Minimum hours CMs work?

[RedFraggle]

Hi lovely childminding ladies!

This is a totally hypothetical question but I have just applied for a job in the evenings and it would mean I would need to hire a child minder, preferably one who came to my house (or is this a nanny?) but only for about 2 hours a day (4pm until 6pm) until my DH gets home from his day job.
Is this realistic hours to get someone to do childcare?

Thanks in advance!

That's a nanny, if you need her/him to come to your house. When I was minding I would have looked after a child for 2 hours a day, if necessary.

If you definately prefer one to come to your house, then you need to look into Nannys, which I know nothing about, but if CMing would be acceptable, the easiest thing to do, is to contact a few in your area and ask the question.

How old is your lo?

I'm a childminder and i look after children (in my own home) for as little as 2 hours per day if required

Do you know any local teenagers or students? Many would do this kind of job.

You may find a nanny with their own child that would work a couple of hours a day. Expect to pay about £8-£10 net. If it was her only job you may get away with it being under the tax threshold so not have to worry about tax and ni.

Hi, Thanks for responses, nice to know it is not out of the question for someone to work just a few hours for me each day!

I have two little ones. One is 3 and the other is 1 which is why I thought in my own home might be easiest logistically!

I don't think I would be comfortable leaving them with an unqualified person. At the moment they both go to an excellent local nursery for the two days I work, but if I changed jobs to the one I am hoping for it would be impractical to keep them there.
How do I find out about qualified Nanny's and CM's in my local area?

Take a look at this link www.childcarelink.gov.uk/
It will help you find cms in your area that have vacancies. Also, try netmums as they have a childcare board where cms advertise and parents post on there too for childcare assistance. You can also ring your local childrens info service (your local council should have details). They will be able to assist with a list of local cms whom have vacancies. Hope this helps.

What area are you in RedFraggle?
NannyJob website can be useful place to advertise for nannies. Gumtree could also be used. You could use an agency to find one for you (cost can be quite high). Given the hours you want, I would say try to self-recruit using internet sites, before trying agencies.

I feel that 2 hours per day isn't going to appeal to many applicants... as a nanny I look for jobs which are around 10 hours per day. But there are nannies out there who will consider lower hours, especially nannies who have their own children (if you don't mind those children also coming to your home). So it is worth trying and seeing what response you get.

Thanks for the links TJ1976, I will save them for if I get the job. (fingers crossed and all that!)

I am in the Northwest, on the Wirral NannyNick. I will definitely bear those sites in mind.

Thanks all for the replies, it has reassured me that there is a good chance I will be able to get childcare - didn't really want to go for interviews if there was no chance I could do the hours they want!

Thank You!

Try advertising and looking on Gumtree: Liverpool. There are a few nannies advertising in the Nanny Baby Sitter section and in Work Wanted.