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Original poster

Childminders - what is the situation with paid leave

27 replies

dejags · 19/12/2003 15:31

My childminder is really great - she loves DS and her family are wonderful with him.

She is quite expensive (or at least I think so) - charging £160 per week and I always pay her extra £5/hr if we are late.

When we drew up our contracts I was sure that I was entitled to 2 unpaid weeks of holiday a year (I thought that we didn't pay her for her 2 week holiday). She has since said that we have to pay her for the full 52 weeks a year. Unfortunately I have mislaid our copy of the contract and don't want to upset her by asking her for another copy.

What is the standard - do childminders generally get paid for 52 weeks a year?

Any childminders out there that can help?

OP posts:

Tinker · 19/12/2003 15:33

Hmm, tricky. Most childminders seem to draw up individual contracts and most, in my experience, don't charge when they are away. BUT I do know of one who argued that since you get paid for holidays so why shouldn't she? Fair point.

twiglett · 19/12/2003 15:36

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Original poster

dejags · 19/12/2003 15:37

Hi Tinker,

Yes that is what she says - however it is unlikely I would have agreed to that initially because I wasn't permanently employed myself.

Difficult one I know - I think I should just bite the bullet and ask for a copy of the contract.

Due to illness and holidays with us DS has had 6 weeks off the childminder this year (over and above her holidays) so it just made me think about it a bit more.

OP posts:

twiglett · 19/12/2003 15:37

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Tinker · 19/12/2003 15:38

£50 a day!

Original poster

dejags · 19/12/2003 15:39

Thanks Twiglett - gosh now I feel bad about saying she charges a lot. She really is great and I am not grumbling - just trying to find out what the norm is.

OP posts:

MistletoeandWine · 19/12/2003 15:40

Dejags - Bite the bullet and ask for a copy of the contract. It seems unusual to pay for the full 52 weeks at full pay. I don't pay at all if the childminder goes on holiday - or day off. I pay half when we go on holiday or sickness etc. Full pay for all bank holidays. I also think £160.00 is alot.

twiglett · 19/12/2003 15:43

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MistletoeandWine · 19/12/2003 15:55

Twiglett - I agree about the minimum wage etc and definatley agree about the hard work bit - have lots of admiration for all Child Carers. But £160.00 week is alot - most mums work because they have to and that is a big chunk of what some of us earn for the extra that is left. I don't mean to preach, not at all but as has been mentioned on other threads - the goverment really should do something about the "Childcare issue"

I think childminders are great If I could pay mine £50 a day I would - she is definatley worth it.

twiglett · 19/12/2003 15:55

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twiglett · 19/12/2003 15:58

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normerryxmas · 19/12/2003 16:00

I Childmind part time and I do not charge for holidays - mine nor theirs. This is unusual and most minders would shoot me for saying it, but my views are that I am self-employed and not employed by the parents. Therefore I should not expect to be paid for hours I do not actually work.

Tinker · 19/12/2003 16:01

normerryxmas - my first childminder was like that, if my daughter didn't attend, for whatever reason, I didn't pay

SilverZebra · 19/12/2003 16:04

I don't pay my CMs for holidays. But that was agreed from the outset. We're outside London,
Rates about to go up to £40/8 hours for 2 children.

SilverZebra · 19/12/2003 16:05

ps: I do pay during my holidays, just not when the CMs go on holiday and aren't available!

MistletoeandWine · 19/12/2003 16:05

My DD absolutley adores going to the childminder, so much so she cries when I pick her up She doesn't do it when DP gets her though.

I was a bit gutted yesturday as Dulcie went to see Father Christmas, she is only 18mths old and I thought she would be scared, but apparently when Mr SC called out her name she ran straight up to him on her own!! I cried when I read her day book But she had fun

MistletoeandWine · 19/12/2003 16:06

NorMerryXmas - do you want to be my childminder

KaySleighBells · 19/12/2003 16:08

dejags, my childminder is the same. I pay her for 52 weeks a year. Out of the 52 weeks 4 weeks are holiday. She usually takes these during the year so ends up getting two weeks off at xmas as well because we are not working then anyway and don't send the boys in (although I am sending them for one day this year so that dh and i can wrap presents in peace !)

luchar · 19/12/2003 16:14

Hi. I'm in Manchester and the going rate for childminders is £2 per hour per child. My DS2 is with his lovely childminder in term time only because we have a different arrangement in the school holidays for DS1 and DS2 together. If I was using her full time she wouldn't expect paid holidays. ATM she would still get paid if DS2 was ill or if I didn't take him for any other reason on a day when she would be normally expected to have him IYSWIM. HTH.

StarryStressyHead · 19/12/2003 16:49

My sister childminds and she charges me a flat rate each month having taken into account hers and mine 4 weeks hols and assuming 14 days sickness (on dd's or her part). It works out that I am better off by about £100 a month at the end of the day.

Champagnebubbles · 19/12/2003 17:23

As many of you know I am a childminder too. I charge 52 weeks of the year, for sickness, days off and occasional days. The only time I would not charge is if I am ill, ( not happened in 17 years) as I would not be available, else I am available all the time so a fee is due.

If you don't want your childminder to charge you when your child is not there, she is not necessarily obliged to keep that place open, How would you feel if she filled it with another child while you were on holiday? That's why we chaarge retainer fees, to keep that place for your child and only your child.

Twiglett is right, NCMA reccomend that a minimum of 4 weeks holiday is negotiated, and it is up to the childminder how she wants to charge for that. It is generally down to supply and demand and the market situation where you are. You must ask for a copy of your contract, you have also signed to say that you have recieved a copy and understand the terms of it. These contracts hold up in court and I know many people who have had to do so.

I charge £5 an hour, double before 8.00am and after 6.00pm. I have families where I look after 2 children from the same family, they are teachers and do not consider my fee high. I do only charge half fee for their holiday as they do not wish to use me at all in the holidays, and as I get some 16 weeks at half fee, I am happy with that.

The last family I looked after paid me 6 weeks holiday as that is what they got, we did try to coincide holidays and it worked well.

Payment is the thing that causes most problems, childminders really hate that part of their business, and having to justify their charges. Remember, she might charge you £200 a week as I do, but after all deductions for food, heat, light, activities, outings, treats, materials, toys, etc etc, there is less than half of that left.

If you have a problem, phone the NCMA helpline, they are happy to help parents too.

StarryStressyHead · 19/12/2003 17:42

I meant to say that I'm allowed 20 days holiday and sickness at "1/2" fee and she doesn't charge when she can't mind. She charges £3.00 and hour with a reduction for siblings. We love in South West Surrey so I expect that's pretty average.

Original poster

dejags · 19/12/2003 17:46

Thanks for all your replies.

I must stress that I have absolutely no problem paying my childminder and am more than happy to cover "overtime" too.

It was more of a question of what is the norm - this seems to vary a lot.

I suppose at the end of the day to have a warm, loving environment for your child is so important - I can't really put a price on that. I do agree that the government should do more to help families where both parents work to cover childcare costs - it is prohibitive and my take home pay is not a huge amount after forking out £700 - £800 per month for childcare.

If I had a choice I would definitely stay at home with DS, unfortunately the "not huge amount take home pay" is vital for our survival.

I often think it takes a special person to be a childminder - one child frazzles me at times, can't imagine what it would be like with 3 under 5 all day...

OP posts:

Dahlia · 19/12/2003 21:04

I have just completed a childminding course at college and we were told that it is now common practice for childminders to ask to be paid in full for their holidays and they are entitled to 4 weeks a year. The parents are also supposed to pay in full when they are on holiday. I think that's a bit unfair. My dd2 goes to a childminder 3 days a week and our arrangement is that we take the same holidays and I pay half charge on those weeks. So when I start minding I am going to do that. I live just outside Manchester and the going rate here is £3 per hour. Wish I lived in the £5 per hour area!!!

motherinfestivemood · 23/12/2003 15:18

My lovely childminder charges half rate when she's off, excluding bank holidays when she charges full rate. If we go on holiday at other times we still have to pay her. I think that's fair. Although, obviously, I am obsessed with childcare costs!

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