Need opinions on price of childcare

MoonDancer

I just started minding a 4 year old in my home. The hours that they need me change every week, so it is between 4 to 10 hours a week spread out over 2 to 5 days.
Anyway I charge them 5 euro an hour, and provide everything, dinner/lunch snacks etc. depending on times I have him.
The parents just came to me to ask if I would lower my rate to match their last minder which was 3 euro an hour temporarily, as they are broke at the moment (They both work full time)
But 3 euro an hour isn't much. I am a single parent myself & not working so this extra bit of money I get helps out so much, maybe a couple of bags of coal I can get with it.

Am I being taken advantage of? Or is 3 euro an hour reasonable?

The Lovely Muffin

In my opinion €3 euros an hour is taking advantage considering you provide all meals, drinks etc, even if the reduction is only temporarily, when they do have some extra cash are they going to come to you and say "we have extra cash, we can pay €5 an hour" or would they continue with the €3 per hour payment and keep any extra cash themselves?

Or you could remind them that you provide all food, drinks etc for their kid(s) while in your care and suggest that if they want the cost reduced, they provide all food, drinks etc. It might look/sound mean/tight, but if you did reduce the cost would you then be struggling to keep food on the table, heating for your home, etc?

That said, I have no experience with childcare costs (no kids!) so can't say if this is the norm, but I wouldn't think it is.

Happyzebra

I consider 5 Euro too little considering that you supply meals and you are so flexible with hours. 3 Euro is a joke!

blossom180

Happyzebra wrote: »

I consider 5 Euro too little considering that you supply meals and you are so flexible with hours. 3 Euro is a joke!

Totally agree with zebra, 3 euro is an insult 5 euro is also way to low for what you are providing. You are being taken advantage of. I actually had to read your post a couple of times as i thought I was reading it wrong.

Acoshla

I read your post thinking €5 was very little, €3 is ridiculous. They wouldn't get much in life for €3 an hour, and they want their child cared for for that cost?! I assume they would be supplying food if they did convince you to drop it to that...it wouldn't be worth your while to do it for that much.

deisemum

Even at €5ph and it's between 4 and 10 hours pw spead out over the week it's impinging too much on anyones days as it changes from week to week for €20 - €50pw. At €3ph that's €12 - €30pw with you supplying meals and snacks so how are you supposed to make any money out of it.

You're not a charity so I suggest they go back to their old childminder though I wonder why they're not with the old childminder.

highly1111

To be succinct - €3 is, quite frankly, an insult. €5 per hour 'might' be ok if they were providing food. I don't pay my childminder much more than that but i provide all food and juice etc. But with no food provided by the parents it's an incredibly good rate as it is. Call their bluff. Things are tight for all of us.

Moonbeam

What I would do is say that they pay you 30 euro every week whether you do 3 hours or 10 hours and they supply all food,drink and snacks.
If you were doing more hours it would be a different story and you could settle on a fixed price for fixed hours.
I presume you are not registered or insured as if he is the only child you couldn't afford to be.

angeldaisy

I look after 3 (siblings) on a temporary as needed basis, I get 10euro per hour and I provide food etc and do their homework with them. to be honest any less than that wouldn't be worth the hassle and I'd feel guilty taking any more - so for me that rate suits me.

How Strange

Firstly I think €5 per hour for irregular hours is pretty low especially if food is inclued. Secondly it's up to the parents to manage their finances but expecting you to do very irregular hours for €3 is a complete joke.

Moonbeams suggestion is actually quite good. I'd offer it on a take it or leave but it's not negotiable basis. If you drop your rate to €3 now they'll expect you to do it every time they're a bit low in funds.

Surely our children are the most valuable and precious things in our lives so what does it say about parents who'd pay €3 to have them looked after. I know there's a limit to what we can all reasonably afford but there has to be a reasonable minimum too.

sillysocks

My first thought was 3 or 5 eur an hour is ridiculousLy low, until I thought about my own situation. Our child minder charges 30 eur per day (8 hour days), so that's be only 3.75 per hour which sounds like nothing. I never thougt of it as the hourly rate before. However we do supply everything - food, nappies, wipes, drinks etc.
I definitely think at either of those rates they should be at least providing food etc.
If you were minding more than one child it all adds up but only minding one child at 3 eur per hour for only a couple of hours per week is probably not even worth it if you're providing food and drinks.

MaxCharlie

Who looks after the child the other times if the parents work full time? for the flexibility of hours etc i would think 5 euro cash per hour is fine. Its your litter bit of bonus money each week. i would not consider reducing this price.

SAHMOM

We both work full time and pay €200 a week on childcare for 2 children in a creche. They drop and pick up from school as well as feeding them breakfast, snack and dinner.....I think if you are a reg'd minder or not can reflect on your price.:(

MoonDancer

Oh wow, thank you sincerely for the replies!
I don't work usually as a childminder, I always have friends kids over to play & stay over, but never charged. A mutual friend of the dad & I got in touch asking if I would mind their kid as they were stuck. So I offered - the extra money would always be welcome, but I would like to help anyone out if they need it.
The dad works different hours, so on the mornings he's off, he takes care of their son. I have him the other few hours of the day until she gets off work.
I would hope it's not for long. I am doing this out of the goodness of my heart.
I agree they should take better care of their finances and thats not my problem. Any money is better then no money at the moment as you can understand.

ash23

MoonDancer wrote: »

I am a single parent myself & not working so this extra bit of money I get helps out so much, maybe a couple of bags of coal I can get with it.

Am I being taken advantage of? Or is 3 euro an hour reasonable?

Are you declaring your income? If not then you're effectively on the "blackmarket" and as such can't really demand as much as a minder who is registered and insured.
I know that as a single parent (on welfare I'm assuming as you don't work), you can earn up to €146.50. But you would also need to declare it for things like rent allowance, or local authority housing, fuel allowance, medical card application, maintenance calculations, back to school allowance etc.

€3 is a pittance for someone who is registered and insured. If it's not being declared though and you're working cash in hand, you can't really expect the "going" rate.

cloptrop

i was paying a childminder a while back , into the hand we supplied meals for a fiver an hour into the hand
any more and it wouldnt have been worth my while working
i think they are taking the piss wit the 3 euro , the two of them have jobs they are using the recession as an excuse to save a few quid more
tell them for 2 euro an hour less you can give their kid a lower level of care , make him do chores lol
or tell them you cant do it for that and see who they get then

Moonbeam

ash23 wrote: »

MoonDancer wrote: »

I am a single parent myself & not working so this extra bit of money I get helps out so much, maybe a couple of bags of coal I can get with it.

Am I being taken advantage of? Or is 3 euro an hour reasonable?

Are you declaring your income? If not then you're effectively on the "blackmarket" and as such can't really demand as much as a minder who is registered and insured.
I know that as a single parent (on welfare I'm assuming as you don't work), you can earn up to €146.50. But you would also need to declare it for things like rent allowance, or local authority housing, fuel allowance, medical card application, maintenance calculations, back to school allowance etc.

€3 is a pittance for someone who is registered and insured. If it's not being declared though and you're working cash in hand, you can't really expect the "going" rate.

Childminders can earn up to 15k under a tax exemption scheme once they are working from their own home. They do still pay prsi though.

kelle

€3 per hour is a joke! I pay €6 per child per hour for my children to be minded in an afterschool for 3 days a week - and I still pay it during midterm breaks and if they're not there!
Because you're flexible, they should be greatful you're only charging €5!

embee

My childminder works from her own home and has just graduated with her Childcare degree. She charges 4 euro per hour. She takes my daughter for one hour four mornings a week (including dropping her to school, she also collects her from school at 2pm) and I collect my daughter from her at varying times each afternoon depending on my college timetable. I don't have college on Fridays so when I am in college it is based around a four day week. There are periods when I am on placement where the hours are very irregular so some weeks she only earns about 30 euro, other weeks it's over 50 from me. On placement I am only working 3 days a week but they are long days so my mother is involved in childcare also ....I wouldn't mind paying her more per hour but she is insistent on this rate.

ash23

Moonbeam wrote: »

Childminders can earn up to 15k under a tax exemption scheme once they are working from their own home. They do still pay prsi though.

Yes they can, but if OP is on social welfare it's different depending on type of payments etc. It would be factored in for means testing for various payments but would need to be declared to be legit.

MoonDancer

ash23 wrote: »

Yes they can, but if OP is on social welfare it's different depending on type of payments etc. It would be factored in for means testing for various payments but would need to be declared to be legit.

Thanks for your concern, I made sure I wasn't breaking any rules. I can work 19 hours a week according to the local social welfare offices. But they practially laughed at me when I told them my earnings would amount to 15 euro a week....

unkel

MoonDancer wrote: »

4 to 10 hours a week spread out over 2 to 5 days.

So on average say 7 hours over 3 days? That's costing them €35 including say 3 meals. And they want to reduce that to €21?

They both work full time. Even on the minimum wage this means they have a net income of at least €700 a week. Asking for the reduction in rate is mean and rude imho