# Need advice re working and paying childcare



## kilronan (12 May 2010)

Hi
Wondering if someone can help me Im new to all of this so let me know if Im on the wrong forum. Im on maternity leave at the moment and will be returning to work shortly. I will then have 2 children in childcare, and to be honest I found paying for one in childcare tough enough. 

My question is, my basic pay is : € 485.60 and with deductions etc I come out with 373.05 thats on a five day week. Im wondering if someone could tell me how much i would come out with if i reduced to a 4 day or 3 day week.
basic pay: 485.60
income levy: 9.71
tax: 54.51
prsi:13.13
pension deductions: 30.34
subscriptions: 4.86


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## Midsummer (21 May 2010)

this is a good tax calculator - just put in your annual salary at 3/4/5 days per week.

http://www.deloitte.ie/tc/Default.aspx


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## donee (23 May 2010)

there was a programme on RTE about au pairs on Friday you sould check it out on the RTE player site. €100 a week child care, 2 nights baby sitting and light house work.


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## buzybee (12 Jul 2010)

A lot of the childminders will charge you for the 5 days even if you only put the children in their creche for a few days.  Maybe you could get a relative to mind the 2 children for 3 days and pay them a small amount of money, rather than pay a creche for the 5 days.

I earn the same as you (Clerical Officer, point 3 on the scale)  I take home 400 a week, as I keep all my allowances and only transfer unused allowances to my husband.  I pay 140 a week childminder for one child.  Between petrol, grocery shopping etc, I have to be careful or all my money would be spent.

An au pair might be a good option if you don't mind a stranger in your home.  I would feel a bit uncomfortable but that is just me.  Plenty of people find au pairs ideal.


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## InfoSeeker (12 Jul 2010)

I would have thought that the days of the creche charging for 5 days when you only wanted to put your child in for 2/3 days were finished.

We are based in Cork and a couple of months ago we put our son into a creche for 2 days a week. All the creches we looked into provided a daily charge though there was a special rate if you put your child in for the full week.


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## jmurphy1999 (14 Jul 2010)

I am in a similar situation with 2 kids due to go back to work in september.  In my experience most creches and childminders seem to charge between 45 to 55 for a full  day.  So for 2 kids that would be around 100 per day. If you get somebody to come to your house to mind the 2 of them you might get away with paying about 75 a day.

You earn about 75 a day and it costs money to go to work - petrol, lunch etc.  So in effect you are working to pay somebody to mind your kids and you more than likely will even be out of pocket at the end of the week.

That said I understand  that a lot of people want to go back to work (me included) and the realexpense of childcare is really only for the first 3 years.

If you have a spare bedroom you could think about getting an au pair (cost 100 pw). They are usually very young and inexperienced though and 2 small children might be too much.  You coudl try getting a sessional place (i.e. 3 hours) in a community creche (HSE have a list for every area) whcih woudl cost 60pw. Most places want them toilet trained but you could find an odd one that would take them younger.


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## Optimistic (14 Jul 2010)

Hi. I am looking at increasing my work hours outside of home!! I work part time at the moment and may be able to increase the hours shortly. That would involve getting childcare for our two children aged 3 years and 10 months.
What would be a fair payment to care for both children for 4-5 hours per day, either in our own home or the carer's home? 
In addition, we have a family friend who is available to care for them if we were to go out for an evening. How much is fair payment as we don't want to short change our friend? Thanks for any advice given. Optimistic


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## buzybee (17 Jul 2010)

I always thought that childminders would charge you nearly as much for 3 or 4 days as for the full week.  Our childminder prices were nearly as much for 4 days as for 5 days. 

I wanted to work 4 days but DH said it makes sense to work the 5 days as the childminder costs only a little bit less for the 4 days.  Also he said that children get clingy if they are at home for a few days a week and wont go to the childminder.  He said that only working 2 or 3 days means there is no set routine for the children and that they won't settle at the childminders.  I would love to have another child but the thought of working 5 days a week and paying for full time childcare frightens me, in terms of making a huge effort for very little money. I already take home 260 a week after paying childcare.  I have to pay 30 a week petrol out of this.  I don't pay parking because I park in residential area and walk 10 mins to work every day.


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## niceoneted (17 Jul 2010)

Buzzybee would you not work the 4 days and have the 5th day for yourself. You could do all the things you need to do without having kids hanging out of you. Shopping, housework, hair do, salon what ever else springs to mind.


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## buzybee (17 Jul 2010)

My money is very low even when I work the 5 days, so I would not cut to 4 days unless I was really struggling with full time work.  Usually I work up a day a month flexi, and use this for hols/chores etc.  I have been fairly careful with my hols this year, so I hope to take a day hols/flexi every week from Oct to Xmas.  I don't find the early starts so bad in the summer but I really struggle in the winter to get up and out very early for the 5 days.

Also DH would question if I went on a 4 day week.  He says that he works 5 days and can cope so I should be able to cope as well.  At least when I am using hols for my day off every week, I can tell DH that I HAVE to use up my hols in case they expire.


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## niceoneted (17 Jul 2010)

I hope from the comments from your DH that all chores, household and otherwise are split 50:50. otherwise of course he is coping!!


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## fizzelina (19 Jul 2010)

Optimistic said:


> Hi. I am looking at increasing my work hours outside of home!! I work part time at the moment and may be able to increase the hours shortly. That would involve getting childcare for our two children aged 3 years and 10 months.
> What would be a fair payment to care for both children for 4-5 hours per day, either in our own home or the carer's home?
> In addition, we have a family friend who is available to care for them if we were to go out for an evening. How much is fair payment as we don't want to short change our friend? Thanks for any advice given. Optimistic


 Hi Optimistic, my sister minds two young children for a few hours a week in their home while her son is in school and gets €10 an hour. I also have another sister who babysits at night for a few kids, they would be up for an hour then go to bed easily for her, she also gets €10/hr. There are a few threads on childminding rates if you do a search.


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## Optimistic (19 Jul 2010)

Thanks fizzeline.


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