[GreenGardenGate]

Where do I start with this.

Some years ago, a neighbour approached me and asked me would I be interested in childminding for her to mind one of her children who has a disability.

I was just starting off in the childminding profession and I was happy with the proposal and I accepted.

Starting off:
I worked on average 10 hours a day Monday to Friday. Starting at about 8 am until about 6pm. Sometimes staying on just a little bit later but never by much. Sometimes I was called upon for weekends too. Like for when the couple felt like going out. But that was once in a blue moon. It would be just like a few hours on a Saturday evening.
Light housework was involved with my duties of caring for the child. Like whenever the child went for a nap, I got free time to work on some other bits. Like laundry.
I got paid weekly of 410 euro a week. When I was called upon for more at weekends, I was topped up cash in had by 50 euro or whatever.

Everything changed though a the years went by.

The couple I worked for, sat me down one day around about 2011 and said they couldn't afford to pay me any more. So a new arrangement came about. My income was dropped along with my hours. My hours change to about 18 hours a week and I got a weekly sum of 220 euro. There was another condition to all this. Taking minimum wage into consideration - I was being over paid. The condition was some weeks I would be required to work more hours. So some weeks I worked less, other weeks a bit more and I got the weekly sum of 220 euro a week and it was worked that the the weekly payment would cancel each other out. Does that make sense. So some weeks I worked low hours from 15 to 18 hours. Other weeks more like 25, 28, 30 hours sometimes more.

I was ok with the new arrangement and I accepted.

However things have gone completely beyond that now.

Some years late, the couple I work for had another child and I was called in for more and more hours. It was something I slept walked right into to be honest. I came to realise I was very much working full time hours morning time til late. 12/13 hours a day became more regular. My wage never came up to match though.

Not only this, the younger child is nearly 4 now and she was recently diagnosed on the ASD spectrum. So I have these two children and the eldest child too was also lumped into the mix down through the years. A teenager now and is very very moody and bratty.

Not and only that more work within the house was put on me. Like cooking meals. This isn't like something quick and easy to make like beans and toast. This is home cooked meals.

The couple I work for are calling upon me for more and more at weekends to. This isn't a trip to the local restaurant anymore on a Saturday evening. This is having me go into their house on a Saturday morning so that they go away for the weekend and I'm lucky if they come back on the Sunday at all.

I was happy to help for a long time but not anymore. It is their weekends away that has really tipped me over the edge here. Like working all week and then weekends then on top of it. Ifind myself work about two/three weekends in a month and I'm not happy any more. I never signed up work like this. Many times I try to decline the extra at weekends but the woman I work for is very sulky and I feel pressured into accepting when she starts mouthing on and giving me a sorry story and guilt tripping me.

I can't afford to move out of my mother's home, and then I'm neglecting so much about myself and my own family home and chores there too. In 15 years, I will be approaching 50 with nothing to my name of I continue here. A minimum wage job in a factory or shop would have me work less hours and bring home more of a pay.

Anyways I hate what I do now and I want to leave so bad. The woman I work for is a difficult sulky person and I feel she may not take to kindly to me handing in a notice here. I feel like I need to have a valid reason to leave. Something that she can't walk over and encourage me to stay on with her. My mind is coming to a blank as to what reason I give her. In an ideal world, if I had the courage to tell her, I'd be telling her and her husband that there are selfish *****es who never should have had children. They have careers on the medical and finances professions so all along they could afford to pay me but their lifestyles were more important.