Howmuch do you pay for your helper?

[Momof4]

Well, they have lots of colours but it seems to me the dark colour works great. You won't believe this but my living room/toyroom/sleeproom is cream coloured with one green wall, ha!

[treeholm]

Not surprised at all... we must be kindred spirits! And yes, a dark colour will probably be best to give maximum light elimination.

[Cocoon]

I think I've got mine from Rosa or something like that. They were luckly on offer and they were too long. What I did was fold in to two and hand stitched and hang like that. It is thicker now and when I close the curtains it does not let the sun into our rooms. Hope it helps.

I used to cover the windows with black bin bags. Everyday I had to take it off and put it back it was difficult and tiring as the tape would not stick to the walls

[Mamma_Mia]

WALMART!!!

I got purple ones for my daughters room, and I know they have a bunch of colours!


BTW - my living room is dark esspresso furniture, cream walls, cream couches and brown w/ teal accents!

[Dayhome Mamma]

They take care of their taxes Cocoon. Considered more so as a contract worker. Like if you were to hire someone to help install your kitchen tiles. I'm buying someone's service. In this case though, I can't claim the help as an expense for my business. If you go the employee route then you can but you do have to get your accountant to have them on payroll which costs more, you would have to discuss these details and options more so with your tax person...I'm just sharing with you what I do.
never felt the need to have to get so complicated. I'm a private small home based business so I just go about things the most common sense way. Don't plan on going the big business route as its not necessary and more pain in the butt then its worth. way more paperwork, more money to pay accountant, more details to think and worry about and gain knowledge in. Just way too much hassle in my opinion, especially because I'm private and I don't plan on having to do this for many more years. People will say, "oh, but you can claim all that income you are paying them", which I have stated to my spouse as well who had previously owned and sold a large scale business... he advised that they forget to mention how much you have to spend to go that route because you then have to consider having them insured which you pay for, and have to change every time you change your assistant (time=money), you have to add vacation pay, pay for having their part of taxes done, and I'm sure lots more which I don't even know about, but basically all that a normal business does and is expected to provide. If I was running a daycare, sure, of course I'd have to go that way. I feel the business is too small to go the employee route. Maybe You can even write up a contract if you want to be extra safe. To prove that they are only on contract. and just renew it and have them resign every six months, if your assistants even stay that long as this is a high turnaround kind of business. You'd have to ask about that. I personally don't. But You'll also get told horror stories of how someone got hired, and then reported that they were in fact an employee and how the employer had not granted them their basic employee standards such as vacation pay, etc) all which I find extreme and have never heard or known of anyone personally having gone through. Its kind of more like hearsay in my opinion. Either way, its all too complicated. So do the research and see what others have to say. I know there are plenty of moms here who will suggest to follow things in a certain way which they feel is the most right way. But it may be the only way they know. Know that there are many ways to go about it as well that people aren't aware about that are totally legal too. You just have to be smart about it and use the law to your advantage in a way that you are allowed to, or that it is meant for. Whatever you do, ask someone that is professionally invested in these kinds of issues and has the expert knowledge before you go any route.

[Momof4]

Yes, back on track.....sorry for the hijack Cocoon!

[Cocoon]

No worries Momof4.

I have just placed my ad. Wish me luck everybody I hope I will find someone nice.

Dayhome Mamma, I will take your advice and draw a contract and make sure they understand that they are not my employe and they have to do their own taxes.

I'm not thinking of going big to be honest. The biggest I would go is max 5-6 kids and that is normal here in Calgary. I actually read on the Internet that if you are a private day home you can go up to 10 kids but I can't remember if your kids included in that number.

And for the piece of mind, I will use my husbands accountant for couple of years until I know how the system works here.

Thank you for all your inputs girls.

[Cocoon]

OK. As soon as I placed my ad. I have received 2 responses, both from high school students. One of them don't know how to spell or write. She says "I bin" meant I've been. " I no" meant I know. Her email is full of spelling mistakes! I'm very much into writing properly and I don't use text language especially, if I'm applying for jobs. She says she has CPR which I don't really care or need as she won't be alone with the kids. So her having CPR won't make any difference to me.

The second one has no experience but she says she learn quick, which I'm fine with it again she won't be alone with the kids and as long as she follows my instructions we are good. And her writing is good. I know I won't need their writing skills but it is my quirk.

And I'm aware that they can't stay long, just until the school starts. Right now, I'm not in a rush to find someone but it would be good if I can as one of my client had asked me extra day for couple of weeks.

What are your thoughts? Which one I should call for interview?

Thanks.

[Momof4]

Well, damn our f'ing school spelling & grammar system dammit!!!

Ok, now that I got that out of my system, let me tell you that my best friend's granddaughter is my occasional helper, who is 13 years old and feels that $20 for a morning (8am-12) is awesome.

I think if I were you I would set up a meeting with both of these young ladies for a visit at your busiest time with the children and see how they are with the little ones. My young lady who helps out really loves the kids, so whether we are here in the playroom dancing or playing with playdo or out on a fieldtrip to the library or the splashplad she's awesome.

It's all about having the extra hands and the extra eyes to help out and make our outings less stressful or on rainy days to make a crafting/playdo/painting day less messy. I just love my little helper, but she isn't here very often.

[Inspired by Reggio]

My advice for how much to 'pay' a worker is to ensure you follow the laws for your province ~ unfortunately ignorance of the law is not an excuse if you find yourself in a legal issue with a youth's parent if you hirer a teen under age 18 or with the adult if you hirer someone over 18 who did not know their rights at the beginning and figured them out later into the relationship ... personally I would not rely on my advice or the advice of others who 'did such and such' because they might have 'gotta lucky' with getting away with something technically illegal but you might not be so lucky

My advice is to make sure who ever you chose to hire is old enough to 'work' you are following the Employment Standards Act for your province.... why parents might get away with hiring under age employees because they are not legally a 'business' the standards that WE are held to might be different depending on the province you live in?

Here is a link for determining how old you have to be to 'legally work' in each Province ...
http://www.youth.gc.ca/eng/topics/jobs/age.shtml . Hiring a 'helper' who is under the legal age of work you can likely get away without paying them the 'student minimum wage' in your province because they are not protected by it ~ but if they are over that age ~ so for example 14 in Ontario for 'most' industries although some you have to be 16,17 and 18 to work in.

You might always want to check with your insurance company to see if 'employees' are covered under your home business ryder ~ if you are paying someone to work for you and they are injured in your home you want to make sure that you have coverage if they or their parent depending on their age SUES YOU for having an unsafe workplace ... and that includes making sure you are covered while the employee is both on or off your property if you take field trips with the kids!

Determine if you are an employer or if you are contracting the service of a 'self employed person' buy reading through the government of Canada's literature on this because these rules are the same across Canada verses per Province ... because based on what I have read on the difference between the two ... while hiring a contractor to come into your home and perform a service in your kitchen is one thing cause they have all the control over THEIR business and they are providing a 'service' to you there is a BIG difference when you move into hiring someone to come into YOUR home and YOUR business and perform WORK that you control and so forth you are indeed hiring an employee .... because they have no control/autonomy in your home as you make all the choices for your business, they are not providing any of the tools or equipment for the job you do, they cannot hire any assistants to help them or subcontract the work to yet another person, aside from getting 'fired' if they do not perform their work to your satisfaction or if you decide you no longer need them they are taking no financial risk in your business, there is no degree of management or investment held by them in your business, aside from the wage you pay there is no degree of profit for them in your business, and they are not the ones writing the contracts with your clients or with themselves YOU ARE .... therefore by the definitions of the CRA IMO and my guess if you come before the tribunal if someone were to report you ~ you are CLEARLY an EMPLOYER in this situation ....

Here is the criteria for determining employer or hiring a self employed person to read for yourselves ....

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pub/tg/rc4110/rc4110-e.html

So my understanding is that based on that if you are hiring someone 'old enough to work' in your province who is therefore protected by the Employment Standards Act and you are under the CRA requirements of employers you would be responsible to pay that persons EI, CPP, % of vacation pay according to your province and submit their income tax based on their tax bracket and so forth.

I have a degree in Human Resource Management and worked in the field drawing up employee contracts ~ legally employees cannot be forced to 'opt out' of their rights under the ESA or the CRA requirements ~ so even if they sign a contract that DOES it MAY not stand up later depending on certain criteria. So if your contract states they are 'responsible' to pay their own of these you better make sure it is WORDED in a way to be CLEAR TO ALL PARTIES and LEGALLY BINDING otherwise you could still find yourself later having them file a complaint against you with the Labor Board in your Province and having to 'back pay' them EI, CPP, vacation and so forth!

Now from what my peers who've gone this route themselves have shared is they have had a lawyer help them draw up an employment contract that clearly shows that the 'hour wage' they were paid INCLUDED EXTRA PAYMENT of these things .... so it indicated what their base was X per hour which met minimum wage requirements plus an additional A. amount per hour for EI portion, B. amount per hour for CPP and C. amount per hour for 4% vacation pay and D. it stated finally that because the business as a small 'home childcare' business and therefore not required by the government to have a 'GST and other tax submission' account that the employer was not deducting any 'income tax' on their behalf and therefore 'incomes taxes' were not being deducted from the weekly pay cheque on their behalf and therefore they were responsible for submitting their own income tax at the end of the year. My understanding that this is a way to 'clearly' show that while YES you are an employer under the definition of the CRA you've drawn up a contract in such a way to 'meet' those requirements while having the employee submit their own remittances because it is 'easier' due to the nature of your business and employees usually only be 'temporary' in nature and so forth.

Hope that helps ~ and again this is just 'my understanding' from what I have read on government websites and what I learned in school when I took my Human Resource Management courses on Labor Relations and Employment Standards in Ontario ... important to do your own research and come to your own conclusion cause if push comes to shove it is YOU who has to live with an audit or Labor Relations complaint and any consequences of your business choices!