nursery list but he has been on it for a year now as it is hard to get a place. just hope that i can find minders for the both of them in April!
once again thanks again.

OP posts:

smeeinit · 20/04/2008 17:08

i charge full fees when parents are away up to 4 weeks in any 52.
i have 11 days (normally only take 8) paid holiday a year which uis taken at easter and xmas and if i have anymore hol i charge nothing.
like violet,nobody has not used me because of this.

chocolatemummy · 20/04/2008 17:18

we have to pay when we go away ad when she goes away, pissed me off in january, my dd was ill with chicken pox and didnt go for week and a half and then we went away for a week and we still had full months bill, I understand that we mostly have paid holidays so they should too but what gets me is when she ges away, we have to pay her AND alternative care so we end up paying double which is really tough

PuppyMonkey · 20/04/2008 17:21

My sis has a cm who does this too and I was v. . As her cm put it, when u take your child to a cm, you are effectively taking on the cm as an employee. So they are entitled to holidays with pay etc. Blardy annoying!!

smeeinit · 20/04/2008 17:22

chocmummy, did you think your cm wouldnt charge while your dd was away with chicken pox?!

busymum1 · 20/04/2008 17:24

check contract ncma reccommends either charging half rate for both cm and parent holidays or full rate for parent holidays and no charge for cm holidays you have to pay if your child is ill as cannot take another child on for illness etc but if cm ill you should not pay as you will have to pay alternative care

chocolatemummy · 20/04/2008 17:32

no, I do pay if dd is ill, but it just felt a bit much to pay a full month when we only used 3 days(one weeks worth)

vInTaGeVioLeT · 20/04/2008 18:28

chocolate - it would feel a bit much to your c/m if she wasn't paid for a month due to no fault of her own - wouldn't it?

Flibbertyjibbet · 20/04/2008 18:33

A lot of the childminders near me charge for their holidays. Its just another reason why we opted for nursery - open 52 weeks of the year. I don't mind paying when we are on hols to keep the place, but dp and I are both self employed and get no holiday pay so I'm not happy to pay it to another self employed person.

chocolatemummy · 20/04/2008 18:37

yes I know, its hard isn't it, I had to take time off unpaid to look after my daughter when she was ill and its just difficult when you have to do that AND pay someone else who hasn't even got her.
I do it becauee I undertand they have a right to holiday etc as the rest of us but I do find it hard when they go away or are ill and we have to pay double

HappyMummyOfOne · 20/04/2008 18:41

I'd willing pay when a child was off sick or we are on holiday, I personally wouldnt pay for a childminders holidays - being s/e means no holiday pay etc to me.

Original poster

bethoo · 20/04/2008 19:11

that is a point though, most s/e peole do not get holiday pay so if a cm is s/e how come they do? jsut a silly question really.

OP posts:

vInTaGeVioLeT · 20/04/2008 21:55

other self employed people
eg: plumbers,mechanics don't charge £3 p/h

it has been said many times on here that because we are s/e we shouldn't have paid holiday but should charge more per hour to cover holidays BUT i don't see the logic in that also as c/m's are s/e they don't have to follow any national standardised pay structure so if i put up my hourly rate and dropped the paid holidays i'd price myself out of the local market.

ellideb · 20/04/2008 22:01

I charge full price for their holidays and half price for mine. I take off 4 weeks a year. I charge full price for bank holidays but I don't work them.

quint · 20/04/2008 22:12

You would pay a nanny when she takes her time off. You still have to pay for a nursery when they are closed, why not a CM?

ellideb · 20/04/2008 22:16

A c/m needs time off to function at her best. if she can't afford to take time off because you don't pay her for it do you think that is fair?

WallOfSilence · 20/04/2008 22:17

My c/minder charges for my holiday... she does not charge for her holidays as she is not available to look after the children.

She doesn't charge for days she is not available such as bank holidays... tbh I can't see how you can charge for them Ellideb if you never have any intention of working them.

I think what I can't stand about some c/minders is their pure greed...why would anyone get paid full amount when they are simply not available to work?

vInTaGeVioLeT · 20/04/2008 22:27

oh my god

that's a bit strong

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