Staff Contracts

[Guest]

I have a new member of staff, and the committe are just getting around to supplying us all with new contracts.

 

The committe have put down that the notice period that a member of staff have to give is 4 weeks. I would of thought that at least a terms notice would be better? Can anyone help.

 

Also they want to pay half termly! does anyone else have this problem?

 

and the other problem is probationary period, they have mentioned 4 weeks but again I think a term. Again could anyone advise.

 

Thankyou

[Rea]

Half termly pay?? I dont know about laws or anything but that seems unfair to say the least. Do they think you go to work for the fun of it? (yes I know it's fun, but really!!)

We have weekly pay and are expected to work one weeks notice for each year we've been there untill 10 years I think and then it changes. New members of staff work a probationary period of around a term, depends exactly when they start. I'm not 100% on this but I think the general rule is that if you get paid weekly you work a weeks notice but it's probaly up to different settings what they actually do. Not much help, SORRY.

[Guest]

As the employer, I changed from weekly to monthly pay, ( sheer volume of paperwork each week for PAYE system). I did this gradually 1st 2 weeks pay, then 3 weeks and then 4 weeks then to each month ( 4 or 5 wk period).

I ask for a months notice, but in my experience, once a member of staff has decided to leave (depending on the reason) the sooner they can be replaced or covered by increasing other staff hours, the better, due to any lack of motivation affecting the rest of the team.

 

Half termly wages?...of course they do mean IN ADVANCE don't they?, ( in my area the grant is paid 50% in advance and most of my fees are weekly, monthly, or half termly in advance). How are you paid now?

 

Changes to contracts mid employment should be agreed by all parties, unless directly due to new legislation ie: minimum wage. Not sure about the legalities of not agreeing to a new contract, might be worth finding out from CAB or somewhere.

 

My probationary period is for 1 month, but open to extension, contracts are given within 12 wks of start of employment.

 

Peggy

[Beau]

I'm in a playgroup and get paid monthly and have to give 4 weeks notice. Our probationary period is 6 weeks.

[hali]

As to probationary period be careful at my good lead good team meeting (think u missed this bit Maz) she told us the period should be at least a term as if they took you to tribuneral they would say it takes at least that long to settle into a job,

 

she also told us that realistically there is no such thing as a probationary period as again tribunerals look at someone who has worked for you weather it be 1 mth or 10yrs in exactly the same way!!!!

[Guest]

We used to get paid mnthly, term time only. So some mths we got big pay and be taxed and others mnths very sml wage. We now get paid mnthy based on a 35 week term. Works out better. We also have to give 1/2 a terms notice.

 

Net x

[Guest]

Thank you for your messages, its has helped alot!.

 

Next month will be my first wage packet. Although I have been working as manager at the nursery since December, the Nursery didn't have any money to pay me. All the original staff were being paid half termly until I started doing their time sheets and handing them in monthly.

 

Now I have recruited a new staff member who will work along side me, The committee still wanted to pay her half termly!. I have always made my feelings known about this but its because they want to cut down the paper work and not incurr the charges for doing the wages monthly.

 

I know we receive a percentage of the grants at the start of each term and I raise the invoices to the paying parents at the start of each half term(which I think should be done by the treasurer!) but the committee would rather have the money put into a high interest account.

 

I am looking forward to my first wage packet and will put it to good use by buying a much wanted trampoline for my children. (This is to say thank you for them being so patient with me).

 

I will also request 6 weeks probation and 4 weeks notice (for the staff).

 

once again thank you and I'm sure I will have more questions again later.

[Inge]

we also used to get pid wekly bit volume of paperwork meant ewe changed it to monthly, although if we have a member of staff who cannot cope with that we can be flexible.. what other job Gives pay 6 or 7 or even 8weekly?? (ask for interest !!!) Tried PLA?

I imagine this may cause problems with any national Insurance that may be due as it is worked out on a monthly or weekly basis not 6 weekly. (With regular increases in minumum wage etc more will be paying Nat Ins and tax.)

 

We gat paid for working weeks only plus 4 weeks holiday pay and if the pre-school can afford it at the end of the year a bonus of 3 weeks during the long summer break to help with the month of no wages. Theamount depends on the money available and this year will be 3 weeks wages.

 

we have a notice period of 4 working weeks. So if there is a break like half term this does not count. If possible we do allow flexibility but from experience when 3 staff decided to leave in 2 weeks it is not always possible.

 

Probationary period for us is 12 weeks again working weeks , and this is on a temporary 12 week contract.

 

Inge

[Inge]

spelling a bit off sorry... cannt find spelcheck!!

 

inge

[Guest]

I pay my staff monthly working out their annual wage and dividing it up across 12 months-that way they get paid during August so no time without pay. If they work extra hours, such as staff meetings attending courses, I add that to the next pay slip.

We have a term probationary period and four weeks notice of leaving.

Linda

[Guest]

Linda, I used to pay over the year like you do, until one year someone who started in April, worked the summer term and was paid throughout August, but then she didn't return in september .So she was paid for work she didn't do. Also if staff were absent they thought that the pro rata daily rate would be deducted, whereas it should be the normal daily rate if not spread out throughout the year.

As you can see, quite complicated.

 

Peggy

[Inge]

We too thought about a salary but as we are a charity we were made ineligable for some grants made locally if we did!! Also as peggy says it is so complicated. Our hours can vary week to week, and they certainly do term to term, with less hours in autumn (all children moved on to school)increasing as the child numbers increase over the year. (our bonus is pro rata so takes account of starting and leaving dates as appropriate)

 

Inge

[Guest]

I haven't even thought about bonus payments!.

We are a charity, so that is why I said I was happy not to be paid, until I had brought more children into the Nursery.

 

This has happened and very quick from only doing 2 sessions a week with 7 children on the books, we now offer 5 morning sessions with 28 children on the books.

 

I have to say I love the children and the parents think the world of the nursery and also say their children do too. But it is a shame about the **** committee.

 

One of my next questions to you all out there, is hourly rate. The original staff which was 1 supervisor @ £6.50 per hour 1 deputy @ £6.00 and 1 assistant @ £5.50.

 

The supervisor has left, the dupty is still here but working 1 day a week and not doing anything except turn up. The assistant leaves at the end of July and does 3 sessions again doesn't do anything except turn up, and my new lady who has great potential and work 5 sessions along side me, has been working for 2 weeks now and start her NVQ level 3 in September who is also on £5.50.

 

I am the only one doing the planning and sorting, but my new lady will have a weekly meeting with me to discuss what has gone on in that week, what we will be covering the next week, and so on. I am called the Manager this was so because they already had a supervisor, should I still call myself manager or move to supervisor? my hourly pay is £5.50.

 

I know that managers do get paid more than this and I would like some kind of idea, so when the committee do find that they have too much in their bank account, they will think about me and my staff.

 

suggestions please.

[Guest]

Dear Kap,

You sound as though you are doing a great job and I hope you are looking to make sure you receive some money for the work you did without payment first before looking to paying out bonuses! You should at least be paid what the old supervisor was paid and if the new girl is showing some initiative perhaps you could look to somehow tieing some increments into her studying. This is really important if you feel she is worth it and you will undoubtedly need all the help you can get. I work for a charity - and we have a very strong committee - thank goodness - we get paid monthly with overtime adjustments made and like Linda we pay over twelve months although as Peggy says you could run into a problem if someone decides to leave at the end of the summer without letting you know!!! It looks as though you are really making a go of it so make sure you don't sell yourself or the staff short just because you are a charity it doesn.t necessarily mean that you have to be the charity yourself. As your group becomes bigger and the workload becomes more make sure you are in a good position to negotiate terms.

Good luck

Nikki

[Guest]

Just to add another perspective:

 

I'm a pre-school assistant. I've been in post for 6 years. I was awarded a level 4 qualification in Dec 2004 (no support from setting).

 

I work 3 sessions/week. I am paid £5/hr for child contact time (i.e. 2.45 hrs per session) plus 15 minutes setting-up time. So I get paid £15 per session (9am to midday, when the children supposedly leave). I do not get paid for staying with children who are collected late or, for working until until 1.30 pm to wash up paint pots, put away equipment, etc. I don't get paid for staff meetings, planning meetings, etc,

 

I get paid half-termly in arrears. Every October I receive "holiday pay" that has been due to me since the preceding August.

 

I am an early years worker - what else do I expect?

 

Diane.

[Inge]

As an early years worker I expect to be supported and paid a fair wage for a very demanding job . i am a professional and ensure the committee know this. They seem to respect the staff for this here at the moment but as always committees change not always for the good.

 

As manager of a charity pre-school I also ensure the committee are well aware of everything we do in our own time and unpaid, which is very little these days. (we do constantly remind the committee that we could all get better paid jobs with no responsibilty at tesco!!)

 

 

I agree with Nicloa, you should be getting at least the wage of the supervisor. I am assuming that as you do all the planning and work the most hours this is really the job you are doing. Just because it is a charity does not mean they cannot pay the employees a suitable wage.

all as it is fairer)

Our wage rates vary for qualified and unqualified staff, so once training has been completed they get a raise, recognition if only a little for the hard work involved.

 

 

I also add up the addtional hours and after a bit of negotiation a few years ago now actually managed to get paid for these. ( i was very lucky to have a mum to support me who was working on the sure start initiative when it started as a parent or I may not have managed it. )

 

 

We get funding to pay for this, it does not all come form the fundraising and parents as it used to, I was happy to work for less then but as we are now given money to cover the wages, training etc etc, feel that this is where it should be going, not left in a bank account doing nothing but gain interest for who to benefit from.

 

The committee worked out the income and expenditure for each session as a base for our wages with minimum wage % increases added each year.

 

Inge