Don't know what to do...

[claire250182]

Hi girls, I am newly registered (well still waiting for my certificate to arrive).
My friend (20 weeks pregnant) asked me to look after her baby next September which I thought was fine, as I have a 4 month old baby myself who will be 1 in July so I would have the space for an under 1 available. Now she has called me to say work is giving her the full year off so it won't be until January 2013. My partner has registered to be my assistant so we can basically double our numbers once I complete the variation form. I am not sure what to do. If I hold her space open for that long, I could be losing out on a fulltime place with a baby. She only wants me to look after the baby 5 hours a day, whereas maybe I could look after a baby for fulltime hours. Does this make sense? She is desperate to have me. In my admissions policy, I have stated that I would charge a 50% retainer fee, however I would still be out of pocket by charging this retainer when I could have a fulltime child. Really don't know what to do xx

[Pipsqueak]

I think that given the change in circumstances you would be entitled to review the financial arrangements.

You can't take a retainer for an unborn baby so you could suggest to her that she pays you are half fee retainer from say a month after baby is born to reserve that space.
OR
She could take her chances to see if you have a space available come 2013

[candy cat]

just be honest...say i will pencil you in,but I am running a business and can't afford to lose income by holding a place for that long.:)

[claire250182]

Thanks very much for your reply. Is 50% retainer fees pretty average, what people charge? If she paid that from March when her baby was born we are looking at nearly £2k retainer fee :eek:

[MAWI]

I would fill your spaces but bear in mind the dates and reviews things after the baby is born. If she then wants to pay 50% retainer which is normal from when the baby is born, that would be her choice. But you have to weigh up if you can afford to not fill the space for so long.

It gets easier as time progresses and it's hard to put your business head on sometimes but you are running a business at the end of the day.

Good luck with your decision.

[Goatgirl]

Thanks very much for your reply. Is 50% retainer fees pretty average, what people charge? If she paid that from March when her baby was born we are looking at nearly £2k retainer fee :eek:

It is alot, but you're going to be potentially losing the same amount, even with the retainer, for keeping the place. :rolleyes:

If you give her the choice, she can't complain. This is real life and your business and income. Its all a long way away and she'd have no obligation to use your setting if there was a change in circumstances, so my advice is don't hold the space open without a retainer. You wouldn't expect her to sacrifice some of her income to help you out would you? so remind her if she's disappointed, that each space = a proportion of your income :thumbsup:

Maybe nearer the time she wants a place you could mind baby ad hoc and then apply for a variation when she needs to go back to work.... no guarantees, but maybe worth a try.

good luck,

wendy :)