how many weeks holiday do you take a year?

[newandlearning]

hello ladies..

I know its important to take time off.. am gonna take a week in August
but was just wondering how many weeks everyone else takes??

For some reason I feel totally guilty in taking time off ..the mum doesn't
want me leaving mindees with other childminders so its all back to her to
arrange care..

I thought the mum would naturally take time off in hols to be with kids..
but I don't get the idea this is happening.. hence I won't get any time
off due to their holidays and am gonna now take time off and not get paid:( ..

how does everyone else do their hols .. do you get paid?? do you wait and
take your hols around your mindees? do you say this '... will be my holiday
week this year'.. or do you ask parents when they are on hols and see
if you can work around them?

sorry for the various questions.. and thanks for reading.x

[little chickee]

i take 5 weeks holidays a year - always during the school hols as i have 3 school age kids a year. as soon as my dh knows when his hols are i book them off. i try and give as much notice as possible. i dont charge when im on holiday and charge full price for parents holidays.

if our holidays coincide i would charge a 1/2 fee.

i have had parent who are not happy with me taking holidays at times that are not suitable for them and have ended up working a few days when i should be off but im not doing that again - i deserve a holiday with my family as much as any one else and my sons deserve a break from having to share me all the time.

[atmkids]

I made a decision to only charge half fee for parents holidays hoping that this would give me some time off. This doesn't seem to have happened as the parents take time off from work but still bring their children to me (unless they're going away). So I've now given parents holiday forms, I'm taking the last two weeks of August plus an extra four days between now and then. I won't get paid but at least I can spend some quality time with my own three children.

[Chatterbox Childcare]

I get 2 weeks paid and normally I take them in August.

This year I have had 7 days in February (half term plus 2 days)

The whole of August (2 weeks paid)

Christmas

and next year I will take 2 weeks at Easter and 2 weeks in August (paid)

[Mouse]

I take one week at Easter, one week in August and 2 weeks at Christmas. Other than that I may take odd days here & there. I only work 4 days a week, so I always have one day off. If I worked full time I may be tempted to take more!

My week in August does tend to tie in with one of the families as they find it more difficult to arrange holidays in the summer. I take the 2 weeks at Christmas as all my families are off then. If any of them worked over christmas & new year, I may not take all the time off, but that hasn't happened yet.

Between us (families & myself) we try to give each other details of holidays as early as possible in the year. I never mind which week I have off at Easter, so I do ask if they have any preference.

I give parents 4 weeks a year when they don't pay for holiday time (either mine or theirs, they chose). When a holiday is due (again, mine or theirs) I ask if they want to take it as a holiday week. It means that sometimes I get paid for my holiday, sometimes I don't, sometimes I get paid for their holiday, sometimes I don't.

[wendywu]

I have 5 weeks in total. 4 weeks in the school holidays and the other week i take in days put onto bank holiday weekends or the easter break so i can go abroad then as well.

But i dont get paid for them. Have to bring my tax bill down somehow:laughing:

[Blackhorse]

I am taking 4 weeks per year.
I am not getting them paid either I haven't decided when yet..but state that I will give as much notice as possible.
Parents should not be making you feel bad for taking time off!! Everyone deserves their holidays..

I will make myself very unpopular, but I have to admit I personally think it is wrong to charge if you are not working. I know everyone is different but we are all self employed and in my mind anyways self employed people don't get paid holidays... (pls note though that I am not trying to critisize anyone who is charging for their holidays..)
I wouldn't pay my plasterer, tiler, corner shop ower either if they decied to go away for a week...
I know some parents are ok with paying it, but I would feed very uncomfortable asking them to pay me for my days off, as I could not justify it...In fact if I used a cm, I wouldn't want to pay that either.
but hey that's just how my mind works...

[Helen79]

I haven't set myself weeks a set amount of weeks off yet I will aim not to have any more than 4 weeks though.

I had a week off at easter & will prob have a week at xmas & new year & will have 3 days off in Sept for a festival.
None of my mindees have ever had a holiday or have any booked this year so can't coincide it with theres.

[Ben10mad]

Last year i had two days holiday.:(
This year ive booked two days of for my son and my own bday.
I cant afford holiday as i dont get paid for the time off.
Think i should probley chane it to half pay then i wouldnt mind taking 4 weeks off.

[tigger]

I haven't taken any holiday since minding. I have had 3 days in the past 2 1/2 years and they were to take my lo's to the Dr's and Dentist and one training day. I think I need a break but I know come the 9th July I will only have 1 mindee 1 day a week during half term and 1 1/2 days during term time so I'm going to get plenty of rest unless I get any new mindees !

[Toothfairy]

I have the week off between Xmas and New Year and two weeks off in the summer holidays.
This year I also had a long weekend at easter.
I would love to have more time off but can't afford the drop in income.

[Hebs]

I take 4 weeks PAID hols a year

[newandlearning]

words escape me.. my 'mum' just came and picked up so I said '... here's our holiday days for you .. we're just taking off one week and a couple of days later in summer (which was gonna be a whole week but I can't afford the loss of wages :( ).. anyway.. I then said 'have you had any more thoughts on when you think you'll be taking time off (as she'd been wanting to go on holiday by herself in summer some time) and she's just said 'well if I going to have to look after the kids so you can have time off I'm probably not gonna be able to have time off too'..

this is what I mean about feeling guilty.. she's equally not paid me yet.. it should have been the 20th june and I asked this morning if she'd mind doing a tt but money still not in my account.

I just don't get it.. I'm not a very thicked skinned kinda person and don't want any bad feeling but I do want time off and paying on time..

You know we had a really lovely day today I took everyone to a nature reserve and we came home with lots of photos and things to make a collage with.. I know I'm dong a good job and feel I deserve a bit of understanding for this.

sorry .. am a bit windgy today ladies....xxx

[Blackhorse]

newandlearning you do not deserve this from mum!!
That is awful! I would be really mad if anyone spoke to me like that...
Does she not at all apreciate what you do for her LO?

I would take time off. You are entiteled to it and she has signed a contract that states you will have x amount of weeks time off...
Be firm with her...and tell her that this is not acceptable...

[rickysmiths]

I agree with Blackhorse you will have to get a bit tough.

I take five paid weeks off. Apart from a couple of days it is all in the school holdays, I have 2 at school and dh is a teacher. I usually have a week off for one of the half terms, 2 weeks in the summer, days to make Xmas and New Year and then a day or two to make along weekend the other half terms.

I give the parents the dates I would like by the end of Jan. They then have two weeks to come to me a discuss if there are any dates they don't like and we see if we can adjust. This way we all go on holiday at the same time and they don't have to hunt for childcare.

It is a long time now since I have felt guilty about my holiday I work 55= hours a week and I need it to remain sane :laughing:

I always explain it at interview and in my experience the parents have more holiday than me. The one with the least at the moment has 35 days plus Bank Holidays and the longest is 36 days plus Bank hols!

I know I have been lucky with my parents but I have had one couple leave in the last two years who after signing the contract, told me I couldn't have my hols in the school hols cause it didn't suit them :eek: I gave them notice and said that the contract could end immediately if we both agreed. They did and paid the notice period and left!! lol

With the non payment I would make it clear that late payment is no acceptable. If they do it again, give them notice in writing but say that if all outstanding money is paid you may reconsider continuing. How ever if they pay late again you will consider that they have terminated the contract and care of their child will end with the forfit of deposit in lieu of notice.

It is horrible when people don't pay, i wonder how they would feel if their boss paid them late all the time? Some people are sooo inconsiderate.

[Roseolivia]

With one family i have 13 weeks as she's a teacher( may have mindees odd days) and take my holidays when they're off (charge half fee), other mindee who i have all year round i take 4 weeks(charge nothing my hols, half fee their hols). I also have B. Holidays off as well(and charge)

[Hebs]

yeah this week i have worked 64 hours just for ONE family :thumbsup: when i expalined i charge for holidays mum was fine
TBh its my business and if i didn't charge for holidays i wouldn't be so flexible :thumbsup:
its a 2 way thing :D

[sarah707]

We go away one week at Easter, one week in the summer and take Christmas week off.

Apart from that we are pretty much open all year.

MOST of our parents manage to remember to wish us a nice holiday :D

[madasahatter]

I take 6 weeks off each year.....I need it! I give the parents my holiday list in October with dates up to the following Christmas. I take 1 1/2 weeks off at Christmas, a week in march (skiing, the most important holiday of the year!), a fortnight in August (anywhere, sun, sea, sand, camping, hotel, uk or abroad depending on finances) and then a couple of days at each school holiday to spend time with my son (and DH). I never never never ever work on my birthday!!!!!!!!! LOL

[Hebs]

I take 6 weeks off each year

:eek: my parents would have a fit if i took that much time off even if it was unpaid

lucky you :D

[melliemel]

I take off the time between xmas & new year, as well as 2 seperate weekes during the year.

Am lucky that mindee does take a couple of weeks hols here & there throughout the year, when he goes away with his dad. His mum usually coincides her hols with mine.

I charge full fee for their hols & don't charge if I am on hols.

Mel