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Paid childcare

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

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Original poster

URGENT - we have 2 weeks to find and employ a new nanny

39 replies

PacificDogwood · 11/08/2014 11:34

Aaaaaargh!

Our nanny/housekeeper of almost 3 years has sent her resignation while we were on holiday.
We have posted some online ads and have had some responses, but I am really only today picking up the baton properly as we have had no reliable internet access while away.

Anyway, I cannot remember how to do this and would be grateful if I could have my hand held a bit:

What is an acceptable pay for a live-out nanny in a suburban location in the Central Belt of Scotland? I know of course what we are currently paying, but I am not sure that I am up to date with developments.
The job is for 35 hrs/week, 2 long and 2 short days. We have 4 boys, aged between 11 and 4. The older 3 are at school, the wee one in nursery for 3 hrs/day. We have no other help from family etc for childcare so this needs to be ironclad/belts+braces. If either my DH or I have to stay at home at short notice dozens of people are at best inconveniences, at worst have their health care compromised.
Any additional babysitting etc we of course pay extra.

I am still quite shocked that our nanny is leaving us (I have not spoken to her yet - will do tomorrow) and quite sad as I did not see this coming.

Sigh.

Any help much appreciated x.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Itsfab · 24/08/2014 20:13

"This is almost exactly what happened the last time we recruited - weird."

I was a nanny for someone whose brother had two nannies and both of them crashed the car in the first week. They were great nannies so took it as a good sign when the third nanny did exactly the same!

With regards to notice period I have had 3 months in all mine and it worked fine. I always stayed in jobs for a long time so any initial worries about buggering off before the notice was worked were obviously gone by the time of giving notice as a good relationship[ had been built up.

Original poster

PacificDogwood · 19/08/2014 22:28

Internet ad - believe it or not, Gumtree
Childcare.co.uk has thrown up some good candidates, but Gumtree far more
Same thing happened 3 years ago when we last recruited.

It helps that I have known the wild card v superficially before and that she comes with a very reassuring background - gawd, that sounds all snobby and it is not. We live in a small town and there is only 2 degrees of separation here

OP posts:

Cindy34 · 19/08/2014 22:24

If your employers liability insurance is part of your home insurance policy, then the insurer probably does not need to know specifically whom the employee is, though always a good idea to let them know of changes. What they, or the broker, does with the info is then up to them, you have done your bit by disclosing a change which may or may not affect the risk.

Insurance in Scotland is not different to England? I seem to think it's places like Northern Ireland, IOM, that differ. Least whenever I see insurance ads on tv it says something like Excludes N.I.

Wild card sound promising. Did they respond to a local ad, internet ad, or something else? Always wonder what advertising does end up finding the right candidate.

Original poster

PacificDogwood · 19/08/2014 22:13

She came along at the 11th hour - we were literally about to appoint somebody we had interviewed and to decline the others when she responded to one of my ads
This is almost exactly what happened the last time we recruited - weird.

She's available immediately, my boys are all excited, we'll get a chance to do a bit of a gentle handover as our current nanny is still with us until the end of next week and the payroll people tell me they can sort out the paperwork for both of them in time.

Ack - liability insurance: are we insured as employers or will the insurance company have our new nanny's details? I'll ring them in the morning - added to me list of things to do.

Thanks for all the handholding. You are more than entitled to be nosy

OP posts:

eurycantha · 19/08/2014 22:09

I am pleased you've found someone.why did you think her a wild card?

TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams · 19/08/2014 12:06

What made her a "wild card" ?

Original poster

PacificDogwood · 18/08/2014 22:19

Dh and I are both in love with the Wild Card….
Job offered and accepted.

We've all agreed we need a night's sleep to cool off. I will speak to her by phone tomorrow to make sure she has not changed her mind (I don't think that we will).

OP posts:

Blondeshavemorefun · 18/08/2014 21:36

Who/what is the wild card nanny

Original poster

PacificDogwood · 18/08/2014 20:52

Yes, I agree, there really ought to be more flexibility - it so depends on each individual child. But that's another thread - or in fact has been done to death on MN

OP posts:

Blondeshavemorefun · 18/08/2014 20:45

wild card is good and agree if have 4 whats another one :)

weird school system, as my last charge bday was beg sept, so missed school year and was rising 5 and so ready and desperate to go to school, and would have been fine to go and just 4, yet others arent, if they did a jan/easter intake then all kids would start at 4.5

Original poster

PacificDogwood · 18/08/2014 20:14

Well, we were torn between 2 good candidates, about to offer the position to one tonight - and now we have wild card!
We'll meet her tonight and see.

Yes, DS4 is spring born so will start school next August aged 5.5. I love the Scottish system - he is very young for his age and nowhere near ready for school. Hopefully 12 months will help.

Oh, and yes, one of the first 2 nannies may want to bring one of her own children from time to time - that would be absolutely fine with us. By the times there is 4 noisy boys, another little one would hardly make a difference

OP posts:

Blondeshavemorefun · 17/08/2014 19:44

ah, that makes sense

they should bring back jan/easter intakes, so that if aug bday you dont need to start school at 4 and 1 week

eastmidswarwicknightnanny · 17/08/2014 19:40

Blondes Scotland school different go back Aug and cut off is April bday turning 4 n Jan-Apr bday can choose to delay a yr as well means children are at least 4 n a bit when they start school unlike here where my monkey will be 4 n a few days old.

Dog- good luck with your search I know it's already hectic with 4 children but a nanny with own child could be an option??

Blondeshavemorefun · 17/08/2014 18:31

oic :)

hope you find someone soon, obv the job spec has changed from 3 years ago, ie your youngest would have been a baby and needing full time care

is scotland diff in school< ie if youngest is 4 now next month in sept he will be at fulltime school yet you say 3hrs a day

Original poster

PacificDogwood · 17/08/2014 09:26

No, no, she gave exactly 4 weeks notice - she and us were on holiday, so awe got the ball rolling with on-line ads etc, but I did not post on here.

OP posts:

Blondeshavemorefun · 17/08/2014 08:07

So your nanny gave you 2 weeks notice instead of 4 as stated in your contract?

If you can't find someone and don't want a temp I would make her do 4 regardless of her new se job

She signed an agreement wih you and needs to honour it

She would flip if boot was on other foot and you said here's 2 weeks notice and should be four

Original poster

PacificDogwood · 16/08/2014 22:47

We are interviewing another 2 candidates tomorrow - fingers crossed.

Yes, a temporary solution might be required; I'd just rather avoid it if we can. Obviously.

Yes, I've been advised even putting a longer notice period might backfire: we'd of course also be bound by a longer notice period and (in the person's opinion I spoke to - chap from the payroll company we have been using) if somebody was hellbent on leaving, they'd just leave anyway. And somebody who'd want to be considerate could voluntarily of course give us as much notice as they'd like. He also felt pursuing a broken contract through the courts was a bit hopeless. I kind of see the reasoning and I'd really not want to fall out with our leaving nanny because of this.

She has an opportunity to become self-employed in an entirely different field and I wish her luck. She may well not have told us earlier because we had a family illness and then bereavement/funeral to deal with just before we all went on holiday. So she may just have wanted to be considerate. I don't know and it does not matter at this point.

OP posts:

Blondeshavemorefun · 16/08/2014 18:46

and what was her reason for leaving you

tho to be fair she can leave giving you whatever notice is in the contract

Blondeshavemorefun · 16/08/2014 18:44

tbh i think you should look at a temp for a month to give you time to find the right nanny

Britishgoverness2014 · 16/08/2014 17:14

A friend of mine is in Scotland looking for work

She might consider giving you some temp cover if you are open to that

She's a v v experienced nanny

MSG me with ages and location info if u are interested

Original poster

PacificDogwood · 16/08/2014 16:41

No joy so far
2 weeks to go - I am beginning to panic tbh.

Anybody looking for a job?
4 well-behave, quiet boys to look after lies

OP posts:

grandmainmypocket · 14/08/2014 10:43

alwaysdoinglaundry · 14/08/2014 10:23

No-one suggested that an employer could change from a net pay to the same gross pay, that would be daft! But contracts should always state gross pay, even if the informal agreement is net.

If you state net pay and HMRC decides to change to tax code to recoup old unpaid SSP or student loan or something then it will be the employer paying this.

Blondeshavemorefun · 13/08/2014 23:00

i didnt say change 10nett to 10gross, but to work out what the gross is for £10 nett or whatever the employer is paying and change to gross, ie on 30hrs is about £12gross and on 40hours £13 gross

tbh this should have been discussed and sorted out at interview and put in contract the gross rate

i dont think its fair for the employer to have a huge tax bill if quoting nett and nanny finds another part time job

but then again if the employer is silly enough to state a salary in nett and not gross then its their own fault if have a huge tax bill

nanny tax/payroles are always saying quote gross

its just agencies and nannies who wont/dont/cant work it out

worridmum · 13/08/2014 22:02

blondes so you would be happy to take a substanal pay cut from your employer if they decieded to change your salay from NET to gross (which I think is grossly unfair and is happily illigal in normal contracts) as £10 net is sooo much better then 10 gross which would drag the nannies salay down to near minium wage levels....

And I would instally hand in my notice on the spot / all my felixablity would go poof if my employer decided to take a similear action

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