First potential job - please help with fees

Hiya!

I think I have someone whos really interested but im a bit confused as to what to charge her.

She has a 2 yr old and 5 yr old and she wants two days a week. Term time and holidays.

The only thing is in term time she wants before school for an hour and a half and after school for 2.5-3 hrs for both with me picking up and dropping off. The youngest goes to preschool.

Do I charge for the hrs the youngest is at preschool as i cant fill that slot? Should this charge be a full day or half a day?

Would you do a set fee for pick up and drop off because they arent with me very long.

My fee usually is £4 an hr. Im in between a few schools so im flexible but this is the furthest out at about 4 miles.

She also mentioned the occasional third day during term but that would be rare.

Eeek help. I dont want to put her off!

Thanks!

What fees structure do you have?
I have an hourly rate, a day rate for more than 3 full days per week, and a before and after school rate (covers upto 4 hours care per day)
If I drop off and collect to nurseries or preschools then I charge for the hours they're not here.

In terms of working fees out:
There are 38 term time weeks
1 week of inset days (so all day care is generally needed)
And 13 school holiday weeks

Out of that, I take 5 weeks holiday myself during school holidays, so only charge for 8 school holiday weeks

So the school child would be
B&A school rate x38 weeks
Hourly rate all day x2 days
Hourly rate all day X 2 days per week x8 weeks

The preschooler would be
Hourly rate X2 days X 39 weeks (38 term time + 1 week inset)
Hourly rate X 2 days X 8 weeks

I charge a set fee did before and after school care, and then my hourly rate or full day rate during school holidays.
I would work out how much you 'lose' by not charging anything for the hours the preschooler is at preschool during the day, and perhaps change an enhanced holiday rate and before and after school rate to try and make up the shortfall.
I would worry parents would be put off having to pay for a space when their child is at preschool, I get its paying for the space etc but I personally don't charge for that time, I have been lucky to get a little one that slots into the 'preschool' time so does 9-245 so I haven't lost the income and parents are all happy
I'm probably too soft though and should just charge them!

I dont have a set structure for this type of thing
I just charge 4ph and 4.50ph for unsociable hours.

I listened to you both and I also took some advice from a friend of mine who is a minder. I decided to charge her 50 per day term time. 20 for the schoolie and 30 for the preschooler. I figure id be losing 20 a day for that slot so i met her halfway.

I have a daughter under 5 also so I only have two slots in the day I can fill. If i didnt have my daughter I would have charged 20. If I could fill her slot im the middle of the day I wouldnt charge her but I expect it would be difficult.

Ive explained why and also suggested the preschooler comes to me as she gets funded hours. She wasnt against that on her profile so it might help tip the balance. We will see.

Ive also offered her a 10% discount on second child durong holidays.

Hope this sounds fair!

Thanks for the advice

You say you have a few school you could cover- this one being the furthest at 4 miles away. It is near impossible to do school runs to 2 schools at the same time single-handed, so think long and hard if this is really the school you want to tie yourself to.
Other work will come along, so don't jump too quickly- consider all the options and how your working day would look if you actually found a mindee from the closest school (walking distance maybe?) rather than the furthest... worth waiting for?

Thats a really good point Moggy.

I googled the school and I was mistaken, its only 2.5 miles away which is better for me. Although the other schools are about mile none of them are within a safe walking distance as I live pretty rurally.

She doesnt really know what she wants but she wants to visit my setting and wasnt put off with my quote. Shes now on about doing half days with me with the preschooler but then im doing three return trips to the same place in a day.

My ideal situation is 2 children under 5 full time at my setting but I know I cant be fussy as that might not happen.

The other problem I have is my car is a corsa so now I have her children them two days I have filled my car up as I have my daughter also and im sure I cants get a third seat in the back.
I dont know whether to get 7 seater now!!!
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I had 2 children in the back and one in the front in my Hyundai i10 for a couple of years, often my own son in front but it's fine if you follow guidelines so no rear facing seat in front with air bag on, put biggest child in high back booster seat in front with seat as far back as poss.
Mid day school run is a pain, I've just done it for a year for my own son and would be reluctant to do it again as it meant we couldn't go anywhere over lunch and always had to rush back for school run. However I knew it wasn't forever and we managed, it will be nice not having it though!

Honestly, if it's not worth your while financially, then it's probably best you hang on for something that fits better if you can afford to.
It's unlikely you'll get full timers - in 6 years I've never had one lol, but doing 3 school runs to a school you don't want to be tied to longer term is not good for future business. Parents at your preferred schools won't get to know you.


When I first started, I would have sold my soul to get work, any work lol
I had an enquiry for 2 families, with a drop off and collection at a school out of my preferred radius.
On a good day, journey time would have been 15-20 minutes.
No car, and it was 2 buses there and 2 buses back.
Bad winter and I'd have been stuffed.

I'm so glad they decided not to use me (due to location) as a few weeks later, I signed up 2 parents with better hours, more money, and a school less than a mile away.

I think most of us childminders have taken work 'just incase' only for 2/4 weeks later get an enquiry for perfect hours, days and a parent who sounds fab on the phone and feel rubbish then.