Page 9 | Childminder charging for travel time to school?

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Laura95167 · 05/02/2025 21:02

I don't know anyone else who gets paid travelling time to their regular place of work

But if I were to agree it would be the 15mins it takes not an hour

FrannyScraps · 05/02/2025 21:09

Laura95167 · 05/02/2025 21:02

I don't know anyone else who gets paid travelling time to their regular place of work

But if I were to agree it would be the 15mins it takes not an hour

For the 50th time.... the school is not her place of work 🙄 Read the thread.

Laura95167 · 05/02/2025 21:17

FrannyScraps · 05/02/2025 21:09

For the 50th time.... the school is not her place of work 🙄 Read the thread.

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I disagree, her place is where her charge is. School gate, home, park.

if you feel differently that's fine. We can just agree to disagree.

Alternatively, if it were me I'd pay her from 2pm to be at my house at 2pm, from which she can go collect the child.

JimHalpertsWife · 05/02/2025 21:23

Laura95167 · 05/02/2025 21:17

I disagree, her place is where her charge is. School gate, home, park.

if you feel differently that's fine. We can just agree to disagree.

Alternatively, if it were me I'd pay her from 2pm to be at my house at 2pm, from which she can go collect the child.

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She isn't a Nanny. Her designated place of work, as per the definition of a Childminder is her home.

FrannyScraps · 05/02/2025 21:41

Laura95167 · 05/02/2025 21:17

I disagree, her place is where her charge is. School gate, home, park.

if you feel differently that's fine. We can just agree to disagree.

Alternatively, if it were me I'd pay her from 2pm to be at my house at 2pm, from which she can go collect the child.

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Except she's not a nanny. You can't just unilaterally decide to change the employment status and workplace location of the person involved just because you disagree.

She's a self employed childminder, registered premises is her home address. This is not a fact you can choose to disagree with.

stardustbiscuits · 05/02/2025 21:45

FlyingTigger · 05/02/2025 08:08

I definitely get the journey on the way back as she’s with DC so no issue there. I was just a bit confused as I’d never known a job that includes travel to work?

also wasn’t sure why she was charging an hour when journey takes half the time.

Sorry to clarify @AmpleRaven
15/20 minute walk
or
10 minute bus journey

bit of a mixed response so far!

But it’s not travel to work - her work is based at her place! The travel is what you’re asking her to do, to collect your children from school. She doesn’t work at the school!

jannier · 05/02/2025 22:19

FlyingTigger · 05/02/2025 08:20

I like her but just a bit peeved as we’d signed contract that included 15 minutes travel time. Wish she’d challenged it then as I paid first month fine. This one was much higher and hadn’t budgeted for as it was 4 weeks and not 3 (no holiday childcare needed over Christmas).

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What do you mean by challenged the contract? Surely she wrote it?

jannier · 05/02/2025 22:21

MouldyCandy · 05/02/2025 08:25

We were charged a flat rate of £3 for childminder to collect from school.

£3....what on top of the hourly or session charge?

jannier · 05/02/2025 22:24

SamPoodle123 · 05/02/2025 08:41

TBH I find this odd. Work does not pay us for our travel time into the office....so not sure why someone doing child minding would do the same.

She doesn't charge to travel from her bedroom to front door she charges for the time it takes to leave her workplace to get the child..if she didn't she would be late.

jannier · 05/02/2025 22:28

FlyingTigger · 05/02/2025 10:05

Ok, so travel time from place of work as she is CM is included, thank you for those that explained this and definitely new to me.

I’ll query the hour travel time and ask if she can accept 30 minutes so she’s providing care for a set number of hours. Her journey takes 10 minutes by bus OR she says she sometimes walks which would take around 20 minutes. So hoping 30 is reasonable

annoying thing is she charged an extra 30 minutes this one time I dropped DC to her. So from 9am when I dropped off at 9.30. Didn’t question at time as found it awkward. If I collect DC early that’s not taken into account on her timesheet She’ll still charge until 6pm. I’ll see if we can agree to a set time moving forward.

the 121 care was a bonus not a requirement. If she takes on other children then of course that’s not an issue and even expected at some point.

nice to hear from other SEN parents and I am grateful to have found this CM. There aren’t really any major issues apart from this.

She will be charging you from your contracted start time to your contracted finish...if you arrive early to drop your child it is extra. If you pick up late it is extra. If you pick up early you still pay that is standard.
Who is paying her bus fare?

jannier · 05/02/2025 22:33

FlyingTigger · 05/02/2025 10:44

I said I’d drop off at 9.30!

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So if your work don't need you to start until later they cut your wages? Perhaps she should start saying sorry Im not going to get ready until 9.30 everyday now as you want to cut the hours? Personally I charge a minimum session for school pick ups of 3 hours even if you only use 30 minutes every day....your taking a space and it has to be worth me leaving home for.

jannier · 05/02/2025 22:37

FlyingTigger · 05/02/2025 12:09

Yes this is how I thought of it too but it seems like it’s different for CM. I know someone who’s a carer and really struggles with not being paid for travel time.

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Carers have ridiculous contracts normally set by an agency that is happy to exploit them if they were self employed I'm sure they would include travel time ....why do you want your childminder to struggle like your friend? Hopefully she will be directed to this post and reconsider offering the space as your so unhappy a breakdown of relationship is on the cards.

Grammarnut · 05/02/2025 22:40

FlyingTigger · 05/02/2025 18:59

Just to clarify

journey would only take 20 minutes max. Never an hour

buses come every 15-20 minutes at that time

i remember CM telling me she gets free travel

I’m NOT querying the return journey as DC is with her

But she would not be making the journey at all unless she was fetching DC. That journey must be part of the contract, surely?

jannier · 05/02/2025 22:46

FlyingTigger · 05/02/2025 18:59

Just to clarify

journey would only take 20 minutes max. Never an hour

buses come every 15-20 minutes at that time

i remember CM telling me she gets free travel

I’m NOT querying the return journey as DC is with her

Presumably she has to walk to a bus stop?
I'd never leave it to the last bus ...it might be delayed or full. Even if I drive I leave early enough to catch a bus if for example I go to get in my car and have a flat tyre....it's not professional to be late....god you would be on here screaming blue murder if she were.

pollymere · 05/02/2025 23:41

My childminder only ever charged me from school pick up time. If she's having to go by bus, I'd assume you might have to pay for the ten minutes too. However, charging from 2pm is ridiculous. I'd be okay with 2:45 and the cost of the bus ticket if required. It seems odd she doesn't drive tbh.

howmanyweekspreg · 06/02/2025 06:47

As a childminder who doesn’t do school pick ups because they are a massive pain, and disruption to all the other children; I would also want to make sure it was worth it for me if I was going to consider it. If they are minding other children, they will have to get them all ready, all out the house - the 10 minute walk to the bus/ 20 minute walk will be much longer with multiple children. I would accept it or find another minder - but you may find they do the same.

marcopront · 06/02/2025 10:17

I think there are some people here who have never travelled by bus.
Just because the journey is only 10 minutes doesn't mean you turn up at the bus stop at 2:45 and get to your destination at 2:55, unless you are very lucky.
And if I was meant to arrive for something at 3:00 I wouldn't be relying on a bus that got there at 2;55, I would be on the one before so probably leaving at 2:25 according to the OP.

MellersSmellers · 06/02/2025 10:45

JustKeepSwimmingJust · 05/02/2025 08:13

Her workplace is her home. So she starts at work, then travels in working time to meet her charges. It’s not like out the commute to her workplace.

also is it a high enough cost that it’s worth arguing over and potentially losing her?

Absolutely. I've had plenty of jobs that required travel and that travel time was included in the working hours. Going to the school to collect your child is not commuting - it's part and parcel of the job you've engaged her for, and it's not like it's optional or time she can chose to do anything else in. Be reasonable!

Flopsythebunny · 06/02/2025 12:11

She should charge from when she has to leave home to pick the child up, not before

littleluncheon · 06/02/2025 13:56

At the end of the day the childminder cancelled charge whatever she likes.

jannier · 07/02/2025 12:40

FlyingTigger · 05/02/2025 11:16

She can look after other children
I’m not paying for her to look after my DC exclusively

whether a child was with her from 8am/9am or even 5am- how does that justify the extra charge for 30 minutes as she’s ’keeping my space open’?

now, if she charges in blocks of one hour, that’s a separate issue and perfectly understandable (now that previous posters have explained this).

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If you have an ad-hoc contract you can book and pay for the time you need each day and she can say no I'm not working or I'm full. If you have a proper contract you pay for each and every hour on the contract used or not. Just like if you book a spa day and only use a few hours. You are paying for the space to be free....she can't have unlimited numbers of children even if they are her grandchildren so may choose to only take one child. If it's a school run why are you turning up at 9.30 surely school starts earlier?

Goodtogossip · 11/02/2025 13:41

So she's doing a 10 minute bus journey & a 20 min walk to school & assuming it's taking the same amount of time going back home, which totals an hour. You're paying for her time. She may not have your child from 2pm but if she wasn't collecting your child she'd be at home & could be earning an hours wage with another child. Also she could be including cost of travel, ie bus fare, in her fee. I think that's more than fair on her part. In effect she is 'working' during travel time from 2pm because she'd not be doing the journey otherwise if she wasn't collecting your child.

Cyb3rg4l · 06/09/2025 20:52

FlyingTigger · 05/02/2025 07:49

Advice please and if this is the norm?
Childminder wants to charge travel to DC school (so when going to collect). When we signed contract I’d already included 15 minutes grace in case it was easier for her to collect DC earlier but this is NOT required by the school. Contract includes this 15 minutes.
childminder is charging for an hour, then changes this and said it’s 30 minutes. School pick up 3pm but her timesheet starts from 2pm. Journey takes 10 minutes by bus and 15/20 minutes walk.
is this the norm? For CM to charge travel to school when the child isn’t with them? Says she’s always done this.

Most childcare charges an hourly rate, they don’t break it down into billable minutes. Your CM is working for you when travelling to your child’s school for pickup - because that travel time is not time she could choose to be doing something else, clock on time is when they leave their house, not when your child leaves school. The charges sound reasonable to me. If you have raised this with them and expressed your frustration I would expect you will need to find another childminder soon.

chargeitup · 06/09/2025 21:03

I would perhaps query why she is charging from 2pm and at most it should be 2:30.