Childcare is something that nearly all parents will have to consider at some stage. Nowadays, most parents need to work at least part-time, or they may choose to work.\u00a0 Even those that are full time stay-at-home parents will probably need to utilise the services of a childcare provider at some point during their children\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
There are lots of options available to choose from when it comes to childcare.\u00a0 In this article, we will go over the commonly available childcare providers in the hope that we will make a sometimes-difficult (and often emotional) decision a little easier.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Childminders<\/strong><\/p>\n Childminders are self-employed childcare professionals who look after children in their own homes, from very young babies to pre-teens.\u00a0 They are usually able to provide flexible hours, and are sometimes able to pick up and drop off children, which can make life a little easier for a busy working parent.\u00a0 Childminder rates across the country vary, but the average is \u00a33.84 per child per hour.\u00a0 The benefits of using a childminder are many, especially for the child who will usually find it easier to settle in than they would at a nursery.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nurseries provide childcare to many children at once.\u00a0 They generally accept children from a few weeks old, until the age of four.\u00a0 The children are usually cared for in large groups, with the babies being kept separately from the older ones.\u00a0 Many parents prefer to have a childminder or nanny to provide childcare for their little ones because the busy environment of a nursery can be too much for a baby or toddler.\u00a0 However, some children thrive on the stimulating and structured environment of a nursery \u2013 it all depends on the child\u2019s individual temperament.\u00a0 Nursery fees vary, but for a child under two it can cost \u00a3177 per week for a full-time place \u2013 even more in inner London.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nannies provide childcare in the child\u2019s home, and usually live on-site.\u00a0 You would be the nanny\u2019s employer, and therefore would be responsible for paying her tax and NI contributions.\u00a0 Nannies are a popular childcare choice with parents who both work long hours.\u00a0 They are generally the most expensive childcare provider, with their take-home wages ranging from \u00a3280-\u00a3380 per week.\u00a0 Many parents see this as a small price to pay to have their childcare provider on site, available for unsociable hours if she is needed (although her hours will need to be agreed upon in advance and contracted).\u00a0 There is also an emotional benefit to the children, who will be looked after by the same person each day in a familiar environment.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Au pairs are usually the cheapest childcare option, as they don\u2019t generally charge a real wage.\u00a0 They will live in your home, so you will be required to feed them and house them, as well as paying them pocket money of a minimum of \u00a365 per week if they are working 25 hours. Au pairs come from other European countries, and come to the UK on au pair schemes to improve their English whilst doing some babysitting to earn money.\u00a0 They will also usually do some housekeeping.\u00a0 Au pairs should be treated as part of the family rather than an employee, and they shouldn\u2019t be required to work the same long hours of a nanny because they need time to study.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Childcare is something that nearly all parents will have to consider at some stage. Nowadays, most parents need to work at least part-time, or they may choose to work.슠 Even those that are full time stay-at-home parents will probably need to utilise the services of a childcare provider at some point during their childrens lives. … Continue reading “Childcare: Which Provider is Right for You?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,6,16],"tags":[89,97,296],"class_list":["post-146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-childcare","category-childminders","category-nannies","tag-childcare","tag-childminders","tag-nannies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Nurseries<\/h1>\n
Nannies<\/h1>\n
Au Pairs<\/h1>\n