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Nanny - am I expecting too much ?

79 replies

Mosman · 29/12/2012 10:00

So we have a nanny who is not the fittest or healthiest of women and I wonder whether the job is too much for her.
She's an ex secondary school teacher, drama who I thought would be brilliant for my older very dramatic girls and she was most recently working with a family with preschoolers so my toddler seemed well catered for too.
So two months in and it's school holidays here, she's very kindly put together an activity timetable of events and stuff to do with the kids over the next month which adds up to over a grand. Her petrol will be on top and a lot of driving seems to be included to places that are really walking distance - hence my worry about her health.
The problem is once I've paid for child care I have literally a grand left in a month so I was kind of hoping quite honestly that the nanny would be the entertainment, there would be a fair bit of chilling at home, park, beach etc.
The money I have left I was hoping to spend at the weekends on family days out and things we would be doing together.
My other little gripe is that looking after the children is all she seems to be able to manage, cooking for them never seems to happen, tidying away toys never happens, I come home to unlidded felt tips all over the dining table and piles of paper. I've heard of other nanny's doing the children's washing and ironing, tidying bedrooms etc, should this be part of the role ?
I don't know whether the nanny is crap or i'm just looking for a way out, I'm not loving my job but wonder if I might if the burden was less at home.
What do you think ?

OP posts:
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RobinSucksInTheSnow · 29/12/2012 11:22

All of this really needs to have been laid out before you took her on- she is your employee, not a service provider (like a childminder). Every nanny role is different. For example, in my current role I do all of the children's washing but the cleaner does all the household ironing. In my previous role, I did everything. A nanny friend of mine, on a similar wage, does none of the laundry as they wanted her to focus on the children solely.

You are expecting way too much if you expect her to read your mind! Every role is so different there is no way of knowing what is expected of you. She has no way of knowing your financial situation, I've worked for families hat would be horrified if I took a packed lunch to soft play when you can buy (expensive) food there, and others who would be horrified if you bought all the food there!

As to the nanny thinking the lists don't apply to her- well if you've never told her that they do, then they don't! I've had jobs where roles within the house were very separate- cleaner changed all the beds, employer was unhappy if I did it as it took time from the children. And at the nursery I worked before I began nannying, a qualified member of staff doing the jobs that the unqualified assistants were supposed to do got you in trouble- I got called into the office once for doing the washing up because the assistant was busy! Very, very extreme but she may have encountered this kind of attitude in the past.

Have you considered the schedule? In my current role I sometimes struggle to get the playroom tidy for the parents as the schedule is so tight- I'm cooking while the children play, then feed them (Can't tidy then as the baby is weaning), then strait up stairs for bath then parents usually home while they're in the bath. So I end up tidying on my own time, while MB finishes off the bath.

Again with the driving, have you spelt it out that you prefer her to walk? In the past I interviewed with a family that preferred you to drive even very short distances as they didn't want to children outside too much- yes I turned that one down, I walk everywhere and kids need to be outside! It may be that she has gotten used to a particular way of doing things.

Of course I'm only speaking from the nanny's point of view, as that is where my experience is, it may well be that you laid out the roles in the contract and she is ignoring it in which case you need to have a meeting. Sitting her down at a time when the kids aren't there and having an honest chat. You may find she is unhappy with certain things but as it's been two months doing them, then she feels that's how it must be done. That's from experience! Nothing can change without communication.

annh · 29/12/2012 10:59

Did you not discuss at interview stage what you expected the role to include - children's tidying, etc? Also did you not discuss kitty money and what you expected typical expenditure would be? If not, time to sit down now before you become trapped in a cycle of expense and tell her nicely but firmly that you cannot afford, nor do you particularly want, your children to be doing so many paid-for activities. Lay out clearly the kind of things you DO want and what level of expenditure you can afford.

Not tidying up after activities is ridiculous, as is not cooking. Who feeds the children? Is there some kind of mis-understanding on her part about her role versus what the aupair is doing? You do seem to have rather a lot of help for school-aged children, although perhaps the nanny is not full-time?

Mosman · 29/12/2012 10:36

We have a german au pair as well so literally the writing is on the wall - pinned to the kitchen cupboards, please empty the school bags of their lunch boxes, wash and put away for the day that the au pair has them, the nanny almost doesn't seem to think it applies to her.
Good idea about the kitty, I suspect she isn't going to be keen to work for us when she see's how creative she'll need to be.

OP posts:
apotomak · 29/12/2012 10:33

You really need to spell everything out and not expect anybody to have mind reading skills. Do a list of the jobs that should be done. Like for example tiding up mess she and the children made should be one of those. Ironing and washing children's clothes could be there too ... but that just depends if she will have time to do those for example if your little one has a nap. These things should have been discussed before you took her on as she might have declined the job if she knew she was required to do these. Also with regard to petrol expenses make it clear you prefer they walk where possible. You should have a kitty for outings so that she knows how much she can spend a week/month ... if she doesn't spend it all she can save it up and do a more expensive outing at a later date.
I think it's time for you to get a pen a paper and write everything down then sit down with her to have a chat about this.

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