blimey I'm naive!

as said many times - you will always get good nannies and bad nannies

just as there are employers who are hell to work for and treat their nanny like complete shit/be late home/late in paying etc , and other employers who treat their nanny as part of their family and are lovely to work for

i have been reading this thread after it was posted on nannyjob.
I have been a nanny for 10 years in various jobs. i understand your attitude to a point, i understand that employing a nanny is expensive and takes up most of your salary, but please think about it from a nanny's point of view.
I work 50+ hours a week. My hours are 7.30- 6pm , but i have started at 6 am and staying as late as 10pm in some jobs being as flexible as i could be.
I have had employers you have told me that i am not allowed to eat their food, been told off for letting the children watch tv at the end of the day for 20 minutes so i can clean up after tea even though my boss lets them watch tv all weekend, I have been sworn at,i have also been asked to leave personal matters at home and not bring them to work[my mum was diagnosed with cancer, the children did not know anything was wrong apart that i was not as smiley as usual], i have had bosses come home 30+ min late without a reason or an apology, one boss asked me not to come in early [i am always 10 min early to do the handover so they are not late].
I have also had fantastic bosses who have seen me as part of the family and children i am still in contact with now.
I am now 28 with a husband and mortgage and 80% of my salary goes on my house, the rest is either saved or spent on daily living[ petrol, food etc]
In order to go out i have to work 2 saturdays a month.
In ten nearly eleven years of nannying i have never once been late or taken more than 8 days sick.
I do this job as i love children and enjoy what i do, so please do not think all nannies are the same.

not rude at all my dear!!

as said before, I do spend money BUT also try and save by collecting bogof vouchers etc, and if out on exp trip will have a quiet few days afterwards playing at home, going to park, seeing friends etc

did I sound a bit rude then... I hope not cuz I din't mean to be!

also, it is clearly all about that big cook little cook programme!!

did I sound a bit rude then... I hope not cuz I din't mean to be!

also, it is clearly all about that big cook little cook programme!!

I totally see what you are saying, but I have also looked after 2x3 boys in the past (ages 10 months, 5 years + 9 years for 3 months, then ages 18 months, 4 years and 8 years for 1.5 years) and I never spent crazy amounts of money then, either... and in my previous job, I had a 3 month old and a 4 year old for a year so I say what I say with authority lol.
it just so happens I'm pretty cushty with my 2.5 year old charge atm
in no way am I playing the holier than thou card, honestly, I'm just saying that with a bit of creativity, you can do a lot of things to keep kids entertained that don't cost that much!!

missiesparkles- as good you are with money, you do look after one young child, when you have 2 or 3 older ones, who get bored of picnics in park etc, sometimes 100 a month is a lot to you,but not so much for 3 children iykwim

ps - love the cooking programme - yes I am also a nanny who does allow children to watch a little tv each day

i have a mortgage,would love a bigger house but wouldnt be able to afford one

it is hard to get on the mortgage/property ladder, but once you are there, you spend a HUGE chunk of your salary on payments

I'm a nanny who had a "well off" upbringing but obviously chose to pursue a career which wasn't going to earn me a fortune. I'm currently dreaming of having a mortgage.

£100 a month??? I'm on my 5th week (3 part time, 2 full time) and my kitty spend has been £16.79!!! and we have spend two days inside due to potty training so its not like we haven't gone out. the park is free, having a picnic with stuff from home is free, baking is pretty cheap, arts + crafts can be picked up from staples or wherever for pretty cheap, playing hide and seek for hours on end is free, playing dress up is free... you see my point. my new thing is watching big cook little cook (I know, TV!! gasp - but its only for 15 mins... and its for a reason ) and making the days recipie if it looks fun. crazy pasta faces AWESOME!!
I also phoned up sure start in my area and sweet talked them into sending me their list of every drop in/play group/class in the area, so we're going to chop and change the things we do week in, week out

ok, I'm done lol. my point is, there are A MILLION things that are cheap/free to do with children + I TOTALLY agree with nick, encouraging creative play is so, so important!

Dynamicnanny... your figures are not adding up.
Assuming your £1400 per month is NET, then hourly pay is £7.02 per hour Gross based on 60 hours per week. £350 per week NET, works out to be higher, £7.67 per hour Gross.
I know it's not point of this thread, but thought you would want to know that if you were being paid £350 per week NET, and you only get £1400 per month NET, then you are being short changed, by over £100 a month.

As a live-out I agree with you that once outgoings are taken into account, what's left can be quite low. Mortgage is certainly one of my biggest outgoings, followed closely by Travel costs. With fuel prices going up, month travel costs could even exceed monthly mortgage payment soon!

WT - I agree that children need to learn to amuse themselves. Making dens in the garden, or indoors was a past-time of mine as a child. I would also play for hours with Lego, building mini-towns and fairgrounds (loved fairgrounds).

So what your saying is that all nannies come from poor homes and only get into nannying to make up for their crap upbringings.

I work a 60 hour week for £350 which comes to just over nmw. Out of my £1400 monthly salary I pay out my mortgage, gas, elctricity, groceries, home insurance, tax and insure my car, tv lisence etc and so forth as do you all - and end up with around £40 a month to actually go out.

£100 a month sounds like a good amount for days out but that is limiting them to around £20 a week - yes there are things to be done for free; at home or in the local area - but just think how much 1 trip to the cinema costs or even a trip to the local activity centre.

Wandering trolly

actually i know several nannies who DID grow up in 'well off' homes.... myself included + many of my *closest& nanny friends... maybe thats why we get on so well, cause we all come from similar households?

and i LOVE taking my charges to the places I used to love as a child

would LOVE to come for a splash and def a few glasses of pimms

and agree good to spend time at home AS WELL as out playing, I try and do a mixture of both

Agree it's important to spend time mucking around at home, not charging around the local area attending every farm/indoor playcentre/restaurant on a strict schedule.

Actually, serious point: I think it's a valuable thing to teach children - how to amuse themselves. Children who are constantly shipped from activity to activity are more likely to be the "I'm bboooooorrrrred!" ones ime.

Tell the nanny to have a sort out of their bedrooms whilst they investigate the far reaches of the playroom.

Come round imananny....pool is heated form end of May to bginning of sept and its on a fab sun terrace..........pimms all round!

gosh wandering trolley I have never been at home with my children so I wouldnt have a clue........but DH and I work very hard to provide a gorg house and garden etc and I feel that the children should enjoy it rather than being out all the time!

there is no easy answer I guess I think I am just disaapointed that she doesnt do more things at home with them..............old fashioned Mary Poppins style!

maybe its friday afternoon and I am exhausted and just living in la La land until I get that first glass of Chablis........mmmmmmmmmm I can taste it !!!

always good to lie about our age

always good to lie about our age

Not a great idea to let children hear you fibbing about their ages imo.

Lying about my own age perfectly acceptable

I do wonder if some nannies are spending like crazy to re-live a childhood they didn't have - you won't find many nannies who grew up in very well off families, maybe that's where it stems from. I have seen some nannies get competitive with their employers' money in order to prove how much they're adored and needed by the family. This starts with a boast of how much they're paid (often an inflated figure) and continues through how generous the family is with petty cash too.

Again, certainly not all nannies, and more common in younger nannies ime.

£100 month for 2 children is generous - what would you normally spend?

juno - yes have lied about a chld age when we have been out to save mb money - does that make me a bad nanny that i lie?

mp - £100 is very generous for an average month,but if hols then might go slightly over budget if gone to theme park as days like those can cost £50+

its nice to a day out, and then on other days have friends round,go to park, feed ducks, do cooking/playdough/lego/art at home

very envious of own pool

Hi nanny Nick.they are 8 and 7 now.

I couldnt agree with you more.

We have our own outdoor heated pool at home which is bags of entertainment and playdate opportunity in the summer.

I dont object to paying its just that my nanny would rather be out and about spending money like its going out of fashion rather than some good old fashioned entertaining at home with arts and v=crafts , games and lego etc which we have an entire playroom dedicated to!

mp - £100 a month should be find for two children (assuming your profile is accurate).
Local factors may affect it - for example, if your local swimming pool charges inflated prices during school holidays.
By restricting the budget, it can help nanny and the children plan their activities... they can research places they want to visit. If you find that they really want to go somewhere, and it's of benefit to their schooling (such as visiting an historic building perhaps, specific exhibition at a museum) then they could present their case to you, and you could then decide if you are willing to pay for that particular admission, rather than it coming from the budget.

I always aim to blitz my flat during school holidays... rarely happens though
Somehow always seem to find better things to do, such as Mumsnet.

nannynick are you enjoying having the half term off?
I work only term time and i had decided to blitz my flat but mumsnet is far more INTERESTING.

MP - remind me, how many children, what ages?