My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

AIBU?

To wonder why people become teachers and not nannies?

115 replies

LollyScramble · 27/01/2016 13:05

We all know that teaching is rewarding -- but also super hard work and can be very stressful.

I am currently looking into hiring a nanny and I am Shock at the cost. You have to find £35-45K for a Central London who may not have any qualifications in particular.

Meanwhile, the average pay for a fully qualified Primary School Teacher is only £24,001 per year!

Why don't all the primary school teachers go and become nannies?! Personally I'd love to hire a former reception teacher who has been highly trained in child development and knows how to cope with 20+ kids at once. She'd find my DC a doddle and she'd get a massive payrise.

What am I missing?!

OP posts:
Report
scarlets · 27/01/2016 13:07

Interesting! I think that teaching is higher prestige, and more varied. Adult company at lunchtime too.

Report
LollyScramble · 27/01/2016 13:08

... in case anyone wonders about the very odd figure £24,001 (precise!!), it's from here and yes it might be dodgy and yes I should have rounded.

www.payscale.com/research/UK/Job=Primary_School_Teacher/Salary

OP posts:
Report
mouldycheesefan · 27/01/2016 13:09

The average pay for a primary teacher is not £24k, that may be the average starting salary but it is not the overall average. Teaching salaries can go up to £60k+ at management levels.
Teaching and childcare/nannying are not the same jobs at all
Teachers are part of a wider teaching team
13 weeks holiday

Report
LarrytheCucumber · 27/01/2016 13:09

Because some of us would find 1:1 or 1:2 quite boring. It isn't all about the money. Teaching is challenging and stimulating.

Report
nulgirl · 27/01/2016 13:10

Because teaching is a professional career and nannying isn't.
Because I would image a gross wage of £35-£45k is very rare in the nanny world
Because there is no structured career progression or job security
Because nannies don't get the long holidays

Some reasons that I thought off within 2 mins but I bet there are loads more

Report
Hamishandthefoxes · 27/01/2016 13:10

It might be preference about the ages of children you'd prefer to be with? My lovely SIL has just started teaching again after being a SAHM for a while and she is really looking forward to dealing with teenagers again. it is much rarer to find a nannying job with later primary or secondary aged children.

Report
gallicgirl · 27/01/2016 13:11

Well, maybe the whole benefit package isn't as good for nannies. Pension in particular might be pretty basic. I suspect there's also a lot less job security.
I live in Essex and there's an abundance of nannies, can't find a blooming childminder though!

As much as that's a decent salary in London, a nanny salary elsewhere would be a lot less. Also, how many hours does that cover? The difference in the hourly rate between teachers and nannies might be less significant.

Report
bakeoffcake · 27/01/2016 13:12

You're also just talking about London.

A Nancy's salary wouslnt be anything like you've described in the rest of the UK.

And a teacher gets Extra money for teaching in London, so the £24,000 salary isn't a correct comparison.

Report
redstrawberry10 · 27/01/2016 13:12

I think you are comparing gross salary to net.

the 35k for a nanny I think includes all the overhead with employing someone (benefits etc).

the 24001 is the net salary (i.e. what the teacher sees after benefits).

Report
Diddlydokey · 27/01/2016 13:13

www.tes.com/article.aspx?storycode=6000186

That's the teachers pay scale although it varys slightly by academy and teachers are no longer guaranteed to just go up the scale.

Report
redstrawberry10 · 27/01/2016 13:14

I'll add that I think in some sense you are right. Teachers are woefully paid here, and they seem to work like crazy. I'd be all for a significant bump in salary for teachers (I am not one, just to be clear!).

Report
LollyScramble · 27/01/2016 13:16

Nope, all are gross salaries.

In case you don't like that source, here's a proper government one:

For primary teachers:
"The main salary scale is from £22,244 to £32,831 a year (£27,819 to £37,862 in inner London)." nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobprofiles/Pages/primaryschoolteacher.aspx#sthash.LQLqzJKy.dpuf

OP posts:
Report
LollyScramble · 27/01/2016 13:18

That nanny's salary of 35-45K would be based on roughly 50 hours, i.e. 8-6pm five days/week. There's a lot of variation in pay and hours, of course.

No idea how that compares to how many hours a primary school teacher does in a week including all the preparation and planning.

OP posts:
Report
Diddlydokey · 27/01/2016 13:19

I suppose that teachers aren't paid for their holidays so it is £24k for 39 weeks work, pro rated that is £32k.

Teachers also get a defined benefit pension scheme which is a big benefit alongside sick pay, maternity pay, carers pay, death in service etc which I presume you don't get as a nanny.

Personally, I would want a lot more than £35k to consider either! I could nanny teenage kids afterschool I suppose but doubt that you get £35k for that.

Report
nulgirl · 27/01/2016 13:20

You're ignoring all the other points everyone has made. Teachers won't stay at the bottom of the pay grade forever and the pensions and holidays vastly increase the "value" of the overall package.

What kind of pension are you planning to provide for your nanny to tempt them to leave teaching? What is the career progression? Job security? Professional Development?

Report
LollyScramble · 27/01/2016 13:24

I'm not ignoring them, I'm reading them with great interest!

OP posts:
Report
hazeyjane · 27/01/2016 13:26

They are 2 completely different jobs!

Report
TychosNose · 27/01/2016 13:26

Teachers often like getting to know lots of different children though and enjoy classroom dynamics. Not sure that would apply to nannies.

Report
HPsauciness · 27/01/2016 13:30

I think the OP makes a good point. The boards are full of teachers wanting to get out of teaching (not all obviously) and trying to think up other things to do instead. Perhaps they are not aware of how much you can get paid to be a nanny?

Report
LastSliceOfBread · 27/01/2016 13:30

I'm a nanny in greater London. I get 19k a year. I have many qualifications and over 10 years experience. My reputation is such that I rarely interview for jobs in my area and will just be taken on when one role ends.

I work stupid hours and am pretty much always on call. For example yesterday I worked 8am-11.20pm. I have no social life and each of my jobs will last 4 years max. I get last minute changes to my days and hours and generally work 6 days a week.

Unless I physically cannot make it into work I am expected to work, even if it means a tv day for the children while I cuddle a sick bowl.

I am a nanny, housekeeper, PA, and about 100 other roles within the house.

It isn't as easy as people assume.

Report
PurpleDaisies · 27/01/2016 13:34

It is a completely different job! As if teachers are in it for the money anyway. Finding your job "a doddle" might seem great in theory but it gets pretty dull pretty quickly.

Report
nulgirl · 27/01/2016 13:35

You sound great Lastslice and seem massively underpaid for what you do. I'd employ you if I still had pre-schoolers Wink Why don't you apply for the job with Lolly and see if you can negotiate yourself a massive payrise.

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

amarmai · 27/01/2016 13:39

wow and nannies have no qualifications!

Report
StealthPolarBear · 27/01/2016 13:42

Teachers work during their holidays so the long holidays can hardly be considered part of the package

Report
LastSliceOfBread · 27/01/2016 13:45

Thanks nulgirl but I won't be leaving my current family for another two years or so...it's not all about money. I have a fantastic boss and I love my charges.

Trust me a good boss is better than any pay rise. I have worked for some true piss takers in the past! When your a nanny (even when qualified) people have a tendency of treating you as just the help and sometimes a lesser human.

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.