Childcare on bank holidays

patmelia

What does your contract say? If you have an NCMA contract it has clear sections about bank holidays. It should have been discussed with you before you signed.
Parents need to be 100% happy with what they are agreeing to BEFORE they sign. If there's something not to your liking, either discuss it with the childminder or look elsewhere - its very simple really.
I am a childminder and whilst I do not charge anything for BH, I can understand why others do - It is our job and income, we have bills to pay like everyone else. We also (in the main) work very hard and put in a lot of hours outside of contacted hours for planning etc - we have to follow the EYFS and deliver it to children exactly the same way that a nursery would.

Mojisola

patmelia wrote: »

I am a childminder and whilst I do not charge anything for BH, I can understand why others do - It is our job and income, we have bills to pay like everyone else.

That applies to all self-employed people. If my OH tried invoicing his clients for his time on BHs, I know what reaction he'd get!

Spendless

Is there another self employed industry that charges their customers for Bank Hols they don't work? I'm not saying there isn't. I just can't think of one.

I am amused by the idea that my mum who is an 'old ladies' SE mobile hairdresser with a lot of set weely dates starts suggesting to her customers that she charges them 50% for her not to do their 'shampoo and set' on a bank hol on the grounds she has bills to pay.:D

warehouse

My Wife is a Childminder. She doesn't have any children on Bank Holidays but gets paid for the day. All parents are made very aware of this before they sign the contract.

The 200% thing sounds extremely cheeky. What does your contract with her say?

jansus

I pay my childminder for bank holidays although she doesn't work, and i don't get any pay at my work for bank holidays so it's an expensive day for me

Cherry_Bomb

patmelia wrote: »

What does your contract say? If you have an NCMA contract it has clear sections about bank holidays. It should have been discussed with you before you signed.
Parents need to be 100% happy with what they are agreeing to BEFORE they sign. If there's something not to your liking, either discuss it with the childminder or look elsewhere - its very simple really.
I am a childminder and whilst I do not charge anything for BH, I can understand why others do - It is our job and income, we have bills to pay like everyone else. We also (in the main) work very hard and put in a lot of hours outside of contacted hours for planning etc - we have to follow the EYFS and deliver it to children exactly the same way that a nursery would.

Having bills to pay (dont we all) or working outside your contacted hours (as do many of us) is hardly a reason for ripping people off.

Who else gets away with charging ridiculious amounts for doing sweet fa for a few days of the year?

patmelia

Cherry_Bomb wrote: »

Having bills to pay (dont we all) or working outside your contacted hours (as do many of us) is hardly a reason for ripping people off.

Who else gets away with charging ridiculious amounts for doing sweet fa for a few days of the year?

But its not ripping people off IF explained BEFORE contracts are signed (which it should be, and if not that's a different matter).
As with any self employed person, a childminder decides their terms and conditions - a parent can either choose to accept those terms, try to negotiate or walk away. If you are not happy with the terms, then you shouldn't sign the contract as you are legally obliged to adhere to it if you do.
This is an age old problem, SOME parents complain about the charges/costs that THEY AGREED to.
Like I said, if you don't like it - you should be looking elsewhere - some childminders won't charge - you need to work out which chilminder is right for you - if you don't want to pay for bank holidays then find a childminder who doesn't charge.

idristhedragon

Im a childminder and I dont work Mondays or Fridays! That rules out the problem of bank holiday pay

patmelia

idristhedragon wrote: »

Im a childminder and I dont work Mondays or Fridays! That rules out the problem of bank holiday pay

It certainly does
I don't charge because I take very little holiday during the year and so use bank holidays as time to spend with my own children.

property.advert

My guess is that this childminder is operating at the lower end of the charging scale and can thus make such demands. From personal experience at the other end, bank holidays were never a problem.