The cheek of some Cms.. wanting to make a profit!!

[thebody]

Ok so DH is watching the Grand Prix and I am bored but reading the flack a Cm got because she gave notice to a part timer in favour of a full timer has really annoyed me.

Apparantly CMing isnt a business but a vocation!!! thats the usual crap that means that someone doesnt want to pay someone else a decent wage for doing a difficult job.

I run a business providing child care for parents, I am a CM.

Of course I love the children I mind but I do the job to pay my bills and provide for my own children.

Just this week a mum reduced her hours to save money.. I have lost that income overnight with no notice.. that happens in our business.

Could all the outraged parents critisising the CM for having the audacity to try and maximise her profits please tell us what they do for a living and how much they earn..

I strongly suspect that they havnt the first clue about running a business or maybe even working at all....

thebody I do do sto for all the other families but these particular two havn't set one up yet, I made it clear that I don't accept cash normally but would till they got sorted. This is the very reason why I don't do cash, too many chances of it going wrong, 6 weeks later still not set up a sto, will be having a chat next week.

I was one of teh Cm,s not in agreement with the other OP, but that was because she didnt in her OP state that she had told the Parents when signing the contracts that they would lose their place if a full timer came along, nor did she seem to offer the Parents the option of going full time.

Saying all that the day that any childcare provider was really appreciated for what we do, paid on time, children dropped off and picked up on time, every day would be a blardy miracle

.

As women all work, wheather it is in or out of the home, we all want to be appreciated for what we do, we all want to be paid, a decent wage on time, and we all SHOULD repect that each of us doing OUR job, helps the other earn a living.

Princess you can have any opionon darlink, I well rememeber our GREAT DEFENDER

I've followed this thread and it has been interesting to read the different views.

My personal opinion is that the OP had not told the parents that if a full time child came along she would be giving notice. She only stated this after lots of views were against her, and it is not mentioned in her letter of notice. It also seems that she didn't give the childs parents an option to up their hours to save their childs place. If I'm right then what she has done is morally wrong. If I'm wrong, then apologies to her and she is in the right.

So does this mean that as a cm you would take one a part-timer just to fill the weeks until a fulltimer came along, without making clear to the parents beforehand that that is what you were doing? Because most of the comments on that thread were made before the OP clarified that she had warned them of the fact that she would terminate if she found a ft mindee. Personally I'm surprised that they signed the contract on that basis, but as they did they cannot be too surprised at the consequence.

Most parents are aware that the childminder is running a business for profit. And that their nurseries are too, and of course nannies have got bills to pay. Whenever I have had a part-time nanny I have explored carefully as to why they want to nanny part-time, and what they are doing on their other days. If they have been nannying for another family again I tend to keep tabs on what is happening, knowing that if they are given notice by another family then that will impact on our arrangements.

Provided that the parent is informed of the rationale at the start of the contract then it isn't an issue. But the comments made on that thread, including my own, were made on the basis of an op which gave no indication that the parents had been told that they would lose the place as soon as an ft mindee appeared. In that instance I just think that actually it would be a bad business decision as it makes the cm appear to be out to deceive the parents (which of course ultimately she wasn't).

One of the problems with Mumsnet is that often people who write an opening post and title forget how crucial that title is, given that it draws people to decided whether even to read the thread or not. Had the title been something on the lines of "I hate having to give notice", or "can you check my termination letter please", then she might have got a different response. I've seen threads on identical issues with a title phrased differently and the argument has gone in totally different directions.

Over the years I have had parents who have sent older brothers and sisters to get the children on...can you guess..pay day. I eventually grew some balls and no longer ask for money or let parents go 6 weeks without paying me (I was soooooo soft). It's money upfront on a monday, if no money has been given by wed then their children can't come, unless I really know the parents and they have actally had the decency to ask if its ok to pay me late, if a parent has an unexpected bill on the same week my hubby has been paid its fine, if not I will try to reduce it and help them. I'm not unreasonable or ruthless but I won't stand for any messin anymore. I also put my prices up a few years ago as I kept loosing money. Need to put them up again really but don't feel right with the way things are. (Maybe I should grow bigger balls)

ATWORKNOTWORKING the bloody cheek of these people. Talk tomorrow and refuse to accept the children unless they bring money upfront

Horrible people to put you in that position though, they should be ashamed.. good luck.x

i still think it is shite to take on a mindee and then drop him a few weeks later when a better offer comes along. it is upsetting for the child. if none of you can get that i am glad you are looking after my child

childminders; you are running a business...keep your eye on the prize....making money!

do a fantastic job, but always do what will earn you the most money, that's the key to any successful business.

i'm sure most parents would drop the c/m like a stone if a better deal came their way.

IMO people don't see CM as earning crucial family money because they are not paid very much so is seen as pin money and therefore not as important if they are paid late.

However, £3 an hour and you have 4 kids to mind, it isn't too bad a wage.

Slightly off topic, but I am amazed at the people who do not pay their CMs. Last year, when I was pg with DD3, working FT and a bit forgetful, I lost my CM bill one month. She gently asked about it a week or so later - I was mortified and DH immediately went back to the car to get his cheque book to pay her. She said 'I knew you'd lost it or something, you are almost always the first people to pay me.'

Now, we pay our bill within 2 working days of getting it (and I will try and get it to her before the first Sat, as I know she banks her cheques on a Saturday) - it's only fair, she's done the work so she deserves her pay. How pissed would I be if my employer failed to pay me on time? But I am astounded that we are unusual in this........

Op, your post did not make it clear what actually happened in the other thread.

Lots of people, myself included, did not agree with taking on a PT mindee and then cancelling their place when a full time opportunity arose. If the Op of that thread had bothered to say she had warned the parents in her original post, then the replies would have been different so your angst on her behalf is misplaced and your following comment is actually offensive.

'I strongly suspect that they havnt the first clue about running a business or maybe even working at all....

It is no good becoming enraged when people are given half a story and it is also unfair to make sweeping generalisations, all businesses suffer from late payments, unfair demands and difficult customers.

'Apparantly CMing isnt a business but a vocation!!! thats the usual crap that means that someone doesnt want to pay someone else a decent wage for doing a difficult job.'

When any of us work with children though, it is more than a business and when we choose to work with children there are additional pressures and difficulties than most businesses and the care aspect has to be balanced up with the business aspect.

Blimey. I wish I'd been in a position to think of my childcare costs as pin money. They took a hefty proportion of our family income. Even now, with only after school care to pay for, it's not a negligible amount.

Still pay on time though...

It's not much by the time you have spent money on snacks and meals plus extra toillet rolls, hand wash paper towels, masses of paper and creative matirials, trips. Printer ink for photos and the oh so wonderful paerwork. I can't think of the other things right now but the money I earn is not my pin money. The rest goes on bills not treats. I know you were giving a reason why you think parents don't pay but I think it's beacause we are on out own and they don't think we will do anything and they know (in my case) that I needed that money and couldn't afford to let it go. I forgot to mantion that I introdused alate fee as well £5 per day for not giving me notice (for the parents it happend most with, still put it in all contracts now) have never had a problem since. We need to respect ourselves and deserve to be paid for the work we do. I know childminders who charge £165 per week and extra for food and trips. Maybe I should sell food from my house, since I had to register as a food premises anyway. I could sell one pot meals to parents who want to spend time with their kids when they get home not start cooking. (also some childminders want part time children so they can spend time alone with their own kids. Others will charge for a full time place if it is not regular hours and ddays)

Oh Poledra...."How pissed would I be if my employer failed to pay me on time? But I am astounded that we are unusual in this........ "

you'd be suprised but i've been lucky with mostly considerate parents. Recently i went overdrawn (over overdrawn ) because a parent was late paying me, of course i couldnt tell her,and she was quite narked that i expected my money on time....cash flow is a big problem like any other small SE business but I still smile when we open the door