Notice period!

[Nancy10]

I'm just about to do a contract for a child I look after for 8 hours a week (2 mornings.) What is a sensible notice period from both parties?

Anything you like. Perhaps consider how payment is made... if billing a month in advance, then a month's advance notice could fit.

You could have a shorter period during Probation. So either party could terminate sooner if it isn't working out.

I think 4 wks is pretty common for a lot of CM's, however I set mine at 2wks, as I feel that if I had to give notice, if things wern't working out, 4wks is a heck of a long time.

I do 4 weeks for any child/any hours. If I look after more than one child in a family, I increase the notice period, because I will need to fill extra spaces and could be out of work for longer.

Thanks for your replies, I'll do a 4 week notice period for everyone. I wasn't sure if it was too long but it takes time to fill the spaces!

Mine is 12 weeks!! I might shorten it if ever I get a waiting list though.

I do 4 weeks for full timers and less pro rata for part timers.

Would be interested to know why it is less for part timers? If they only come 1 day a week, then a 4 week notice period is automatically 4 days, without pro rating anything?

12 weeks my goodness why so long, parents really need to plan ahead if there going to lose there job,something comes up at short notice so dont need childcare.
do you have to give parents 12 weeks notice what if you had a problem with a parent/child 12 weeks after giving notice woudl be very long and an inconvience.

I do 12 weeks because most parents start looking ahead for childcare IYSWIM? So for my area 4 weeks wouldn't work as most mums have childcare sorted really soon as everywhere is really booked up.

I can't imagine why I would ever give notice to a parent? I have 4 weeks notice for unmanageable behaviour. Maybe I am a bit naive? I haven't been doing this for long.

On the redundancy issue I'm sure I could be flexible if that were the case!

I can't actually recall why I did a shorter notice period for pters... it'll come to me no doubt!

Navyeyelash, 4 weeks when something is wrong is VERY STRESSFUL. 12 weeks? sheesh!

Well, we had a three month notice period at DD1's first nursery.

Two weeks would scare me. You can recruit a nanny in two weeks (if you must!!) but CMs are different with ratios, location, no of kids you need to find cover for etc. I would be more worried about the two weeks than the twelve.

I see what you mean about the 12 weeks. That is why I increase it if I have more than 1 child from the same family (1 child = 4 weeks, 2 children = 8 weeks). My notice is the same for me, or the parents and I would only want 4 weeks with a strained relationship, not 12.

Bumnoise - let me know if you work out your part timers, because I might want to steal your idea