Extra dudites for our nanny when the children are away..

Everyone is comparing a nanny to other jobs. It isn't a different job and we are hired to watch after your children and cook and clean when it involves the children. The family I work for the mom is a lawyer and dad owns a car dealership. They would never have me answer their phones or clean their office while the children nap. If the go out of town and their is children laundry or their play space needs cleaned then yes, have them do that. if not let them enjoy some time off too. :)

Holy - where have I "complained" about my nanny's day and said "how much I envy her"? What I actually said is that I look at her day and think how lovely it is. I did not say I resented that or hated my own day. You can think someone's life is good without hating your own or feeling jealous. I love my job, our nanny appears to love her job. I don't think either of us feels angst about the other's term and conditions.

For those saying other careers would allow you to have time off when not busy, that is not my experience at all. When I'm not busy at work I either temporarily take on duties of those who are snowed under, use the time to drive forward projects that have been sitting on the back burner or have a review with my boss to consider whether the balance is right in the Dept's long term allocation of duties. If I suggested an extra week of paid leave I would be laughed out of the office.

It amazes me how people keep comparing nannies to other jobs. There are different jobs with different downsides and perks. Why do people say that you wouldn't expect someone in an office to have a week off because the boss is away. That's like saying to a trained surgeon that there are no patients this week so you need to scrub and clean the surgical room and ward toilets and empty bins in the hospital reception! That would never happen. Same as nannies, we are paid to look after children and ensure smooth running of the home related to them. If the children are away and their things are in order then it is as impossible for us to work as it is for a surgeon to operate on a non existent patient. If you go away and your nanny has no children to look after then it is reasonable for her to do child related things she doesn't normally have time for ie sort toys n clothes and bulk cook etc. if those jobs are done then do not find other jobs to make up the hours you decided to take off. And going into your office each day to act as receptionist is not reasonable.

In that case she shouldn't complain about how amazing her nanny's job is and how she envies her....

If it's that fab - do it yourself!

Maybe Aubergine has another job that she likes a lot and doesn't want to spend 24/7 with her children? Just a thought.

Are you a nanny, Chipping?

Aubergine then why not look after your own children if it's such a fab doddle of a job?

For me they absolutely do, I wouldn't do it otherwise!

I think what people are pointing out is that nannying, as with other jobs, has bad points as well as perks. So posts moaning about how easy/great/well paid nannying is aren't entirely true. We'll often get a couple of extra days holiday a year - PERK. No career progression/job security - DOWNSIDE.

It's got nothing to do with resenting, it's basic economics. To pay the nanny you have to be earning at least nanny's wages + tax and NI. If you want to make mega bucks, and have career progression, don't go into nannying. No point choosing it as a job and then moaning that those things are not good. I'm imagining that as with many other jobs the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Yes there is no job security with nannying. Some people so resent what nannies earn they forget we have our own things to pay.

Oh, and I agree that a nanny's day is often thought of as lovely & relaxing compared to other jobs - I was a computer programmer for 6 years & I've never regretted the decision to retrain. What you forget is that there's little chance of job progression (with other people's pay freezes we barely even get raises til we switch jobs & not always then, there's no team I can manage for extra responsibility & get a corresponding pay hike), zero chance of a company pension & very little job security as kids grow up & go into full time education. If you like the idea of searching for work every couple of years in this economy, by all means become a nanny & join me in worrying if I'll be able to afford my rent by 2014.

Yeah, I'm a nanny & recently came up against my boss trying to insist I take a week unpaid because she wanted 2 together in the summer holidays, which would've gone over what my contract says I'm entitled to.

In the past I've had the odd bit of extra leave & it's been a perk. I've gone in & spruced the place up, bought milk/bread/bunch of flowers & put the heating on the night before they're due back. Cleaning the toys doesn't seem like a big ask - I've also done wardrobe sorting as that's an afternoon's work best done away from trying to cook/play/do school runs & them being away is a good opportunity. Answering the phones in the office is just cheeky, though. Modern technology does allow you to check voicemail remotely.

If a nannies job is as great as you all say why dont all become one. Mumsnet is everybodies point of view thats the idea.

This is the funniest post I've seen on MN for ages, think the OP is just miffed the nanny is leaving and wants to get her money's worth . If OP is that upset about paying what sounds like a fabulous nanny for sitting around having an extra cup of tea and a biccie while they're away, maybe she could get the nanny to surf the internet for her replacement. If the nanny has any sense, she'll take the full 35 hours doing that and have no time to put toys in the d/w (sorry, gotta laugh at that!!!)

Aubergine 'I look at our nanny and I love the idea of her day'

Why not become a nanny then? It's well paid and the conditions are great!

duchesse 'Batman of COURSE it happens outside nannying- most other jobs for instance. You wouldn't just get the week off working in your office because your boss was away!!

I don't why you're directing that at me? It was the OP who asked if it happens outside of nannying and I think she was referring to whether people get a few extra days leave, so your 'of COURSE' is contrary to the rest of your arguement.

'No, the relationship between parent and nanny is no different to any other working relationship'

All working relationships are different. My mum works in a job where they get free gym membership, if you work for BA you get cut price flights, a travel agenst get cheap holidays, teachers get a lot of holidays, some people earn huge amounts, some people work in an area where it is customary to tip. All job are different. There is no value in comparing nannying to all other jobs.

Seriously. Ask her to do nursery duties, clean the kids rooms, catch up on ironing, washing, sorting out clothes, cook some meals to store in the freezer, feed the cats, sort the toys, make sure there's fresh milk and bread when you get back.

If she wants free time she'll do it super quick and then chill for the rest of the time.

You won't be there so you can't monitor it anyway - go away, enjoy your break and don't split too many hairs about filling 35 hours. You'll have a lovely tidy house, she'll have had some free time. Everyone's a winner.

Get her up that chimney!

ssd - obviously it depends on the children but I would challenge the idea that nannies don't generally have good terms and conditions. OK they don't have totally responsibility free breaks but that is not uncommon across many careers.

I look at our nanny and I love the idea of her day. Once the school run is over she has three childfree hours where I do expect her to clean etc but now for 15 hours a week! There is plenty of time for her to sit down, have a cup of tea, even do her own errands or read a book. She collects our youngest at lunchtime and often meets a nanny friend for a sociable lunch where although she is working she is also having fun. They may well hangout 'til 3.30 or she may take my youngest on errands (including her own) or she can choose an activity which suits her: if she is feeling energetic it may be swimming, if she is feeling ill she might even opt for the CBeebies. What luxury to have that choice at work! School pick-up 'til I get home at 6.30pm is hectic but still she can take personal calls and shape activities according to moods etc. There are many flexibilities in a nanny's job that do not exist in most other jobs. This does not mean nannies do not work hard but it is silly to deny the perks.

If she is leaving soon anyway I would get my money's worth out of her.

Maybe you can ask your nanny what she thinks would be useful to do. She may well have some good ideas of what she thinks needs doing. Ask her to write down a list of what she plans to do. At least she would then have some say in what she does outside usual nannying duties.

If she doesn't come up with reasonable suggestions then maybe she can make up the hours by baby sitting at a later date or take unpaid leave.

If your nanny gets lots of perks, is well paid, not run ragged etc, I think it's perfectly reasonable to ask her to do some catching up - she will be less pressured anyway, and be able to have a proper lunch break, even start work later in the morning if she feels like it.

I would suggest some baking for school bake sales, or parties, to go in the freezer.

I wouldn't be scrabbling round to fill every last minute of a week of 10 hour days, but genuine child-related tasks that will actually make her general nannying weeks less pressured.

I bloody love mumsnet! I bet most posters are the mildest of women in daily life and save up a days worth of 'come and have a go if u think u hard enough' for the threads

AubergineKenobi, does your nanny work a 60 hr week? with no lunch or tea breaks? that normal nanny hours, not very favourable to me.

I am constantly amazed at how many responders on these nanny threads think nanny employers are "tight" to expect nannies to take on extra duties when children are at school/away etc.

Nannies are extremely well paid individuals and in most cases have really rather favourable terms and conditions. In no other line of work would an employee get significant extra time off because their normal duties were completed, they would be reassigned to other duties.

OP, our nanny gets 8 weeks paid leave each year. There are a further two weeks a year when I have time off work and am at home with the kids. In those two extra weeks, and in the morning when our kids are all at nursery and or school, I get our nanny to chip in with lots of different household duties (including, shock horror, general cleaning). MN always tells me it is wrong to expect a nanny to clean the house etc but luckily our nanny is a reasonable human being. She is paid £26 grand a year, gets a free breakfast and lunch, has long holidays and is treated with respect and warmth - we treat her well and in return she treats us well and agrees that when she is being paid to work she should work, even if there are no children to look after, no children's meals to prepare etc. I think you would be totally reasonable to ask her to do all the things in your list.