Childminder's rates?

LegacyUser

Hi everyone, just a quick one you guys might be able to advise me on. I may be minding someone's child for two days a week soon when the lady returns to work part-time. It would be 9 - 5 both days so 16 hours altogether. I have a child myself too and the extra cash would definitely come in handy for me. Money hasn't been discussed yet though and I'm unsure of what is the going rate for this these days? My mother says I should expect 150 euros for two days but everyone else I've talked to seems to think this is excessive and that I'll never get that much (she isn't going out to work to hand all her wages straight over to me I guess!). My mam used to mind a child 18 hours a week and got paid that much so that's why she's using that as a benchmark but maybe that particular couple were just very good employers!
I don't want to overstep the mark but I do want to make as much as I can for my own sake too coz taking on someone else's small baby is a big responsibility. (She's not family or a friend so at least it's not awkward that way.)
What are your experiences, either of childminding or paying a childminder? What number should I realistically and fairly be looking for?

LashingLady

I think €75 a day is a bit excessive too to be honest. I you were minding a child in their home you would expect to be paid that as it is comparable to minimum wage, but for minding in your own home you don't get as much.

I know in the creche where my 2 yr old is here in Dublin it is €60 for a full day and that includes food etc.

I'm not sure where I saw it before but I'm thinking you should be looking at anything from €30-€45 a day depending on where you are in the country, with the higher amounts in Dublin and other cities.

Now I could be way off but I definitely think that the expectation is that a childminder is cheaper than a creche or nanny as the miinder has the freedom to go about their own business and also has hte option to mind more than one child.

deisemum

I think €150 for 2 days is just greedy if the child is being minded in the minder's home. Your mother was an employee so then she would have at least been paid minimum wage. There's a big difference between being an employee and a service provider from a legal and financial position.

I'm a qualified, insured, notified childminder with years of experience and wouldn't even consider charging €150 for 2 days minding, for part-timers I charge €35 a day or €150 per week for fulltime and I supply all meals, activities, outings etc. and my day would normally be longer than 8 hours. My rates are comparable with most listed minders in my city.

LegacyUser

Sorry, maybe I was unclear. My mam wasn't employed by a company or anything, she just looked after a child a couple of days a week like I'm thinking of doing. I guess maybe they were just generous payers.
I thought alright that 75 a day was a lot but then I think 35 a day is really little considering the responsibility you're taking on. For eight hours work that's just over 4 euro an hour. I think I would expect at least 7 / 7.50. It's still not minimum wage so that's not too much to ask surely?

ruffmut

We send our two children to a fully registered childminder in her own home. We pay €225 for five days and they can be there from 8am to 6pm if we need them to be there that late. This also includes all their food.

LashingLady

See the thing is a nanny minding a child in the child's home can expect minimum wage but a childminder can't expect min wage from one child. A childminder is not an employee/employer situation you're providing a service.

In the end of the day while you are minding the child you are in your own home where you are also minding your own child and free to do your chores and do your shopping and make dinner etc. Generally in a job where you are earning min wage you would not have the luxury to get on with your own business. You're also free to offer your services to other children so you could potentially earn multiples of the daily rate. I'm not trying to be smart or anything just trying to explain why you can't expect to get comparable rates for childminding as nannying.

You could ask on the childcare issues board on Rollercoaster for rates specific to your general area. I've seen childminders post there on this subject.

deisemum

Minimum wage does not apply when you're a self-employed childminder and if you want to earn more money while childminding then you take on other children.

All of my mindees with the one exception are part-time as so many people have had their hours cut, wages reduced or those lucky enough have family that can share childcare with me so it's a lot of juggling so my hourly rate varies from as low as €3 ph to €10 or €11ph and a lot less when it's not term time. Then expenses have to be taken out of that.

LegacyUser

Thanks guys. I guess it varies from minder to minder and mindee to mindee. I think I will give it some more thought, not sure I want to take on that big a responsibility (and it would be as this would be a very young baby, my own child is almost ten ) for less than 50 euro a day. Thanks anyway.

Woddle

I mind 2 kids Mon-Wed, 8am till 4:30 pm in my own home and I charge 165 euro, the kids are 6 and 4 and get dropped to school and collected by myself. I'm lucky enough that the kids are in the same school as my own, but based on what I get I reckon you should be looking at about 80 /90 euro.

MelanieC

My sister babysat a three month old baby the other night and got 30 euro for just over three hours. Apparently that's pretty much the going rate - a tenner an hour. So why would you mind a baby all day long for 30 euro then? It's not easy work. The baby was asleep the whole time she was there so she just watched TV all night and then got 30 quid into her hand. I don't understand why people would pay more for babysitting at night when the child is most likely going to be asleep than all day long when a lot more "looking after" the child is required. Surely it should be the other way round?

LegacyUser

I agree. It doesn't make sense to pay more money for less work and less money for more work!
Taking care of a child's every need all day long is a lot more of a responsibility than just "being there" while the child is asleep at night.
I just don't get it.

tscul32

MelanieC wrote: »

My sister babysat a three month old baby the other night and got 30 euro for just over three hours. Apparently that's pretty much the going rate - a tenner an hour. So why would you mind a baby all day long for 30 euro then? It's not easy work. The baby was asleep the whole time she was there so she just watched TV all night and then got 30 quid into her hand. I don't understand why people would pay more for babysitting at night when the child is most likely going to be asleep than all day long when a lot more "looking after" the child is required. Surely it should be the other way round?

The reason is that there aren't very many people who could afford to pay €10 ph for a 10 hr day (8-6). That would be €2k per month for one child. What happens then if you have a second, nearly €4k?? Who could pay that?
As has been stated, you are entitled to take on extra children and if you wnat to look at it as a job then you've to consider that you are saving on your own childcare while you are 'at work'. If you earn €4 ph and take in 2 children then it's €8 ph. Factor in the €4 ph that you would have to pay for your own childcare if you were working outside your home and it's the equivalent of €12 ph. Not bad if, as I assume from your posts, that you are completely unqualified.
Babysitters usually get paid more as it's unsociable hours and kinda like contracting, contractors get paid more per hour but without the job security.
At the end of the day, if you're not doing this because you want to earn some money from childminding, i.e. you're not actively seeking it and unwilling to take more than just this one child, then it may not be worth your while for the inconvenience. But the fact remains that the going rate seems to be around €35 - €45 per day and I doubt your friend will be willing to pay much more than that.

amma

Hi, I don't know where you are based but in Westmeath the going rate is €35 for an 8 hour day and €45 for a ten hour day, per child. Hope this helps.

Rabidlamb

We're based near Carlow.

€250 per week per 5 day week (8:30-5:30) paid 52 weeks a year for 48 weeks of service.
We have a 1 & a 3 year old, we also provide the food.

So €50 a day for 2 kids.

LegacyUser

Hi Ive just read all the comments above re childminding in minders own home. Im in a similar situation but I will be working in the childrens home. They are seven and four years old. They will be dropped to school by their parents but Ill be collecting them from school at two different times. They also would like me to do some house keeping until the children come home. Work hours 9.30 - 5.30. How much do you think I should be expect to be paid per day?

deisemum

Anita Young wrote: »

Hi Ive just read all the comments above re childminding in minders own home. Im in a similar situation but I will be working in the childrens home. They are seven and four years old. They will be dropped to school by their parents but Ill be collecting them from school at two different times. They also would like me to do some house keeping until the children come home. Work hours 9.30 - 5.30. How much do you think I should be expect to be paid per day?

The parents become your employer and are legally obliged to do so with the Revenue. At the very least you should get minimum wage, paid holidays, prsi paid.

LegacyUser

Thanks Deisemum - that's helpful

LegacyUser

I paid childminder 60 per day for two kids 2 and3 yrs in kids home 8-430 each day for 3 days per week 180 in total. Is that the norm?

LegacyUser

I recently got a childminder to do holiday cover whilst my other childminder was on holidays ! Her going rate was €5 an hour ! 6 days based over 2 weeks ! In total she minded my son for 54 hours ! It was in her house he got breakfast one or two mornings and lunch but no dinner as I was home round 4/5 I clock ! My don is almost 9 years old she charged € 270 I was shocked as I work for €8.65 an hour this worked out €45 a day crazy money !!

AlanG

I have seen good childminders vary from 25 to 40 per day depending on how many kids they mind.