Oh, no - another "Is this salary reasonable for a central London nanny" thread ... but I need your help!

Just seen your update!

She was obviously a very money led person!

Very best of luck in your search for a more hands on nanny with a 'can do' attitude who isn't going to burn more of a hole in your pocket than is necessary

Your nanny is doing very well indeed to be on £500 npw for 47.5 hours a week!!

£550 per week works out at £11.57 per hour!!

I am a nanny myself, working 50 hours in a nanny share in north London and am VERY happy to be taking home £500 npw. I have a 14 month old and an 8 month old to look after and do laundry and cooking for and feel my salary is perfectly adequate.

There are nannies out there, I am afraid to say, who are simply asking for too much tbh.

The going rate for a qualified, experienced nanny is £9-10 per hour net so your nanny is already above with £10.50 per hour......lucky nanny

I think some discussion is needed, ESPECIALLY as she doesn't even do laundry etc.

Our nanny works 10.5hrs/day for 5 days a week (for a 3.4 and 2.11 yr old, and am currently on leave expecting another baby any day. She has over 20 years experience, and is extremely helpful in lots of little ways which makes paying top end worthwhile.

I think top end, which 550 net per week IS, should be for more experience, for a "can do" attitude" and for being more hands on.

In the current environment a payrise should not automatically be expected every year - not that many people are getting it. However, I do believe that having more children justifies a slightly higher wage particularly if the job was originally for 1 child, and then more have come along, as the job is different from the one which the nanny accepted!

thanks for update - always nice to know what happens

sounds to me you will be much better off :)

I'd say no.
Call her bluff - tell her you understand if she has another option paying that much... as a new job she would be extremely unlikely lucky to get that rate. £50 pw is a huge increase once you factor in tax, Ni etc on top. a FT job with masses of holiday - you will not be short of options if she does walk, in my view.

I'm a bit late to this but I would agree that as nanny jobs go she is doing less hours than most and with only 2 children to look after, its not that demanding. I think the previous pay rises were more than sufficient.
I would be worried that she so tired and wondered, particularly as she is veggie, whether she may need a check up or some iron tablets.
Have you had a look on nanny job for similar jobs in your area to see what they pay?

A cuddle with bub, obviously!

Hi Strix,

I am indeed back with my ex charges in East Sussex and loving it, but it is all coming ro an end in 3 weeks so back to looking again.

Many many congrats on DC3, I was in Sunbury yesterday for an interview, if only I had known, I'd have sat with him for an hour, just for the cost of a cuddle!

I was up there for an interview where the nanny had quit after 2 months because her 5 and 3 year old charges where too much hard work! Mum is expecting twins in 5 months, nanny didn't know until after she handed in her notice though!

I don't know any nannies in that area though, sorry.

oh, you had another boy, fantastic :)

many congrats :)

cant help with the gym bit but try the shred dvd

less then £5 inc P&P - fantastic and takes about 30min a day

DS2 is fab! He was on time because he was evicted via planned section. I'm all recovered except being a bit heavier. So the race is on to get into work clothes before 14th March. That wouldn't be a problem if I could just find someone to come look after him for an hour or so twice a week so I could get back on a treadmill. Sadly, the gym creche won't take him 'til three months old which is too late since I'll be back at work then!

So if you know anyone in Twickenham area who might fancy sitting in my gym in the restaurant mid morning once or twice a week, please send them my way.

Strix - think she went back to her ex dc/twins

Hows no 3? Were you on time? All ok?

Sorry op - another hijack

Heeeeellllooooo Callaird. How are you? Where are you living/working mow?

(sorry for hijack, OP, but I think you've got your answer now.)

Call her bluff. Ask her what she will do to maintain the raise she is asking for. Not what she has dOne to date but what she will do in the future.

Also, what is it with nannies and net salary? No-one else gets net salaries in their contracts, or raises on a net basis so why the hell do nannies? Is it some tax dodge?

callaid you have the right to be tired,op nanny doesnt,her job is a doddle - 9.5hrs a day and 2 kids

she should come to my job and do a tuesday and manage 2 different school drop offs in totaly opposite directions in rush hour , tumbletots,2 different pick ups,netball after school club and tea and homework done in an hour - plus dragging 3 dc and trying to push off an over loving woofa

littleonemum if your nanny left, she would find it very hard to get the money she is on now in another job,when there are nannies with 10/15yrs exp wanting the same - sure many would laugh at her

I must be doing something wrong!

I've been a nanny for 24 years, have excellent references and have been back to work for 3 ex-families and I don't earn anywhere near what your nanny earns!

I do live-in and have a car, so no bills but even with this factored in, I wouldn't make what some of these nannies are asking for and getting in a lot of cases.

I am honestly happy with what I earn, the job/family is far more important than the money to me, although some parents don't get this and offer me more money to take a job that I don't want! (I am looking currently.)

I also work 72 hours plus a week looking after 3 year old twin boys and their baby brother, yes, some weekends I could spend both days in bed, but I would dare to mention this to my employers!

Your nanny is already on a high wage for the hours she is doing.Most nannies do at least 10hrs,usually 10.5/11 and £450-£500 for those hours so your nanny is already doing well!

Littleonemum, you are right in your opening post. It is outrageously high and there is no way that I would give it. I would be really annoyed that the circumstances in which she is asking for it, when you have just returned from mat leave is planned to cause maximum grief but I would call her bluff and if she leaves, she leaves.

I have a great nanny who not only looks after DD really well but sort of acts as our housekeeper as well. She does everything to do with DD but on top of that she will runs errands, will cook extra for us, does our laundry and ironing etc etc. Totally not what we expected at all but are very grateful as she makes our lives so much easier. In a year's time, I will be in the same position as you, pre-school DD plus 9 month baby and my intention is to give her 5% rise when we do her annual pay review. The only way that I would agree to pay such a premium amount of £550npw is if a) she was a very experienced nanny and b) she was doing all the little extras that our nanny does for us and c) I genuinely believed that she was irreplacable. Otherwise you are just holding yourself out as a hostage to future and equally unreasonable pay demands.

in what world are people asking for 10% pay rises at the moment? I am in the middle of a 3 year pay freeze, as are many many employees.

I would do what someone else said and mention (if paid gross) that since the personal allowance goes up she will be taking home more then. If paid net I suppose you could continue to pay out what you do now, which would also equate to pay rise for her net.

You can then say you will review the salary again at a set date in the future- and remember to do it and perhaps get in before she reminds you.

If she was def. worth it to you then you'd have just increased without question or coming on MN? Though I've never asked for payrise and rarely been given a regular one. So maybe I'm just a bit surprised she's brave enough to ask for a third rise. I would say that rise would make her a very well paid nanny but certainly not without precedent for central london.

This tiredness thing also seems a bit of an issue for you and maybe the fact that this is the reason she gave is causing you to think twice. And fair enough.

Instead of increasing pay could you ask what would make her life easier in the day or calm any anxieties she might have about your expectations e.g. have bottles sterilsed ready to go on side in morning, giving her permission to leave things a little untidy if she would do it the next day, let baby eat out or sleep in buggy, put baby einstein dvd on for a bit etc.

Only she will know what might make things more smooth running for them both. Similar jobs can sometimes vary in difficulty depending on small dynamics/ house set up/parental expectations etc. You have presumably been at home for maternity leave, which might have also made things more difficult recently?

30andMerkin - it is due to the salary being discussed being Net (take home) not Gross. So to get from £550 net per week, to £43k, it's the Employees National Insurance, Employees Income Tax, Employers National Insurance.

calculator.kistax.com will so a reverse calculation, so Net to Gross. Simply enter the Net pay per hour/day/week figure and click calculate. Other options on the site let you change taxcode, number of hours worked if required.

30andMerkin look at listentotaxman.com... type in a gross annual salary and you see all the amounts for take-home / tax etc.

I don't know much about nannies but judging from the comments above it seems like you are already paying a fair rate. Perhaps she suggested £550 pw as a negotiation point?

I think it would be reasonable of you to suggest a counter offer, or perhaps suggest that you schedule an annual review starting in 6 months' time at which point pay can be discussed? You could write down what you think is a reflection of her responsibilities and suggest that in order to earn a payrise she takes on more tasks? That's how it works in an office, and it's not as if her suggested payrise is in any way linked to inflation.

But your nanny's payrises have been pretty favourable given the economy over the last few years. Perhaps you could look at how your finances have improved over the last few years and compare the percentage increases? To put it another way, I'm quite early in my career and have had three promotions over the last three years, one of them major, and my percentage increase has been a rather paltry 18% increase, total. Given the state of my industry I've been lucky!

Squiffy, can you explain this sentence: "At £550 your nanny would take home £28,620 per annum, but you would pay £42,900 in total, including the tax element. "

Where does the 42k come from?
(apologies if being thick)

I wouldn't be happy to pay someone who was obviously trying to take advantage like she is. She's only going to want more as time passes. Like Bink said, you'll get loads of applicants for this job. And a fab nanny for much less cost.
Expensive nanny does not always equal better nanny.