Nannies - terms of employment

[draught]

We are looking at hiring a nanny as I have been offered a great part-time job and of course have no childcare spots. We have interviewed a couple through an agency and have a couple more to see. My question is - what conditions do other people employ nannies under? By this I mean
- how many days paid holiday a year?
- how many days paid sick leave?
- If you decide that you don't need them one day because you have a day off, do you still pay them? (I think we should but my husband says a friend of his who is a nanny doesn't get paid if she doesn't work even if she is available to work, so we need to clarify this).
- When do they take their holidays (i.e. at a time that you are taking yours or when they have given you notice about holidays)
- If you are witholding tax for them do you pay their tax on top of their hourly rate, or does it come out of their hourly rate? (some websites seem to indicate this is in addition to the hourly rate, which seems a little weird to me)
- what period of notice is fair for finishing up with your nanny?
- what about public holidays - do we pay for them even if they don't work for us?
Anything else I should think of?

[Chickadee]

These are the "rules" we have to follow for our paying our childcare, which is a family daycare scheme. I'm not sure if there are separate standards for nannies.

- If you decide that you don't need them one day because you have a day off, do you still pay them? - YES. We have to pay for days we've booked, even if we choose not to use it or child is sick. We even pay if we're on holiday and another child takes our spot while we're away. It's considered a "holding" fee.

- When do they take their holidays (i.e. at a time that you are taking yours or when they have given you notice about holidays) - VARIES. Last year our carer took her holidays over the christmas break, which suited us perfectly. This year she's taking a month in July and I've had to find an alternate carer.

- what period of notice is fair for finishing up with your nanny? - We are supposed to pay 2 weeks in advance and so would need to give at least that much notice. We need to give a week's notice for holidays.

- what about public holidays - do we pay for them even if they don't work for us? - I have Chloe booked for Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and still have to pay for public holiday mondays.

Consider maybe if the carer takes them on an outing do you pay for the nannie's costs (admission, meals, transport)? Will they be able to use your car, with baby seat, to take your daughters out? What phone priviledges or other use of your things will the nanny have in your home? If she/he wants to get toys/equipment/supplies do you want them to buy it and give you the bill or do you want to buy things yourself? How flexible do you need them to be about times, if there is a chance you'll be late home somedays or need to leave early?

I'll be interested in knowing how you go with finding a nanny and how it works out. Good luck.

[draught]

Thanks Martha. We have been using family day care too, and I was guessing that similar rules should apply but have been having some heated discussions with my husband, so thought I should see what others thought. Some of the things you raised I hadn't thought about yet, so your reply was very useful.

I have to say - it is a weird experience interviewing someone to care for your children in your own home! We have seen two and have two to go, and then a couple more we can see if we aren't happy with any by the end of the weekend. I have no idea how we are going to make a decision and am sort of hoping one will be a standout success! To complicate matters I start work on Tuesday (but DH is staying home to look after the girls until we have a nanny), (my) Chloe has a cold, and my in-law's are arriving for an unexpected visit for a week :eek: - so all in all I am a little stressed!! Will let you know how I go!

[xkwzit]

Hi Draught
I just thought of a few other things (not my own expereince but I friend who had a nanny for a while). I thought some of these peripherals might help you make up your mind...

You could ask whether they are happy to cook for you (not just the children) a couple of times a week (my friend had a deal with the nanny to cook the family's meal 3 days/week to make it a bit easier for her).

What (if any) housekeeping would you like her to do (washing up the kids dishes, washing the kids clothes, keeping the kids rooms tidy). Anything that she is happy to do for you would lighten your load.

Cheers (and I hope you find a gem :) )

[draught]

We think we may have found a gem - only time will tell of course - but indications are good at the moment. She has lots of experience, especially with babies (and yes - I am still stressing about breastfeeding Chloe and working etc), great references, and is available to start tomorrow for a few hours to help out my husband who is meant to be looking after the girls. I have worked out that after paying tax and her I am really not coming home with much but at least I am happy that my girls will be well looked after for the next 6 months or so, and at least our finances will stop going backwards at such a fast rate!

She has indicated willingness to cook meals to freeze for us (yay!!!) and do things like the girls washing etc. I will let you know how it all goes in a few weeks time.

[draught]

Thought I would let you know that the first week of having a nanny has been very successful. The girls love her, Chloe has been happily taking bottles of EBM and I love the fact that I can walk out the door in the morning and don't have to worry about even having them out of their pjyamas. The cost is the only downside, but if, after some time, we find another child to nannyshare with, it works out to be the same as paying for centre based care.

Thanks for everyone's input. It made negotiating with her much easier. At the end of the day we took the approach that you get what you pay for, and if you treat the nanny well, she will be more willing to give you flexibility when you need it.

[Chickadee]

That's great Theresa. Hopefully having found a good nanny it will be easier finding someone to nanny share, especially if its all set up at your house already.

I'm jealous of the pyjamas bit, lol. Getting Chloe ready in the morning seems to take forever! And I'd love to spare her the time in the car each day. Do you mind if I ask what you're paying for a nanny? I have no idea of the costs relative to daycare.

[draught]

Hi Martha
I believe that the rates can vary widely but we are paying $16.50 per hour. I am aware of others who pay $11 and $14 and $25 (ouch!!). Our nanny is a professional nanny with 12 years experience, all sorts of great qualifictions and references, so once we had adopted the "you get what you pay for" approach, her hourly rate seemed reasonable. If we had been able to get places for both girls in family day care (our preferred choice) it would have cost us $8.20 per hour (total). But - there were no spots for the two of them for the days I needed, and so I have decided there is no point doing the cost comparison (well - not too much anyway!!!)
And yes - it is a huge difference not having to get a little person dressed and out the door in the morning. Doing that last year with one was enough - the thought of two was a little scary!