Nannies would you leave your job if not getting a raise

That's a lot of holiday and your employer has probably factored that in.

I agree that you need to look at your overall package and try to weigh up what it is worth to you.

We pay our nanny higher wages than you get (she gets about £11.50 net), but she has standard holidays rather than the extra you have, and we do expect a lot in terms of flexibility (apparently - to me it is part of working as part of the family!). She is also extremely skilled at what she does (our dc all have ASD so experience essential) and so we are happy to reflect that in the wage - it's not always a straightforward day in the Panda household!

On our side, as well as the above average wage, we are happy to offer ongoing training (eg we have regular input from various consultants, and are happy for our nanny to attend and gain accreditation - it is, after all in all our interests!) and happy to recognise that where we ask for give and take/flexibility, it is sometimes necessary to be on the other end of that - all part of keeping the world going round.

And so it is worth examining what your package overall means to you - you might find a higher wage elsewhere, but with substantially less holidays and potentially more children to look after.

Look for a new job, then if they want to counteroffer they will.

I would say that £10 net per hour is about the going rate in London. But so is 20 days per annum with bank holidays on top. I think you need to look at your overall package and work out what the discrepancy is before you start to renegotiate.

Have you had much illness this year? Domestic employers no longer get any sickness benefit back and now there is a pension provision too so while your pay is static you could be costing them quite a bit more.

One option is to sign up with a babysitting agency and ask for a reference for that if this family have been your sole employers and you can't get one elsewhere.

I think it would have been helpful for your employer to explain why they weren't giving you a Christmas bonus this year. I can totally see why that would have felt unfair to you, having had one for the previous 2 years.

Circumstances do change of course but they should have explained the reason to you so you understood or knew not to expect it xxx

No harm in asking for a pay rise. I'd keep it very factual.

State that you've only had a 20p per hour increase in 3 years, but scope of job has increased - 2 DC rather than 1 and you are now qualified. I'd do some actual research on how much nanny jobs are paying around the area so that you can state that you saw x, y, z job advertised paying more per hour.

You then have to have a think about what's your tolerance levels. If they say no, or increase it by a paltry level, then what are you going to do? They can't refuse to give you a reference because you went for another job.

Not every job pays £10 nett about £13 gross and that is around the top figure as a nanny. Rarely you will earn more but some jobs obv do pay - but also want blood

I was one of the highest paid nannies in my area 7yrs ago at £13 gross - now most of my friends have caught up - as a nanny I still earn about that.

As in once you hit £10 nett you may be on That figure for the next 5:10yrs if still nannying then

As a mn /night nanny I earn a lot more

You were happy with that salary / yes I agree it is a tad low so you have two choices - ask for a payrise. You get get one or you don't

You then decide whether to leave or stay if you don't get one

Only you can answer that

No, nannies don't tend to exaggerate. Around here we earn about £10/£11 net per hour. Op if you are in London you're being insultingly underpaid, I'm not qualified and am on £10 NET and have been since I started nannying about 6 years ago.

From the perspective of a nanny you are on a very low wage, but you were happy with it at the time and a pay rise isn't essential, it is rather a luxury some nannies seem to have. In some jobs I received no pay rise, asked and was declined. This job I got a 2% after one year, presents, no Christmas bonus. I started out young on £8 gross but those were temporary jobs and for experience not as a nanny career job if that makes sense.

I am central London and every single nanny I know that is Live out is on a minimum of £10 net, some with no qualifications but solid nanny experience. I know a few foreign nannies who are paid cash in hand but that's another story. Some families in this area do pay £9 net but thats rare. It is true the going rate is £10-£12 net in this area, I know few nannies on the £12net, one is on £13net, gets a month Christmas Bonus, amazing presents, but she works her socks off and mum doesn't work (think micro managing). You just have to weigh up what sort of family you want to work for, your attitude to the job, how comfortable you feel starting afresh with new demands. Also factor in your commute cost and travel times.

What I would actually suggest you say to your employers is this: "I am struggling financially, and as I am getting older I see nannying as my career and need to make some serious decisions as to my financial future. I would like to save for a home etc" I would then say "I feel that at my current pay I cannot do any of these things and I wanted to let you know my concerns and was wondering if you and your DH could discuss what you can afford"

Ultimately this gives them the option to say ok we really value you and can stretch to this, or actually we cannot afford any pay increase. After a long time in the job you should be comfortable enough to have a grown up decision, they will also realise that you probably will leave if you don't get a raise.

Also after three years your current employers should happily give you a reference regardless of whether your leaving for more money or not. Being a nanny is a job and people move jobs for money reasons all the time!

I've never had to give agencies or families my current employers as references. They just take up previous families references. You could ask them for a reference for babysitting/weekend work?

I agree, you do need to look at the overall picture. Whilst the headline pay figure may not be high, pay alone is not what makes a job one you stay in for many years. The grass is always greener elsewhere but you don't know what ugly troll is lurking.

Reference from current employer is useful but is not required to job hunt... as long as you have other references. You would provide a reference from current employer once you have handed in your notice.
Your difficulty might be that you have a lack of other people to provide a reference.

I agree it depends how good your deal is.

We pay £9ph gross (not London), but our nanny, like you came to us originally with no qualifications and limited experience (she came straight from a nursery). She has sole charge of DS 4 days a week and shared care on my day off, plus she does approx. 1/2 of school runs for DD. She is contracted to do 50hpw usually 8-6, but DH often works flexibly when he isn't away so can often only work 10-2, so she often gets the odd afternoon off here and there.

She also helps with housework/laundry/cooking and babysitting, gets 25 days plus BH holidays, 3 weeks of which she can choose. She also gets the option of international travel which to her is a perk, plus the option to do overnights/live in for extra money on occasion. We also provide a car which we often let her borrow to go home in (as long as she doesn't do silly mileage in it) as she doesn't have one.

In contrast my friend gives £10ph gross, but nanny works 50hrs pw 8-6 each day looking after DC aged 8 months, 2 and 4 with 20 days hols plus BH. I know which deal I'd prefer!

I left a position after three years as I didn't get a raise at all during the time and at the beginning it was only one child and later two. I didn't just leave from a financial point of view, but also because the mother did not understand that looking after two children is more exhausting than one and of course there a some evenings where you come home early and the house isn't spotless. I loved the family and the children were like my own, I am lucky enough to have known that there will always be a place for me in the family's life and that's why I left in the end for a better paying job overseas.

7.50 net per hour in West London is not much, I remember being a young unqualified nanny in West London and earning 10 net per hour for a full-time live out position.

Aren't references only taken at the very end? In other industries it works that way. So offers are made subject to references, which means the current employer finds out you are leaving from you, and then he/she gets contacted for a reference.

So you can try to justify a rise due to similar jobs paying more, due to your responsibilities increasing and due to you being qualified now where as you were not in the past. They may consider it but they will have a max amount they can pay, so they may simply not be able to afford a rise. The lack of a Christmas bonus this year when you got them previously could be a sign that financially things are not that good... or they just forgot!

Apply for other jobs, see if anything happens. Then if you get a job offer, you can then make the final decision. It can be hard, I stayed in a low paid job for many years because it was local and easy but it did get to the point where I struggled to pay my bills, so I had to look for something better paid. Sometimes you just have to move on. Only you know what is right for you.

You are absolutely right to ask for a raise, especially now you are fully qualified. I pay my nanny over £11 net in the south of England. That's the going rate for experienced nannies.

Job hunting is a hassle. Are you seeing lots of other jobs on offer giving the salary you desire? There are lots of people looking for jobs so there is competition in the market... better to have a job than no job but that does not stop you looking for other jobs.

The net and gross thing is confusing. Stick to one or the other. So you went from £7.30net to 7.50 net and you know nannies in the area working similar hours getting £10-11net - is that right?

I think it is fine to ask for a payrise. Outline to them you have increased responsibilities, have got another qualification and also discuss market rates.

If they say no - then I would consider looking for something else.

Do you get a Christmas/birthday bonus? Nice presents? Are you live in or out? Guess out as you said you look forward to going to work on a Monday.

I really wouldn't take much notice of what other nannies say, a lot of them exaggerate, trust me!

There really isn't any harm in asking about a pay rise but unless you have a clause in your contract (mine states a yearly pay rise at least in line with inflation) then there's not a lot you can do about it. Can you afford to live on what they pay? You have to remember that a 10% pay rise for you will mean roughly a 15% rise with tax and NI. At the moment on £7.50 an hour based on a 50 hour week they are paying £26,679 pa. if they pay you £8.25 (10% increase) total cost to employer is £29,951. £3,300 extra to find a year, that's not a drop in the ocean.

I would think really hard about saying you might leave if they don't put up your wages. If you are really not happy, look for something else, if you get offered a job then you can go to your current employers and say that you have been offered a new job at £x.xx per hour and see if they will match it or something close.

I always say - better the devil you know!!