Holiday charges

[jeanettemr1977]

Hi,

I am parent who is returning to work and so had the difficult task of finding a childminder i felt comfortable in leaving my children with. I have managed to do this and am pleased with the lady who will be looking after my girls. I work in a hospital and so my hours are shift patterns, we have worked out fees and the childminder is aware that the hours she will be required to work each week will vary but as they are worked out on a 5 week rotation she will always know in advance when she is required. I have not signed any contracts as of yet as i still don't have a work start date but i have started to fill in all of the required forms. My query is about holiday retainer fees, i comletely understand that i am required to pay 4 weeks holiday a year at half fees for holidays in which i take but the chidlminder has also requested that i pay 4 weeks holiday at half fees for when she and her family go on holiday. This seems completely wrong to me as it will mean that not only will i have to pay her half fees for her holiday leave but i will also need to find another childminder to look after my children who i will be paying full fees for, this will mean i will be paying out triple fees for her booked holiday!! Is this normal practice for the chidlminder to charge half fees for there annual holiday period as well as mine? Seems wrong to me and i have never been aware of it before. If this is the case to save on my fees either myself or my husband would have to book leave when she takes leave so as not to have to pay out for costs of 2 chidlminders! Any help is much appreciated.

[jane5]

I charge no fee whilst I am on holiday But I charge full fee whilst parents are on holiday so really its the same only worded differently.

Basically I charge for 48 weeks of the year and if parents book holidays at the same time as me then it will not cost them any extra. Some minders charge full fees for their holidays and full for their parents therefore charging 52 weeks of the year. It depends what is normal for the area that they live in.

I also charge shift workers 50% retainer fees for the hours they want to secure but do not use every week as I would not be able to fill these hours and would lose money, .
Whilst I know that money is important I would be happy that you have found a childminder that you trust and are happy to leave your children with as I think that is the most important thing when you are going back to work.

I hope this helps

[Pipsqueak]

Just to make it clear - all minders a S/E as I am sure you know and this means that there are no hard and fast rules for terms and conditions - it is up to you the client to ensure you source the provision that you feel happiest with.

Therefore - if the minders practice is to charge for HER holidays then that is perfectly acceptable with the realms of terms and conditions.... some minders do charge, some don't, some charge higher fees to cover for this, some spread the cost throughout the year with payments..... as you can see there is no wrong and no right.

Right, that said, this is now up to you to discuss with the minder (you are happy with) and come to some understanding or compromise that you are both happy with. Consider - what are you going to do if she won't budge with those fees for holidays? Are you happy to find another minder who has more acceptable terms and conditions to you?



Think about it - she is charging you HALF fees for your 4 weeks holidays and HALF fees for her holidays (4 weeks) - this would be equivilent of her charging you FULL fees for your holidays but instead she is halving the cost to keep her income coming in. (This is always hard for us minders... that loss of income during holidays if we don;t charge).

You could try to co-ordinate holidays perhaps that is another alternative.

What happens if you or her take more than 4 weeks holidays?
Some minders charge full fees for your holidays and THEIRS!

I think you need to consider your options - do you like this lady do you want to stay/start with her/ can you live with her t&C's? At th end of the day you can talk to her and try to sort it OR you can vote with you feet and find childcare that is acceptable.

[The Juggler]

i charge nothing for my hols but charge full for parents hols (or all child absences) so as Pip says if you take more than 4 weeks a year you will be better off with this lady than you would with most.

I would sit and discuss it with her. hope it works out.

[rickysmiths]

Hi,

I am parent who is returning to work and so had the difficult task of finding a childminder i felt comfortable in leaving my children with. I have managed to do this and am pleased with the lady who will be looking after my girls. I work in a hospital and so my hours are shift patterns, we have worked out fees and the childminder is aware that the hours she will be required to work each week will vary but as they are worked out on a 5 week rotation she will always know in advance when she is required. I have not signed any contracts as of yet as i still don't have a work start date but i have started to fill in all of the required forms. My query is about holiday retainer fees, i comletely understand that i am required to pay 4 weeks holiday a year at half fees for holidays in which i take but the chidlminder has also requested that i pay 4 weeks holiday at half fees for when she and her family go on holiday. This seems completely wrong to me as it will mean that not only will i have to pay her half fees for her holiday leave but i will also need to find another childminder to look after my children who i will be paying full fees for, this will mean i will be paying out triple fees for her booked holiday!! Is this normal practice for the chidlminder to charge half fees for there annual holiday period as well as mine? Seems wrong to me and i have never been aware of it before. If this is the case to save on my fees either myself or my husband would have to book leave when she takes leave so as not to have to pay out for costs of 2 chidlminders! Any help is much appreciated.

Not sure how you arrived at this figure? If you are paying the cm 1/2 fee and another carer full fee this adds up to 11/2 times the fee?

It is always difficult when a parent joins at this time of year because the cm has already booked her holidays and the parents often have as well.

Do you not have any holiday that you accrued while on Maternity leave that you could use when the cm is away? Does your partner have any holiday could you divide it between you this time thats what may parents have done in the past.

Also you say you work in a hospital and work shifts would I be right in guessing you have rather more than 4 weeks holiday (the Satutory Min for Employees is 25 days a year, so 5 more than your cm) and NHS staff have Bank Holidays and some extra days like Bank Holidays. Also if you are working shifts you can make your holiday a lot longer by using that to your advantage.

Also I would speak to the cm about it she may surprise you and be able to be a bit flexible depending on what she has planned for her holiday.

I charge full fee for all my holidays and I tell my parents in January when I want to book them and we all discuss it and try to arrange it so for the main ones at least, we are off at the same time.

However the couples do have the advantage of each having at least 25 days so there is a chance of using the 10 weeks between them to cover time off and still have a holiday away as a family IYSWIM?

[susi513]

As you haven't yet signed the contract, you might consider phoning other childminders - even if they don't have spaces - to see if they charge any differently. If you really don't like the option you've got now, you might be able to negotiate a different arrangement with your current 1st choice childminder or you might be able to go with a temporary arrangement and get on a waiting list with someone who charges in a way that you prefer.

Across the uk, the main ways to charge for booked holidays seem to be:

full fees for all parents holidays & £zero for childminder closures
half fees for all holidays (usually a set maximum number of weeks per year to protect the childminders income)
full fees for all holidays, ie 52 weeks at full fees


I know self employed tradesmen & women who cram in extra jobs in evenings & weekends to save up for holidays, car repairs etc. But potential income for a childminder is limited by much more than the number of hours per day. If you're having some plumbing work done, the plumber will usually tell you when they are free and you make arrangements for access - its only a few hours/days or whatever. Childminders have to make themselves available for the negotiated hours and have to commit themselves to continue to be available during those hours. When we take on a part time child, we can rarely find another family who requires the unused hours. When enquiries for my plasterer & plumbing friends come in, customers join the back of the queue and wait for them to become available as and when earlier jobs are finished. When I get enquiries, I have to turn away most of them because the hours overlap with those I am already committed to. We are limited by demand as well as by the limits imposed by Ofsted, insurers & councils etc.

So while other trades can pay for their mortgage, holidays, etc from a multitude of jobs, childminders must set their fees to ensure they make some sort of profit at the end of the year from just a few families. If they don't charge something during the holiday periods, they must ensure their rates are high enough to allow them to keep something back to cover holidays just as we should do do cover periods of sickness or accidents.

You say you are pleased with the lady who will be looking after your children ... ask yourself
Can I afford this?
Can I get a better quality service elsewhere?

Always consider what value you are getting for your money - the cheapest option isn't always the best bargain!

[TinyTinker]

So I must be a right meany cm then! lol. I charge half fee while I'm on holiday and full fee when parent on holiday. I do let my parents know my holiday dates 6 months in advance so they usually book the same weeks and then pay half fees

Nobody has quibbled this or queried it

I hope you can come to a suitable arrangement for you both......

[kendie76]

I am a newbie to childminding but i charge no fee for my hols and full for there hols. I work on the undestanding that if they get tax credits then they pay the parent all the time!