Fees

[CarlyB]

Do you all charge by the hour or do you do say a set rate for half a day or full day? New childminder and trying to work out what will be more beneficial. Thanks X

[natlou82]

Hi :-), when I started I charged half day and full day. I've now changed to hourly fees. I found the daily fees very easy to invoice and there's no quibbles over hours etc. However I began to realise that my daily rate and the service I offer was ridiculously cheap 7am-6pm including all meals, group fees etc at £30 per day! Also my clients use all of these hours regardless of whether they need them. So I changed to hourly for new clients but they always pay for their contracted hours (hopefully to avoid payment quibbles over hours). As you can imagine I still have clients on my old system as it was my mistake and I am steadily increasing their fees. My advice therefor would be to think carefully, do what is right for you. Don't undersell yourself and service as you will regret it (like me). Put a lot of thought into what you are offering and what your weekly expenses may look like and your income after expenses to make sure you are happy with the outcome.

[CarlyB]

Thank you NatLou that's very helpful :-) I had an enquiry for 5 hours but when I worked it out hourly it was ridiculously cheap especially as I said I include food and playgroup fee's etc. Taking off expenses I'd be doing a morning for £10 lol! I've told her a half day rate which is exactly half my day rate and she seemed happy with that...phew! Thanks for your help :-) xx

[natlou82]

That makes sense :-) I've thought about doing minimum number of hours but tbh it's more about whether it will fit my "jigsaw". You can always say no if it doesn't work for you. Good luck :-)

[bunyip]

I charge by the hour, with a minimum charge equivalent to 2.5 hour's-worth. I have a set rate for before/after school care.

I do not do sibling discounts: two or more from one family is a liability, not necessarily a benefit.

I do not do 'day rates'. I see no point in charging for, say, 8 hours and working for 10. I know some local CMs who do exactly this, and I know some of their clients send their children for longer than they need to becasue it's cheaper for the mums to do that (and why wouldn't they?) :p

[k1rstie]

I do not do 'day rates'. I see no point in charging for, say, 8 hours and working for 10. I know some local CMs who do exactly this, and I know some of their clients send their children for longer than they need to becasue it's cheaper for the mums to do that (and why wouldn't they?) :p

I agree. If I were a parent and only wanted 8 hours childcare but had to pay for 10, I would either look somewhere else or use this time to do my shopping, go to the gym, put the washing on, run errands, go out for romantic meals, visit family, sit at home with a cuppa, put my feet up and watch Jeremy Kyle.
It could be argued that surely a parent would still want to collect at 5, do they not want to spend time with their child, but if all their weekend jobs are completed during the week, they could spend the whole weekend with their child without having to do any of the household chores that usually get left for the weekend

[natlou82]

You've got it spot on guys. Please don't get me wrong I understand completely why the parents do what they do. When I started out I thought that parents would want to collect their LOs ASAP after work and I didn't really mind if they used the time to do other jobs etc. I was definitely wrong about the parents picking up ASAP, they would much rather do all the other things Bunyip has listed before collecting. It's also recently dawned on me that maybe I'd like to finish earlier if possible and actually get my personal tasks done and get a good work/life balance rather than making it possible for everyone but me! On an hourly fee they are more likely to only pay for what they need.

[natlou82]

Sorry it was kirstie who listed all of the child free suggestions lol.

[CarlyB]

I agree it's like fitting a jigsaw together. I charge a day rate for 8-6pm as that's the need in my area. Parents are welcome to collect earlier but they still pay in full as I can't 'fill a space' for 5-6pm therefore I would lose money. I've asked the other CM's in my area and they all charge differently :-)

[natlou82]

The question is do you you always want to work until 6pm? I've found 2 yrs of 7am-6pm has taken its toll and I was very happy when my new mindee signed up on an 8am - 5pm contract (hourly rate). Between 5pm - 6pm I've previously provided dinners so I also save money if they don't need dinner.

[CarlyB]

If honest I'm not a fan of the 6pm finish but that's how I get chosen over the other CM's/ after school clubs in my area as they all finish between 5-5:30pm. I'm in a rural location so a lot of parents don't get bk here till nearer 6pm. I'm sure after a few years of doing 10 hour days I'll be fed up but I can look at cutting down later on. Thanks for all your help and suggestions 😊 xx

[natlou82]

Good luck :-) I'm forever learning in this job. I'll try something and then if I'm not happy I'll change it, one of the joys of being self employed.

[CarlyB]

Thank you Hun 😊