What would you do?

[derwen25]

Hi I would be extremely grateful for some advice!

I have someone coming to see me next week who wants 3 full days one week and only 1 day the next due to shift work. (So in one month it would be eg:- wk1. 3 days, wk2. 1 day, Wk3. 3 days, Wk 4. 1 day)
How would you go about charging?
My original thoughts had been to charge the full 3 days every week as I will be unable to fill the space on the 2 days they are not there.
But with being new to this I don't want to put them off or miss out on business. So thought maybe charge them half price for the 2 days they are not there? Or would you just charge what they use? The business person in me is saying charge full each week but the other side of me is saying other and not to just see it as £££'s - What would you do?

[Mouse]

If the days were the same each week (ie. you weren't having to keep the whole week free) I would go for the compromise - charge for 3 days one week and 1 the next with a half fee retainer for the other 2 days. If they wanted to use any of the other 2 days I would then charge full fee for them.

[maisiemog]

I have a mum coming to see me next week wanting two days one week and three the next. I will on,y charge for the days she uses. I know a lot of CMs would charge for all the days but I want the business and with two kids all day it would still mean a decent wage.

[smurfette]

I had this before and only charged for the days used , as I felt with a retainer for the days not used it was nearly as expensive for them. I always managed to fit other kids around it, mostly ad hoc so it can work, but in the end they didn't appreciate it and left when they got something they thought suited them more so take care!

[happyfeet2013]

Have u any other children minded or would this be ur first

If ur first I say it could be tricky to work around but I suppose if days are the same maybe

If days change it could be a headache

[dawn100]

Firstly don't undersell yourself and live to regret it.
Will the days always be the same? If not it would mean you could lose out alot financially.
When deciding what to charge in situations like this I work out what is the minimum hours a day I charge for x 3 days a week x 4 weeks to get a monthly figure then work out what a monthly figure would be on charging the parents just what they use, see what the difference is and if I feel I will be losing out too much. I don't always charge for days not used but I like some quieter days and also have adhoc children who sometimes fill spaces.
But make sure you are happy with the figure and don't undersell your self and end up regretting it!

[derwen25]

Thank you all for your views. It has helped alot! I mind 3 children at the moment which are all straight forward - same times/days each week. This just threw me a bit on how to charge.

[pinkellifun]

I had that choice when I first started out and I said to them that I would only charge them for what they used but on the understanding (and written into contract) that if another enquiry came along wanting the same days every week, they would either have notice given to them or they would have to pay the 3 days every week to keep the place open and me from losing business. They were happy with that.