Rates of Pay - central London nanny - please help!

We pay our current nanny (and our last one as well), £8ph plus tax and NI. When we were interviewing for the most recent one (January this year), we came across rates varying from £8 to £12 ph (!!!!), depending upon experience to a certain extent, but some I think were just taking the piss. I think that £500/week net is a LOT, but it depends what you are getting for that. Some nannies are real child development experts/gurus, and won't wash a coffee cup, and others (perhaps like Eleusis's?) keep the house looking lovely, muck in on laundry etc, and do a good job of keeping the little one(s) safe, happy, fed, clean and amused. Ours have been in the latter category, and it suits us fine. Friends of ours are paying £11.50ph for a british nanny who is fab w child development, but won't help in the house beyond the absolute minimum. Suits them.

It is indeed market forces, like you said a nanny will only get paid what the family can afford. So rich families can offer higher pay, much of the time. I say much of the time as I once interviewed with a well known family who after telling the agency they would pay a v high negotiable salary, told me the highest they would pay would be 250 per week for a live in 66 hr/week nanny. Their reasoning was it was v expensive to include nanny on their 12 weeks a year holidays to private resorts in the Bahamas etc so nanny should contribute through her salary. So even rich families have budget issues

As for the tax/ni situation, I do realize parents are taxed twice but its not the nanny's responsibilty to sacrifice her own tax/ni paying status. Its a hard situation as we are entitled to have everything paid above board as any other employee would by law. The gov really need to introduce tax breaks for families with nannies, above and beyond the voucher scheme.

I used to earn £500 net in South East London 4.5 years ago.
£375 when I was living in.
But I know I was paid very well

Sprogger it isn't just central London nannies that are on good money

I live in Herts and I too am on a good amount. I am self employed though so I charge gross rather than net as most nannies do.

I think that you will find that good nannies expect a good salary and they know they will get it as very good nannies seem to be in short supply.

sprogger, I do think you make an interesting point. I wonder why anyone in London would choose to work in social care when with very few qualifications they could earn a much better salary as a nanny. I suspect it's mostly nicer work as well.

I should add that my nanny is lovely and I have no problems at all with paying her what I do. But it's a dilemma for public policy in the future - we need to pay our carers better.

mananny, the point is no other profession has their tax and NI paid out of their employer's taxed income. For all other employments, salaries are paid out of pre-tax income so what grates on me is paying tax on my own salary then paying my nanny's employer NICS out of taxed salary. It's paying tax twice on the same sum which doesn't happen in most other employments.

It may interest you to know that if you employ a chauffeur, you can pay their salary out of pre tax income

My marginal rate of tax is therefore higher than almost anyone else's - even the super rich. Certainly higher than non-doms

I agree, missiesparkles.

Holly29 - I have been recently been paying £400 per week for 4 days 8 - 6.30, 2 children (1 + 3), also in Islington. I thought that I was paying a bit over the odds because I needed 4 days so it's difficult for a nanny to find work for the fifth day. If you like her I would offer a bit less, maybe £470, and see what she says.

^I think 30-40 is a very good salary, no matter what job you do. Where I work, the cream (and I'm talking firsts/upper seconds from very good unis) can expect to earn that after at least 5 years work. They often work very, very long hours (40-50 hour weeks are not uncommon in the busy season), are studying in their spare time (a requisite for progressing), have to pay for travel to work, buy suits/tights/heels/haircuts, and have demanding goals which they have to achieve or they're out.

You don't have any of that if you're a nanny.^

while I am not going to despute that 30-40 is a dammed good salary, I have been a nanny for nearly 8 years now and I've found it very hard to get near that salary. thats if I can even find an employer that deems me worthy enough to pay my tax/NI in the first place. but I'm happy with charging £8ph nett as although I have quite a bit of experience, I'm not qualified

I am currently about embark upon a full time job (55+ hours per week, every week - every season is busy season when you're a nanny) and also undertake an NVQ3 in childcare in my spare (!!) time

I will admit that I have the perks of a one bedroom flat inculded in my job, but if I was live out are you suggesting that I don't have to pay for the things you mention??

as for demanding goals that have to be achived, I am in charge of someones life, everyday... I don't feel that there is a challenge higher

so while I am sure nannying looks like something us girls do to earn a quick buck, I assure you it isn't.. but I wouldn't change it for the world.

I think nannying is not easy, and sometimes it's not even enjoyable. The hours are much longer than most other jobs, the responsibility level is higher (after all, the safety and wellbeing and "edutainment" of someone else's precious offspring is in our hands) , there are no lunch breaks or office banter to relieve the pressure. So in that respect yes we nannies do deserve our pay.

I do find it frustrating feeling like I have to justify my salary. No other professions have to explain why they should get the pay they do. And no other professions have such an issue getting their employers to pay taxes and NI.

going rate for a qualified professional and experienced nanny in central london is £8 per hour net (works out about £10 gross)

I think 30-40 is a very good salary, no matter what job you do. Where I work, the cream (and I'm talking firsts/upper seconds from very good unis) can expect to earn that after at least 5 years work. They often work very, very long hours (40-50 hour weeks are not uncommon in the busy season), are studying in their spare time (a requisite for progressing), have to pay for travel to work, buy suits/tights/heels/haircuts, and have demanding goals which they have to achieve or they're out.

You don't have any of that if you're a nanny.

I live zone 2/3 borders and pay £9 net/h. When I was recruiting I found that foreign nannies with 2-3 years experience were asking for £7-8 net. In late 2007 an agency told me that experienced nannies were looking for £9-£10 net/h.

I think that £30-40k for an experienced nanny is not unreasonable, given that the hours are usually long, there are no proper breaks for lunch, and also jobs presumably usually only last for 2-3 years before you face redundancy as a natural course of events. My nanny also has the challenge of taking/picking up two small children to school on time every day, which is no easy deadline to meet. She also has a sort of budget, and regular appraisals/scrutiny by me + DH...

I couldn't do her job, which is why I am happy to pay her salary, but if you feel that it is an easy job, I guess it seems too much.

I used to work in West London, earned the same as I do now, except I was live in then and now I live out. And I am abroad. But now I work 4 days a week, and go to school the fifth day as I am training to be a nurse. So I am seriously skint by the time I have paid for rent and then college. But I have fabulous employers and am v v v v happy with my life so I am not tempted (much LOL) by the high salaries...

Can I just point out that, whilst I'm not arguing that nannying isn't well paid, the figures quoted aren't for a 37.5 hour week.

When I was a full time nanny I earnt about 50% more than a friend who was a nurse, for about 70% more hours.

(Oh Christ, I wouldn't work or drive in zone 1 for all the chocolate in the Cadbury factory!)

Quite... I grew up in London. Don't want to go back, don't think I could stand living in London these days. I did venture into South East London area a couple of months back, driving was a nightmare!

Its crazy isn't it. But then I don't earn anywhere near those figures where I am, more money would be nice but I would rather be happy than rich

tbh if you might earn even more in Little Venice or Belgravia

Nick's lists is about average for zone2-3 imo.

I'm giving some thought to going back to full time nannying myself now...

As a nanny, I actually agree that those salaries are high. It does seem a little strange, but I expect housing in the area is also high cost - a live-out nanny would need somewhere to live and families I find often don't want a nanny to commute very far, as starting on time is v.important.

Bloody hell - I should give up my job and become a nanny! 40k for looking after kids? No deadlines, no presentations, no budgets to manage, no appraisals to write - just a baby to coo at. Talk about money for old rope. Sorry I do appreciate it's hard work but I do think that's ridiculous

Holy Moly I should go back to London!!!! Pay rates for nannies have gone up HUGELY since I left 2 years ago....

If it is of any help, here are some Nanny Jobs on offer in Islington:
1 baby, 8am-7pm M-F, £450-550npw
1 baby, 8am-6.15pm M-F, £450npw
1 baby, 8am-6pm M-F, £400-450npw
2 under 4's, 8am-7pm M-F, £450-475
1 baby, 8am-6pm M-F, upto £450

Islington Childminder Vacancies List (20 Feb 2008) - Typical Rates, £40 per day, £6ph, £7ph, £120 per week, £150 per week.