Assistants - numbers of kids?

**Schnakes** · 19-02-2009, 08:49 PM

Hello - can anyone tell me...Im looking into the future here, 2010. One of my mums has just gone on maternity leave. I will be using the space for a pair of sisters (both under one so variation required). Pregnant mum wants to come back to me in Jan 2010 with both children. Dont want to turn away new parent for the sake of something thats going to happen nearly a whole year away. Am just wondering, if everyone stays as they intend to at the moment, I wont be able to take the new baby on cos then I would have FIVE under fives!! I recognise that Im not superwoman!! Am giving some consideration to hiring an assistant in the new year - but only if that means I can keep all the children.

So...to cut a long story short - if you hire an assistant, does that mean you can increase your numbers in such a way?
Hope that all made sense!!

Cheers,
Sx

**Peppa** · 19-02-2009, 08:54 PM

Sorry I don't know, hope someone comes along and helps soon!

**berkschick** · 19-02-2009, 09:00 PM

I dont know for certain but I do know of a couple of minders around here who have assistants and it has increased their numbers. It hasnt doubled them but I would have thought increasing to 5 under 5 would be ok.

It depends on how much room you have etc too.

I dont know what happens about paying an assistant etc. Do you have to give them minimum wage? Bummer if so, you could be out of pocket!

**Schnakes** · 19-02-2009, 09:09 PM

Ah...okay. Dont really know how it would work, payment wise. Thing is, even if they had minimum wage, I charge £3.90 per child per hour which comes in at just over £15 an hour...so wouldnt be THAT out of pocket!!

And oldie and baby only come 8-3 so anything outside of that would be mine...all mine! Mwahahaaha!!! Erm...anyway! I know I keep asking you this Berkschick, but what council do you fall under?

Basically, I have grown very fond of the family who have just left, and they are keeping the oldie (hes only just turned one, lol!! I just dont want to name names!) with me one day a week until Jan, then the new baby will join him in August, so I really want to be able to offer them places come the new year. At the same time, Im not financially able to leave the place empty till they come back properly. And I dont want to give the new family notice if they settle in well. AAARRGGH! So many thoughts spinning round my brain.

Sx

**berkschick** · 19-02-2009, 09:12 PM

I am under Wokingham Borough Council. Are you under Reading?

I am £4 an hour so know what you mean but in theory you will be working your socks off with 5 under 5 to give 1.5 kids money to an assistant!

Maybe train your assistant to do obs, now that would be worth while! Do you have someone in mind?

**Twinkles** · 19-02-2009, 09:19 PM

Now there's a thought

it would be worth taking on an assistant just to do all my paperwork ( mmmmmmmm cunning plan formulating

)

**berkschick** · 19-02-2009, 09:23 PM

Fancy sharing an assistant Schnakes?

I will even provide her with her own pen and clip board

**Twinkles** · 19-02-2009, 09:33 PM

Originally Posted by berkschick

Fancy sharing an assistant Schnakes?

I will even provide her with her own pen and clip board

I'll share with you.
How long do you think it would take her to drive from ' with the fairies ' to 'In the wrong ' ?

**berkschick** · 19-02-2009, 09:36 PM

A "fairy" long time if she goes the "wrong" way

**Schnakes** · 19-02-2009, 09:40 PM

Nobody in mind at the moment....just trying to formulate a plan! LOVE the obs idea...that would be grand!

I am Readng...thats a shame, Ive been hoping to have a gossip with you about our lot, LOL!!!!

Thanks for all the replies so far, but Im knackered and am going to bed! Night all,

Sx

**Minstrel** · 19-02-2009, 09:50 PM

sorry to interupt girlies- just a point to add-

the minimum wage only applies to employees. so in theory you could get them to register as self employed and pay them what you like. also no hassle of sorting out their tax and NI either.

good luck x

TheBTeam · 21-02-2009, 10:46 AM

I was told by OFSTED that an assistant did not give you any extra numbers, however I pointed out to them that the literature said that it could give you extra, anyway to cut a very long process short, they backtracked very quickly after causing me and my assistant husband a great deal of grief and ended up letting us have more, but not as many as working with someone fully registered.

I am not sure that it is worth it to pay all the money to an assistant for the extras, it worked for us while my husband thought about registering because the money came to the same household.

It is worth a call to OFSTED to get their opinion on house space etc before committing.

**geraldine72** · 21-02-2009, 02:28 PM

hi i think things may be different in england we're in scotland and i have an assistant which at the moment gives me 1 extra under school age kid and we've applied for planning now to get more kids as she's been here for over a year now. it's good to have company also.

Originally Posted by Schnakes

Hello - can anyone tell me...Im looking into the future here, 2010. One of my mums has just gone on maternity leave. I will be using the space for a pair of sisters (both under one so variation required). Pregnant mum wants to come back to me in Jan 2010 with both children. Dont want to turn away new parent for the sake of something thats going to happen nearly a whole year away. Am just wondering, if everyone stays as they intend to at the moment, I wont be able to take the new baby on cos then I would have FIVE under fives!! I recognise that Im not superwoman!! Am giving some consideration to hiring an assistant in the new year - but only if that means I can keep all the children.

So...to cut a long story short - if you hire an assistant, does that mean you can increase your numbers in such a way?
Hope that all made sense!!

Cheers,
Sx

**Pauline** · 21-02-2009, 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by geraldine72

hi i think things may be different in england we're in scotland and i have an assistant which at the moment gives me 1 extra under school age kid and we've applied for planning now to get more kids as she's been here for over a year now. it's good to have company also.

Hi Geraldine

Thanks for that, it's good to know how things differ in Scotland

**Angela234** · 21-02-2009, 05:01 PM

A minder in my area works with hubby and has 5 under 5

Angela

**Pauline** · 21-02-2009, 05:49 PM

Originally Posted by Angela234

A minder in my area works with hubby and has 5 under 5

Angela

We can have 5 under 5 and 2 under 1 if we want........ but we rarely do

**Schnakes** · 21-02-2009, 08:18 PM

it's good to have company also

That would be wonderful. Just before Christmas I had some time off so volunteered at my sons nursery and I cant tell you what a high it was to spend the day with adults! Real adults who were interested in the same thing that you are! (Childcare!!). I spend a lot of time with other childminders but I always feel a bit guarded with them. (Unless they are friends of course!).

Sx

**loocyloo** · 22-02-2009, 08:16 PM

i have an assistant starting in march (

) and ofsted agreed to me doubling my numbers

when she is here! ( a week later an inspector rang to discuss it all with me, and said she wanted to come out and check i had enough space ... i read her my variation letter which had arrived a few days before, and she said 'ok, not to worry' !!! )

i can have 2 under 5 and 2 5-8 ( total 4 ) as my own children are under 5/8. my assistant has 2 children under 5, and they have to be counted as well in our numbers! BUT, when she is working, we can have 3 under 5 ( plus our own 3 under 5 ) and 5 under 8 ( plus my ds ) !!!!

i had to ask for a variation, and ofsted said that anytime i needed/wanted to be over the 4 under 8 i am normally allowed, i just need to call them, as they have agreed it already, and have approved my assistant! but actually, they didn't seem to be at all concerned about the over 5's, just the under 5's.

hth!

i would ring ofsted and ask for advice! thats what i did last summer, and they were really helpful.

xxx

ps, although assistant is going to be self employed, i am going to pay the minimum wage, and give her children tea!