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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

Original poster

Why can't I find a Nanny? Help me please

83 replies

childcarehell · 26/05/2013 17:30

I am paying £2200 for Nursery and hoped that could be better spent on a Nanny.

-I'm in London, zone 5 but pleasant enough and 30min to centre

  • standard 3 bed house with garden, being decorated but very clean
-3yr old and 8 month old -we're teachers and as we pay nursery anyway we happy to either pay in holidays or free them up to get high paid holiday work -need 4 days per week -(I think) we're nice and normal, kids very easy -can offer live in or out (single bedroom)

What am I doing wrong it not being able to get anyone? I've tried chilcare.co.uk, gumtree and asked around but nada. I don't need experience, happy for a national of another country, just someone who really likes kids.

How do you find them?

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OutragedFromLeeds · 26/05/2013 18:24

Sorry, £12ph is plenty for an experienced nanny!

nbee84 · 26/05/2013 18:24

Shame you're not in Herts as it sounds like just the job I would go for. £11 gross is a good wage around here.

Original poster
childcarehell · 26/05/2013 18:23

I looked at LOADS of childminders too, but they seem to do babies OR nursery/ school. Not one wanted a half day nursery plus baby so I'd have to separate them.

Childcare makes me want to cry

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OutragedFromLeeds · 26/05/2013 18:23

£12ph is plenty for an inexperienced and qualified nanny. £10ph will get you someone younger/less experienced/not qualified/not completely fluent English.

£12ph gross for 40 hours a week, including employers NI etc should come in at £2288 per month, so just slightly more than you pay now. Although do bear in mind additional costs of having a nanny.

nbee84 · 26/05/2013 18:22

With the childcare.co.uk site - have you tried looking for and contacting nannies? It costs money to be able to send a message and a lot of nannies will post their own profile, look at ads and wait for employers to contact them. If you look through nanny profiles while you are logged in it will send an email to those nannies saying that member xxx has looked at their profile and they will then look at yours - if they are members they will message you if interested, if not they will add you as a favourite and you will get a notification that they have done so.

Original poster
childcarehell · 26/05/2013 18:22

oh I forgot 2 other offers locally
-only from her house (not registered though)
-one has been out of work for ages and has health issues, I like her but reckon on waaay too many days off

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Ilikethebreeze · 26/05/2013 18:16

I agree. Putting pay is pretty vital.

Original poster
childcarehell · 26/05/2013 18:14

I'm open to inexperienced/ imperfect english (we're not english anyway, even happy with native speaker of russian/ polish)

Over £12 ph for 10 hours a day (inc commute) lus my travel is more than I earn

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OutragedFromLeeds · 26/05/2013 18:12

8am-6pm are standard nanny hours so no problems there.

OutragedFromLeeds · 26/05/2013 18:11

The rate most nannies in London are looking for is about £10ph net (which is about £12ph gross). Inexperienced nannies, NWOC or those with less than perfect English are usually willing to take less. £9ph gross is low for London, but if you're open to someone moving on from being an au pair then you could find someone for that.

Original poster
childcarehell · 26/05/2013 18:09

8am-6pm, paying that rate btw, plus mentioned some days could go earlier

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Original poster
childcarehell · 26/05/2013 18:07

I'd added pay, thank you

I put £9-12 per hour or approx £350 live-in

ok for london? tbh over 12ph means it costs me to work

nanny....I'll pm you if you like the sound?

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GoldiChops · 26/05/2013 18:06

I agree to putting a pay scale on the ad- back when I was a naive, fairly inexperienced nanny I travelled up from Cornwall for an interview in London only to find out they wanted to pay £200 in cash, no tax/NI, for a full time job. Now I never even respond to ads without pay mentioned, it does usually mean the parents want to pay next to nothing. A scale is fine, from your lowest to below your highest you want to pay.

NannySunshine · 26/05/2013 18:03

Hi

I'm a very regular poster, but I have namechanged for this thread.

I tried to PM you, but for some reason I can't seem to PM anyone at the moment (I suspect tech is messing about Hmm).

I would be interested in reading your childcare.co.uk advert as it sounds like a position I could be interested in.

I'm on my way out for a couple of hours so I wont be able to reply until later.

OutragedFromLeeds · 26/05/2013 17:59

You need to specify pay, that puts LOADS of people off replying to an ad because you get so many timewasters who offer you £100pw. You can put a range in to cover different levels of experience. Something along the lines of £10-13 gross ph.

Original poster
childcarehell · 26/05/2013 17:57

I've put hours, but pay to be discussed as it'd vary on experience. I'd stretch for a good one, but less for unqualified/ poor english

The one I interviewed today was clearly looking for grand surroundings, she'd been in america for 5 yrs so I think any London house would be a dark hole

OP posts:
OutragedFromLeeds · 26/05/2013 17:54

Have you specified hours and pay in your ad?

Original poster
childcarehell · 26/05/2013 17:54

i have a baby on my lap so sorry about curtness and punctuatopn

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Original poster
childcarehell · 26/05/2013 17:53

just did a gumtree ad, though I've had one on childcare.co.uk for weeks

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Original poster
childcarehell · 26/05/2013 17:52

we're ne london, I do notice there are few nannies/ job here.

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Original poster
childcarehell · 26/05/2013 17:51

the advert is pretty similar to what my bullet points say, but in sentences, bar the bit about the house. I've done it a few ways now, very little response bar a few that want to earn more than I do (45k!) with no qualifications.

I haven't even said we're teachers in it

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GoldiChops · 26/05/2013 17:49

Seems a fairly normal role, I'd go for it if I was looking and it was my area- where are you? I'm 5 days, 60 hours a week and get roughly that amount gross for looking after 4 kids, in SW London.

OutragedFromLeeds · 26/05/2013 17:46

I'm going to disagree with Northern 4-day nanny jobs are actually very sought after, because it gives full-time hours (about 40hrs usually), but still allows a long weekend.

There are far more nannies than jobs at the moment so if you're offering market rates you should find someone very easily.

Have you put an advert on gumtree and childcare.co.uk or are you just replying to ads from nannies? Maybe post the ad here and we can have a look for you. Are you making it clear that you're willing to pay the holidays? Nannyjob.co.uk is a good place to try and mumsnet/netmums local sites. A nanny ad on gumtree usually elicits hundreds of responses. Are you getting responses from people who aren't suitable or no responses at all? If it's the latter I'd check there isn't something wrong with your email!

Ilikethebreeze · 26/05/2013 17:45

Apart from the 4 days bit, I dont see a problem on first glance.
And that seems generous for 4 days, maybe what you would get for 5 days.
What hours would it be?
On threads like this, some posters show the whole advert - though not sure I would if I was in your position.

I would have thought that whatever problem it is, has to be to do with the advert, as you have only had one applicant.

Original poster
childcarehell · 26/05/2013 17:45

I had one 18 yr old look, but I must say it seems so young for the role. i had 20 as a cut off really.

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