Quick HR question - request to change a starting date

[TheBigBangFairy]

For anyone with HR experience...

I recently (yesterday) accepted a job offer with a particular starting date. I'm now sorting out my childcare (signing contracts etc) and it turns out the childminder needs a few weeks to submit some paperwork before she can take the children.

I'm considering making a quick, polite request to the company to put the starting date back two weeks, but given I already said yes to the original starting date is that going to hugely inconvenience someone in HR if they've already put the employment contract together?

Would it be better to just arrange some temporary childcare to cover the gap? Not a problem to do this really (my mum has offered to do 2 weeks), it just means that the transition from me being SAHM to working full-time won't be as smooth as it possibly could be.

I can't imagine it would cause HR any problems - however your boss might not be so keen if there is a job needs doing - actually if might be a good trainsition to have your mum do 2 weeks - presumably your DCs know your mum well and drop of and pick ups might be easier? is your childminder just starting childminding as it is seems a bit of an odd reason

Thanks for the reply An0therName - and thanks for your advice on my other thread!

It's actually all moot now, since as of about half an hour ago, I just received an email from the childminder telling me she can no longer take my children. FFS. I was going there tomorrow to sign the contract.

She's not new, and the cynic in me suspects that the "4 weeks" delay might just have been her holding me off while she waited for parents of an existing mindee to decide whether or not to extend their hours. So after I (albeit not deliberately) string along one of my job offers, I get the V from my childcare at the 11th hour. How's that for karma?!

Sorry for the vent. Just getting it off my chest since I've got to write a courteous reply now, when all I really want to put is fuck the fuck off to fuckington fuckdom.

Grr.

Had arranged childcare for my DS too, when the childminder texted to say she was pg and leaving childminding. Spent weeks rearranging and fortunately found someone. What baffled me was the people who didn't call you back or who fobbed you off because £300 a month for 2 days a week wasn't enough .

Sucks, doesn't it? This is the second time I've got all excited and happy about finding the "right" childminder for my kids, only to be let down later.

Unfortunately I don't have weeks left to start the search over again, so nursery it will be. There's a nice new one that's just opened in my area, refurbished period house with big gardens that I know DS will love at least. Bit sad for DD, since I'd had my heart set on the 1 baby ratio for CMs as well as a homely environment, but I suppose I can continue the search and move them if I find someone worth moving them for. I'll definitely wait until the fecking contract is signed in her blood though.