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Babysitting rate for nanny

6 replies

WellTidy · 19/05/2016 14:17

We are the process of recruiting a 32 hour/week (spread over the three days that I work) nanny for 8yo NT DS1 and 4 yo DS2 who has ASD and a severe speech and language delay.

We are going through a specialist agency and have three candidates coming over this weekend for interviews. They sound very promising.

In the past, we have agreed with nannies (we've only ever had three, over 7+ years) that they will do babysitting in the evenings when I need to work late, or when I go out, which is rare, so they will stay until DH gets home from work himself. We've paid the nanny her hourly rate for that time.

The new nanny will be paid a much higher rate than we've paid in the past, as the agency requires it. This is fine, we are willing to pay it. For info, it is £14.50/hour. We are also paying an agency fee of about £4K for the nanny. We are going to say at interview that regular babysitting will be part of the job, so working late once every three weeks or so, always by prior arrangement with the nanny, never sprung in her without notice.

What rate would we pay? She would usually finish work at 6pm. Both children are always asleep by 8, latest. Would we pay £14.50/hour, or a reduced rate? What is expected and reasonable? DH or I would always be home by 10 at the latest.

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Melawati · 20/05/2016 09:28

We pay the hourly rate to our nanny for each hour she works - so if we're both late back and she works 4 extra hours we pay that. And managing tea, baths and bedtimes is even harder work than any other hours she does in the day! It doesn't happen very often though so it's not a big extra expense for us.
Is the high rate of pay/agency fee because the prospective new nannies have extra (relevant) skills and experience? Does the agency have a policy on this? Sounds like you might not have much flexibility but it doesn't hurt to ask.

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WellTidy · 20/05/2016 11:00

Thanks for the reply, and I certainly take your point about bedtime and bath time. The agency doesn't have a policy, and I wonder whether lots of people pay cash in hand for additional time. Yes, the higher hourly rate is be use this is a specialist agency, and candidates have experience of acting for children with additional needs. We want to go through the books, as we do with everything. It makes for an expensive night out though, paying £14.50 per hour.

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MaterofDragons · 20/05/2016 15:52

Sorry I can't help with your query but wanted to ask if it's normal to pay such a large one off fee to an agency?

I have 2 children with asd and have considered childcare for a few hours a week but that fee is a lot of money right now.

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WellTidy · 20/05/2016 16:08

I don't know, sorry. It's the first time we've recruited a nanny through an agency. The others we've had (only ever had three) have come to us by word of mouth. The agency we are using now calculates their fee based on either a fixed weekly fee, or a percentage of the annual salary, plus vat, if the contract is for more than a year or a permanent job. We are recruiting for a permanent 32 hour a week nanny. If you'd be recruiting for a lesser amount of hours, you will pay a lesser fee. I agree that it's a large fee. The candidates they've put forward have been strong on paper though, and I didn't know how else or how easily I'd find someone with the experience I was looking for. We are not in central London either, which I thought would make it more limiting.

I don't know how this compares to other agencies, or other specialist childcare agencies.

You could also try childcare.co.uk if you want to avoid agency fees.

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MaterofDragons · 20/05/2016 16:22

Thanks welltidy. Its difficult because a specialist nanny would be ideal. I can't imagine a regular nanny would want to take on 3 year old twins with severe asd.

I'll have another look on childcare.co.uk

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WellTidy · 20/05/2016 16:43

I think this is why parents of children with SEN and SN rarely both work. The cost of childcare in these instances is very high. Not that I'm saying the nanny shouldn't get this rate, just that the cost of childcare can be prohibitively high, when you've added on NI, pension contributions and agency fee. If you base calculations on just my salary, I am only just breaking even in working over the next year, but I really do want to work.

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