How much should I offer to pay?

[tkband3]

I had an interview for a job yesterday and although I don't find out if I've got it till next week, if I do get it, it'll start quite soon and so I need to start thinking about child care.

I have 3 DDs, all at the same school, 2 in reception, 1 in Y2. They have a few extra-curricular activities during term time. I will be working about 5 hours a day, 4 days a week.

I asked a friend this morning, who has a son in DD1's year, if she would be interested in helping me. She has some qualifications in childcare and is still studying. She has an 18 year old DD who is also studying childcare and who would be available to help her. I would need her to pick the girls up from school Mon-Thurs and have them for about 1.5 hours - on a couple of days she would need to drop them at an activity, but I would be home in time to collect them and give them tea.

During the holidays obviously the hours would increase, although they would also do holidays clubs so she wouldn't have them full-time. I would provide any food they needed - snacks for after school and packed lunches in the holidays.

Can anyone give me an idea of what I should offer to pay her? Obviously I want to pay what's fair but I need to work out whether or not it's actually worth my while working at all! Don't know if area makes a difference, but I'm in North London.

Technically, you aren't "allowed" to pay someone who isn't "ofsted registered" or an "official childminder/nanny/teacher" - but I used to pay a friend who looked after DS for me regularly. And before I'm shouted at by cms/nannies...etc. I don't care what anyone says about it. I use a cm now (quite honestly it gets a bit messy mixing friendship with childcare... just a warning. I did it for over a year but it's better with a cm now... at first I could not even listen to or see why people were sceptical and thought they should all leave me alone... ok I'll stop there).

I gave her what the local childminder rates were as I saw them on various childcare websites since I would bring him/collect him from her house. You could look at see what local cm or nanny rates are in your area and pay that on a pro-rata basis for the length of time she has your dc?

Because they are not registered childminders, they cannot be self employed (i.e. childminders). But there is no reason one or both can't be your nanny. The hours are low enough there will be no tax. I'd say go for it.

Although fair point about mixing friendship and employment.

You are allowed to have them as a nanny in your own home. Around £8 an hour for the 3 of them? As Strix points out the hours are so low that it wouldn't be taxed/liable for NI.

During school time it wouldn't be a problem for her to have them AS LONG AS it stays under 2 hours a day. The holidays are a different kettle of fish and she would need to come to yours for it to be legal.

That's great, thanks very much for the legal and financial advice - and it's a very good point about mixing friendship and employment which has given me something else to think about .

I think that you wouldnt need to pay a huge amount as the mother would have her own child with her and her 18yr old daughter is still training so £8 an hr is too much in my opinion. Not sure where you are based but would be suggest minimum wage for them both really initially (different for 18yrs old to those over 21yrs) and then reviewing it after a trial period of 3mths then you can also both end the arrangement if you find mixing friendshop with employment doesnt work for you.

What I found is that since it's a friend and you're so appreciative of them helping you (even though you're paying them)... you (well I) always thought I should try to pay more and went to bed feeling guilty that I couldn't afford to pay her more, always feeling like I needed to find ways to show how much I appreciated it.
Of course I still show my cm appreciation, but I don't feel guilty about the amount that I pay because it is her rate in her contract.
It's tricky. It worked for me for over a year, and then it just got to be too much.