mother's help: anyone got one?

[mazzystar]

what do they do?

how much do they cost?

i work from home and wondering if it is an alternative to nursery...

[CliffRichardSucksEggsinHell]

It's called the telly!

[followthestarlover]

I used to work as a mother's help. But not a professional one (if there is such a thing)... it was an evening job while I wa at college.
I was paid £5 an hour and I did variations on the following:
getting kids tea ready
feeding baby
bathing little ones
getting littlies ready for bed
putting all the washing away
getting school uniforms ready for the morning
doing packed lunches
little bit of housework (hoovering, dusting, ironing) but not loads.

[starandsnowshaker]

i am a mothers help. my boss works from home so my job is keep the kids happy and away from mum while she works i also tidy the kitchen living room and some other stuff. i get paid £70 a week but only work 16 hours and take my dd with me

[mazzystar]

star ladies - sounds very good.

would you take tots to playgroup for instance?

[starandsnowshaker]

yeah i take the oldest to nursery then the youngest to toddlers on a thursday also sometimes take them to the soft play centre

[followthestarlover]

hmm i am wondering about this now. because technically a mother's help is there to help the mum....

surely if you are taking kids to nursery etc and looking after them on your own then you are a nanny?

[followthestarlover]

found this on a nanny recruitment site

Mother's help - Unqualified but with relevant childcare experience. Mothers helps work along side mothers in the general care of young children but should not have full-time sole charge. They will also carry out other household duties.

Wages
Live-in: £150 to £250
Live-out: £180 to £300

[starandsnowshaker]

yeah thats pretty much what it is. i think mazzy want some1 to keep them out her hair while she works. the reason it gets classed as a mothers help is cos the mum is in the house

[SqueakyCat]

I would understand a mother's help to be working more or less alongside the mother, helping out. Probably unqualified and probably happy to do a greater range of domestic chores.
A nanny is more likely to be qualified, and expecting / expected to look after child /children single handed.

Whether you really want a mother's help or a nanny I would have thought depends on how hands-on or otherwise you would expect to be. If your work is flexible and you'll continue to be involved in the childcare during the day, then a mothers help is probably what you're after. If you need to be "at work" when you're at work 9even if it's in the same house) then it's more of a nanny role.

I work from home but do set hours when I need to be available, plus travel quite a bit. We have a nanny, and have agreed that she assumes I'm 'not there'. While interviewing, I noticed a HUGE (almost double) cost range between newly qualified people and those wtih 10 yrs nannying experience. A newly qualifed person 'nanny' may be the cheapest option. Try calling your local college and see if they can put you in touch with anyone.

[SqueakyCat]

Also, what you need to be clear on is what you want your employee to do, not what you'd call them. There are huge grey areas and overlap between mothers help / nanny / au pair etc. The job title matters less than whether you and the employee are both happy with the role.

[NannyL]

I honestly cant beleive a live out motehrs help could get £300 per week!

Some nannies dont get that!