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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

Gah! So cross at CM - not sure what do next.....

145 replies

OrangeKnickers · 05/05/2009 19:14

steam is coming out of my ears! (Sorry long).

So last year due to a 'miscommunication' our CM went away on holiday for a week, I found out about it the Friday before she went. It was a nightmare.

So this year she gives us a piece of paper with her holiday dates on. So we book our holiday around her dates, to make life easier.

I mention about our upcoming holiday - which starts next week assuming she's away as well. She says 'oh no, I am away on the xxth June'. I am like 'are you sure, I thought you were away when we were'. She says No she's away for two weeks starting the xxth.

So now not only have we bloody booked our holiday around her dates (would have booked it later in the year coz of the weather) BUT we also have to scrabble around to arrange childcare at short notice. We also pay her for four weeks holiday, and she needs to give us a month's notice of the holiday - which it works out that she has done now.

I am so cross! She's also recently put her prices up. And this has already happened to us once (she's been our CM for about a year).

What shall I do? She's good with our ds and is flexible and (usually!) reliable. I am sure it's an accident but it's so annoying. If was a purely commercial relationship I would part company from her following this but obviously ds is settled there.

Any thoughts would be gratefully received. Am I being unreasonable to be so cross?

OP posts:

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aGalChangedHerName · 05/05/2009 19:16

Have you got the bit of paper? I do a typed sheet and we both sign it and a copy of that is kept in mindees file,and another copy given to parent to keep. No problems then.

EldonAve · 05/05/2009 19:16

Do you still have the original piece of paper?

ChippingIn · 05/05/2009 19:18

Deep breath

What did she say when you said oh fucking hell, those aren't the dates you told us previously - the ones you wrote down??

Blondeshavemorefun · 05/05/2009 19:20

do you have the bit of paper?

how annoying of her

why do you pay her 4weeks holiday if she is self employed?

Original poster

OrangeKnickers · 05/05/2009 19:56

I do have the piece of paper - phew!

CI - I was so gobsmacked when she said about her holiday in June that I didn't say much. I need to work out what to say when I do see her again.

BHMF - I thought it was the norm to pay for holiday? She said that's was Ofsted say to do. I thought of mumsnet and didn't want to be slagged off...

OP posts:

Yurtgirl · 05/05/2009 20:00

Hi OK - I would be fuming too!

AFAIK - you pay her to hold your place whilst you go on holiday, but you dont pay her whilst she is on holiday, because she isnt providing a service whilst she suns herself in tenerife iysim

I could be wrong on that though!

What you really need is the peice of paper with the origonal dates etc that she agreed too.... then you could complain etc

mooki · 05/05/2009 20:01

Our CM gets 2 weeks of her hols paid in full. We also pay 1/2 for 2 weeks we are having off. Then she's taking another week later in the year which we don't pay her for.

Blondeshavemorefun · 05/05/2009 20:01

great you have the piece of paper

now waft it in front of her nose and demand she pays for your extra childcare you will need as she changed the dates

if you are self employed (as my dh is) then you dont get holidays ot sickpay - so not sure why some cm get it - as ALL cms areself employed

obv all want it it costs a fortune for dh and i to go on holiday as obv got the holiday costs as well as him not being paid for 2 weeks,but thats life

Yurtgirl · 05/05/2009 20:03

Sorry X posts

Waft away and see what she says

ingles2 · 05/05/2009 20:04

you do normally pay for 4 weeks holiday. The holiday she has booked with you though.
Thank god you have the piece of paper...
What to do now.....
ummm....
How about....
Cm... I thought I'd got myself totally confused yesterday with holiday dates, but I went home and checked with the dates you've written down for us, here..... have you made a mistake?
Then she can't dispute it and see what she suggests.
I would probably be suggesting 2 weeks now 2 weeks later in the year with the 2 weeks in June unpaid as you are childcare less.
If you think she is trying it on though, I'd look for another CM.

ingles2 · 05/05/2009 20:05

you need NannyNick!
He'll know the ins and outs of this....
He'll probably be around later

aGalChangedHerName · 05/05/2009 20:05

tell her you want 2 weeks money back to cover her hols as she has made a mistake!! Silly bint eh?

nbee84 · 05/05/2009 20:09

I wouldn't be paying her for those 2 weeks in June! - it's her mistake, not yours and now you have to find and pay for alternative childcare.

HappyMummyOfOne · 05/05/2009 20:12

I wouldnt pay for her holidays either, part of being s/e is you dont get paid when you dont work/cant provide a service.

Is it too late to change your own annual leave or have you booked to go away. I would not be happy with the change of holidays without any notice.

FabulousBakerGirl · 05/05/2009 20:13

I think it is wrong that CM want all the perks of being self employed and therefore not working for someone else, but want their holidays paid for.

In your case Orangeknickers, she is in the wrong and you shouldn't pay her for these two weeks as you need the money to pay for your new childminder alternative childcare.

HSMM · 05/05/2009 20:14

At the beginning of each year I give the parents dates when I will 'probably' be taking holiday (making it clear that these are not definite dates). They and I know that we each need to give each other at least 4 weeks notice of definite dates (as per contracts). For example - in Jan, I told them I would probably be taking the time off between Christmas and New Year. Last month I told them I would actually be taking the whole school Christmas holidays off, to go away. I then told them my DD has a dance competition in June, which runs for a week (and told them the week). I confirmed 5 weeks before that I only need the Monday and Tuesday off.

However ... if I give them definite dates, then they are DEFINITE dates and I DO NOT change them. The difference is made quite clear.

HSMM · 05/05/2009 20:15

forgot to say - I'm not paid for my holidays

HSMM · 05/05/2009 20:18

Please do check your contract though, because if she has given you a months notice of paid holiday, as agreed in contract, then you may find it tricky not paying - but the piece of paper (wafting) will definitely help your case.

SmilingEi · 05/05/2009 20:18

i would be a tad too tbh!!
my CM has taken to arranging her holidays during the school hols which means not only do we need to find alternative childcare it is for entire days. and it is in her contract that she has to give 2 months notice and she tends to 'forget' and then tell us about a month before her most recent memory lapse is the last 2 weeks of may which she told me about a week ago my mum (luckily!!) has one of the two weeks off and i have had to arrange a week off work aswell (oh what a chore)
we only pay our CM for 4 weeks holiday that we take and she doesnt get paid time off as during the time she is away we are having to pay someone else usually to provide the service she is being paid for. (basically like paying the shop where you usually buy your milk when they have none and then buying it elsewhere-if you get what i mean)
i would show her the written holiday note and also ask to look at the contract(if you have one) for the holiday entitlement
xx ei xx

Greedygirl · 05/05/2009 20:20

OK I can see your point completely and I would be fuming but if your DS is happy there then is it worth changing?

You must have been so pleased to find that piece of paper! I think it would be reasonable to suggest that she has those 2 weeks unpaid due to the mix up and the fact that you have booked a hol around her original dates.

My CM doesn't charge for her hols but that is obviously not the norm judging from this thread.

What a nightmare!

AtheneNoctua · 05/05/2009 20:28

I would very cross and I would not pay her for the time she goes on hols. I also would not sign a contract that said I had to pay her for hols. Either you are self employed, in which case I don't pay for a service you are not able to provide or you are an employee, in which case you will do as I say as you are my employee. I will choose your activities and I will tell you what you can/can't feed my children and I will tell you who can have play dates with him... oh and I will give you paid holiday.

LovelyRitaMeterMaid · 05/05/2009 20:30

I think the NCMA recommends that childminders have 4 weeks paid holiday a year/

fishie · 05/05/2009 20:34

i pay 50 weeks a year. cm takes 6 weeks hols.

ramonaquimby · 05/05/2009 20:37

wouldn't it be lovely if all self employed workers out there had 4 weeks paid holiday. Childminders seem to want the perks of being self employed AND being employed.

this would get my back up
am pleased that I have term time only contract with my cm

AtheneNoctua · 05/05/2009 20:39

It's not really up to the NCMA though is it?

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