would you do this??

[mydogsandme]

saw a job advertised in our local paper and thought it must be a mis-print at first. It was written very "poshly" and properly along the lines of "suitably qualified person to take care of our two children aged 8 and 11, pick them up from school at 3.30, take them home (in an expensive area of our town, I might add!) and care for them until 6.30 for which the sum of �10 a session will be paid. Contact me if you feel you may be a suitable candidate" Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that just over �3 an hour!! Plus he's not looking for a teenaged baby-sitter but someone older and more qualified. I'm in childcare myself and I'm on �6.50 an hour! Looking after someone else's children is a responsible job- who is he hoping to get for �3.25!! I felt like ringing the number and telling him so.

[pingping]

i think you should!! especially as the minimum wage is now �5.05 an hour!

[mydogsandme]

your answer persuaded me to ring so I just did- got the answer machine but left a message explaining minimum wage and what a responsible job childcare is! Must get a life....but right is right.

[Mrs_Pegasus]

I am assuming this is a self employed position and therefore, the minimum wage rule is not applicable! For example, my child minder charges �3.00 per hour, she is self employed and I am not being berated for not paying her the minimum wage.

[mydogsandme]

yes, I expect you're right about being self-employed. Still seems like an awful amount of responsibility for �3 an hour but of course if people are willing to work for that that's fine and up to them- nothing wrong with that. It's just in a childcare setting you'd be on more and maybe even have less sole responsibility- I've been in childcare about 15 years myself. One of my childcare posts at the moment is working at home with a wonderful special needs child for which the pay is �9 an hour.

[networker]

May be they are the type that have money as they never part with it unless its wrenched from the fingers!!! No i would not take the position.

[Mrs_Pegasus]

It depends on the area where the job was advertised. I live in Wales and child minders are not on the same hourly rate as say a child minder in the south east. There is no way a child minder could charge �6.50 around here because the majority of workers are based in agriculture and they would only be getting the minimum wage. If you think of baby sitting which this is then �10 for 3 hours work would be the average around here.

My concern would be if the person was being asked to use their own car and their liability in the event of an accident.

[mydogsandme]

I totally agree with you about the car, also if the job included getting a meal for the children. I think that's a little more than baby-sitting where the children are usually in bed and doesn't involve much work. I live in the East of England so wages are not that high, I realize. I did a similar job some years back which involved collecting a child from school, cooking tea etc which paid about �4.50 an hour then, Not sure how childminders work but if they set their own rates then they're obviously happy to work for that, I wouldn't personally apply for a job where the wages are so low, particularly involving children which is such a responsibility and ANYTHING can happen (!) in three hours.

[mydogsandme]

also, I think it was more the wording and tone of the ad that got me and this is the more affluent part of the area. I think they should think themselves lucky to get anyone for that money let alone their specifications.