Childcare Help Please

highly1111

Hi
My sister and her husband are moving back to Dublin over the summer and will be living in Dublin 12.
They are looking for a childminder from late August for their 3 year old and their (please god!) 6 month old - the 3 year old will be registered for his ECCE place and so will need to be dropped off in the morning and collected afterwards from the local montessori - hopefully within walking distance of the childminder.
The hours would be from 8am - 5pm and she would drop the children to the childminders home.
She is a teacher and would require childcare for the school term only - she would take the children out over the holidays. She is willing to pay €900 a month - this would be a set amount each month and obviously over the course of the year the holidays would even themselves out - for example, there are no school holidays in September but there is mid term in October -but she would pay €900 for each month if that makes sense.
She asked me to research this for her on her behalf - do you think that this is an agreeable rate??
Many Thanks

The Lovely Muffin

Have I got this right?

Five days a week, eight hours per day = 40 hours per week = 160 hours per month and your sister is offering to pay €900.

€900 divided by 160 works out at €5.62 per hour.

The minimum wage is €8.65 and your sister expect someone to mind two children for less than that?

It seems to me that your sister would want to add a bit more to that €900 per month, it is unfair to expect a qualified child minder to look after two children for less than the minimum wage, in my opinion anyway.

I am not a child minder, but I certainly wouldn't agree to being paid less than the minimum wage.

highly1111

Thanks for the reply. However, she's based that on a figure of €500 a month which is what a friend of hers is paying to a fully registered qualified childminder under the same circumstances - friend is also teacher - for one child.

If I'm right the minimum wage act only comes into play if they mind the children in the children's home - not their own.

The standard rate of childcare is €40 per day which is under min wage also so you can't compare like with like.

If any childminders have opinions there i'd be delighted to hear them.

Thanks

The Lovely Muffin

highly1111 wrote: »

If I'm right the minimum wage act only comes into play if they mind the children in the children's home - not their own.

The standard rate of childcare is €40 per day which is under min wage also so you can't compare like with like.

Have you got a link to this information please?

I have never heard of this, I find it very hard to believe that it is legal for a child minder (or anyone in any profession) to work for less than the minimum wage.

highly1111

http://www.childminding.ie/childminding.htm

Or you can go to any forum on eumom.ie or rollercoaster.ie or magicmum.com and compare rates.

If you mind children in your own home you are deemed to be self employed and therefore you determine the rates.

The Lovely Muffin

highly1111 wrote: »

http://www.childminding.ie/childminding.htm

Or you can go to any forum on eumom.ie or rollercoaster.ie or magicmum.com and compare rates.

If you mind children in your own home you are deemed to be self employed and therefore you determine the rates.

Thank you, I will have a read of those links tomorrow.

I didn't realise that about child minders, many thanks for the info.

nesf

Purple_Bobbin wrote: »

I have never heard of this, I find it very hard to believe that it is legal for a child minder (or anyone in any profession) to work for less than the minimum wage.

This only ever applies to being an employee of someone else. If you are a self-employed contractor you can pay yourself as little or as much as you like. Or nothing but performance related bonuses (i.e. paid per sale or whatever) if you want which would be illegal for a company to offer to an employee.

deisemum

Your sister should speak with the montessori and ask them if they know any local childminders that drop children to thme.

I think €900 is on the low side as it's basically taking up 2 fulltime places because it would be very difficult for a childminder to fill the 2 - 3 hours when the older child is in montessori.

Will the childminder be expected to be on call if the older one is unwell or the montessori is closed for a day or will your sister be taking time off work for these occasions?

Moonbeam

highly1111 wrote: »

Hi
My sister and her husband are moving back to Dublin over the summer and will be living in Dublin 12.
They are looking for a childminder from late August for their 3 year old and their (please god!) 6 month old - the 3 year old will be registered for his ECCE place and so will need to be dropped off in the morning and collected afterwards from the local montessori - hopefully within walking distance of the childminder.
The hours would be from 8am - 5pm and she would drop the children to the childminders home.
She is a teacher and would require childcare for the school term only - she would take the children out over the holidays. She is willing to pay €900 a month - this would be a set amount each month and obviously over the course of the year the holidays would even themselves out - for example, there are no school holidays in September but there is mid term in October -but she would pay €900 for each month if that makes sense.
She asked me to research this for her on her behalf - do you think that this is an agreeable rate??
Many Thanks

If she is paying 900 x 12 then that sounds fair.
Tell her to make sure that the minder is insured.

Moonbeam

highly1111 wrote: »

Hi
My sister and her husband are moving back to Dublin over the summer and will be living in Dublin 12.
They are looking for a childminder from late August for their 3 year old and their (please god!) 6 month old - the 3 year old will be registered for his ECCE place and so will need to be dropped off in the morning and collected afterwards from the local montessori - hopefully within walking distance of the childminder.
The hours would be from 8am - 5pm and she would drop the children to the childminders home.
She is a teacher and would require childcare for the school term only - she would take the children out over the holidays. She is willing to pay €900 a month - this would be a set amount each month and obviously over the course of the year the holidays would even themselves out - for example, there are no school holidays in September but there is mid term in October -but she would pay €900 for each month if that makes sense.
She asked me to research this for her on her behalf - do you think that this is an agreeable rate??
Many Thanks

If she is paying 900 x 12 then that sounds fair.
Tell her to make sure that the minder is insured.

Moonbeam

Purple_Bobbin wrote: »

Have I got this right?

Five days a week, eight hours per day = 40 hours per week = 160 hours per month and your sister is offering to pay €900.

€900 divided by 160 works out at €5.62 per hour.

The minimum wage is €8.65 and your sister expect someone to mind two children for less than that?

It seems to me that your sister would want to add a bit more to that €900 per month, it is unfair to expect a qualified child minder to look after two children for less than the minimum wage, in my opinion anyway.

I am not a child minder, but I certainly wouldn't agree to being paid less than the minimum wage.

Childminders can take on more kids to boost their income and have tax exempt status up to 15k.