How much should I pay a nanny who brings her own child with her?

only one child at a time, but there have been some jobs where I have had my toddler then collected my older daughter and the parents child after school. I must have been lucky I guess over 20 years! I have obviously worked for some lovely mums.
I think the point is that parents are obviously choosing the childcare and if a nanny with child is un appealing then choose otherwise, they shouldn't feel as though they are getting second best. There maybe some compromise but if the nanny is good I don't see the problem. A crap nanny without child could sit about doing nothing ,on mob to mates, watching daytime telly. Just because you have no child with you dosen't make you a better nanny.

I also wondered at the 'children' concept. Would any parent really allow a nanny with more than one child to bring their kids to work? The circumstances in which this would work seem very limited.

annh - quite right employers don't have to let a child come with the nanny, but if it were me faced with a decision of keeping the same nanny (with child) or hiring a new one because I won't let the child come along and my hypothetical children were happy with the nanny I would probably want the nanny to come back with child. And it would have to be at the same rate.

It was interesting to see the quote the nanny gave stepaway for with/without own child.

Ultimately it's what the nanny will accept. Most nannies on here seem to appreciate that not having childcare costs is a huge benefit and will take a paycut for the perk of having their own child with them.

sallyss talk to the nanny because it seems there's no consensus, but you may find the nannies you interview will have their own ideas.

What's your's is hers but not vice versa. Don't you know?! Wittling HER pay? You should change your name to VictorianRulerofUnderpaidServants.

(I apologise in advance to all the reasonably nannies on here. My sarcasm is not directed at you.)

I, personally, loved the 'witter about pay' comment as well. It's outrageous, isn't it, with nannies costing north of £25k a year, that a parent might 'witter away' about pay? And whether a particular arrangement might be in their interest, or mainly benefit the employee. How dare they.

Hello Blondes! (Athene waves back)

You're safe. I'm not hiring.

But, out of curiosity, why do you think you should be able to bring your children to work for free? And do you think you are lucky or that this should be the norm for all nannies with children?

Surely you must accept that you would need some business justification that shows the value your children bring to the job outweighs the cost of having them there.

Incidentally, I'm not opposed to ananny with child in principle. But, of course, I would expect the remuneration to reflect the cons as well as the pros. I mena after all you are a professional and not a charity case... aren't you?

to give you an idea of possible discount for bringing own child...
a few years ago we were looking to employ a nanny. she cited a wage of 85 pounds net per day without her child or 65 pounds a day if she brought her baby with her.

"You are still getting the same care, the same hours and a better understanding from a nanny that has there own child"

emma - of course a nanny who brings their own child wont be giving the same 100% care and attention to their charges - as their time and attention will be spilt

I am not saying that it is a bad idea for a family to employ a nanny with a child - just that there are negatives as athene said

sure YOU would NEVER have white bread/nutella in your house

there are also positives as well

some familys are happy to have a mummy nanny and others arent

both are quite right to have their opinions/feelings

what i will say is why should a nanny get paid the same if they bring their own child as a childless nanny?

they are lucky to be able to bring their child and not pay for childcare

Athena Noctua..... Must make a point of not working for you!!!
I have been a nanny for over 20 years and have always taken my children to work. I have had fantastic jobs all of which loved the arrangement. At the end of the day you get what you pay for!
I have to say a lot of your comments are ridiculous.
If people feel that fussed don't hire a nanny with a child and start trying to witter about pay. If you love a nanny and feel confident then hire the person who you are happiest with. I have an added interest in making my day fun, active and busy as I want my child to enjoy herself too, I treat families children exactly as my own. If parent didn't like their child having a certain food eg only treats at weekend, it would my child that had to accommodate that rule too and I would explain that it wouldn't be fair on.... so we will have treats another day.
I am responsible for the life of a child while that parent is away nothing changes that, I don't only half keep an eye on them. If thats the case then no one should be allowed to give birth to more then one child in case parents can't keep them as safe as the first!
I would not except a job that paid differently with my exp, The lovely families I have worked for decided they liked the idea of nanny with child because I have full understanding of life as a parent,great refs and loved the idea of a bonus playmate. These are the type of parents nannies with children should work for not the Athena Noctua's in the world!

happy mum - tht comment suits the rest of my post but wouldnt suit another parent ie i watch children as a job so no point sending my daughter to be watched whereas if i worked in an office then i would be doing something my daughter could not take part in so would be happy to send her to be watched

I would pay less, definitely, like a nannyshare. I would also take into account the age of the nanny's child in weighing up whether I wanted her or not. E.g. a first-time mum of a 7 month old may be spending more time & energy, understandably so, on her child, than on my 4 and 10 year olds.

Boyraiser, you say that you couldn't countenance paying someone, say, 8 pounds an hour and then knocking 20% off if you agreed to her bringing her child back to work. You may think that's hardly a living wage but many, many people are earning that kind of money and having to pay out far more than 20% of it for childcare and if the nanny doesn't come back to you, she is hardly going to be able to find any other work with such cheap childcare, is she?

Frannikinpannikin said "I feel it's very different when you're already with a family and go on maternity leave and come back with a child in tow. They can't really cut your wages without looking stingy". No, but they don't have to let you bring your child back with you at all which may effectively render it impossible for you to work or have to send your own child to much more expensive childcare.

I would not employ a nanny with her own child.

My secretaries are all paid £7k less a year than my nanny and they don't get free accommodation and food and a free car nor could they ever bring their children to work with them.

IMHO nannies get paid what they do because the job can be antisocial hours ; there is no pension and little in terms of careeer structure. Its blooming good money whilst it lasts but for the majority its incompatible with marriage and being a mum.

We have plenty of staff at work who juggle childcare round parents and friends and cheap playschemes. They earn less than the average nanny and we couldnt have a 6 month old in our reception all day long because the receptionist on 15k a year bought her child to work. Nannies shouldnt be any different.

That is why child minders posting on here earn vastly different wages to some of the nannies. Its called flexibilty and sacrifice.

xox, given you are a childminder your quote of "i would feel so guilty and feel like a useless mum if i send my daughter away to childcare" seems rather distasteful given you make your money from caring for working parents children,

Given the choice between a nanny without children and one who wanted to bring her own to work, the one without would win every time. There are far too many downsides to a nanny who wants to bring her child to work.

Emma's post is very selfish and all about her as Athena rightly says. Yes nannies have the right to have their own children but not the given right to expect then to return to work with the child in tow or to expect a new employer to raise no objections.

xox, I didn't mean that to be directed at you. A childminder is totally different and well within her rights to set the day out as she/he chooses.

I just meant hypothetically.

And, I don't think anyone has mentioned 50%. But really if the nanny takes a job at 60% of her pre-child wage and then compares it to someone heo is still making the pre-child rate but has to put his/her child into childcare I think the nanny on 60% will find she /he is better off.

Cheryl - if you read the thread I don't think there is one parent who says they would pay 50% - there is a post from a nanny who says that she thinks she read a thread on MN where a parent suggested it - I have been on MN for over 8 years and I can't remember any threads recommending a 50% salary for a nanny with child.
From my own experience of employing a nanny with child (child was under 1, my kids 2 and 4)

Nanny couldn't take the kids swimming (because pool only allows 2 children per adult).
Nanny couldn't take dd to ballet class because she had the baby who couldn't be 'looked after' there
I paid for nanny's child to go to playgroups/soft play etc as well as my own (otherwise my own wouldn't go)
Nanny fed her child all sorts of crap (honestly - complete sugary rubbish including cola and this was an under 1 yr old) which then my kids wanted so she would buy them sugary rubbish too.
Nanny's child (once he was toddling) broke 2 cordless phones, one set of speakers, scratched up a brand-new oak floor (was really nanny's fault since the phones etc were out of reach but she gave them to him to play with!) which we paid for.
Our house had to remain baby-proofed for over a year after our kids were not needing it -so we had the hassle of babygates and cupboard latches and bulky highchair.
We had to buy double buggy, and a larger car so that all 3 kids could sit in the back.
Oh and Nanny took days off 'sick' because her baby had woken in the night and she was 'tired'.
Nanny also didn't like waking her own baby in the morning in time to get him to our house to start work at 8am so she would leave him with her dp, drive to us, take ds to school then drive (in my car with dd) back to her house to get her baby, then back to our house, so I was paying a fortune in petrol costs and my dd was sitting in the car for over an hour a day.
After a few months nanny also decided that she might as well have my children at her house so in school holidays would take them to her place and let them watch cartoons whilst her son played with his toys at home. Oh and nanny's mum gave ds cold tea to drink.

Overall it was not a good experience and I feel that some of this was because of the merging of the line between work and home-life by her bringing her ds along.

Some of this was because that particular nanny was not a great one - we employed her because ds has mild special needs and he already knew and liked her..but I was very happy to say goodbye to her and had the joy of employing a child-free nanny after her.

i understand about the cost thing i agree with a slight reduction in the wage i just do not agree with the people who are not happy about a nanny bringing a child and the people who think 50% wage is ok. i take my child to the groups i want to take her to either do it on my days off ie a fri as i only wrk mon to thurs or i pay for the children to go also it doesnt bother me to much i just dont tend to do dear things while im wrking.i work with babies to toddlers at the sametime and afterschool i make sure i do activities that include them all then make sure each child is happy and maybe do something just with babies while toddlers play then with toddlers while baby sleeps.

What about the risk of your child losing his/her best friend when the nanny leaves (and they all leave sometime)?

What about when your child can't go to his favourite class anymore because nanny's child hates it?

What about when school starts and the two children are enrolled at diffrent places and the school drop off is no longer workable because nanny can't be in two places at the same time?

What about when nanny doesn't want to come to work and expose her child when yours has chicken pox?

What about when nanny feeds her child white bread and nutella for brekkie in front of your child who wouldn't aloud such nutritionally void crap on a cold day in Hell?

Shall I go on????

Employers child will make sacrifices. And the nanny has free childcare and an income. There may be benefits too. But, who are you kidding when you say the care is the same and comes without complications? Certianly not I.

I don't think 50% is fair because you are not an equal boss with equal say on your day. You still are the employee. And I feel 60% reflects this balance. I'd probably be willing to negotiate %70. But more than that would not be worth the extra baggage.

xoxcherylxox - you're not getting the same if the nanny's child is not the same age. Younger children are usually more work-intense than older ones and it's difficult to see how a tiny baby can be a playmate for a boisterous 3/4/5 year old boy who wants to know why the nanny won't play football in the park.

It's the parent's choice to have another child and 'dethrone' their one and only but it's not their choice if the nanny has a child and some parents might expect some kind of recompense for that. It's not as straightforward as having a playmate and a more experienced nanny, although those are benefits - there are costs involved too: food, outings, increased wear & tear on the home.

What if you have a 2yo, and so does nanny. You want your child to do an expensive music class but nanny can't afford it. You can a) make your child lose out or b) pay for nanny's child. The cost, financial or otherwise, wouldn't exist if the nanny didn't have a child of their own.

If/when I have my own children and if I were still nannying (unlikely) I wouldn't expect full rate. It is essentially a nanny share but I probably wouldn't be happy with a 50% cut - 75% is fair IMO.

I understand that an employer would want a 'baggage-free' nanny, but equally a nanny with own child usually has a bit more maturity and the experience of being in a parent's shoes, which probably counts for a lot. Having said that I know there are nannies on here in their 30s without children who have tons of experience without being a parent and I'm sure there are nannies in their early 20s with their own children who may not have as much.

Also, in response to the nanny above, I feel it's very different when you're already with a family and go on maternity leave and come back with a child in tow. They can't really cut your wages without looking stingy but if you're HIRING a nanny with own child then it would be reasonable to start from a lower point. My former family made it very clear that if I were to get pregnant they would accept me back, with child in tow, at the same wage (without me asking).

Bringing your child is a perk of the job, which saves you money and costs your employer more. I don't think it's unreasonable at all to take a small pay cut in return for having your child with you full-time.

AtheneNoctus is, I think, being a bit harsh. I wouldn't expect to pay someone only £8ph and then try to knock 20% off that rate - it's barely a living wage, especially in London.

If I wanted someone to look after the DC, and I could afford it, I would be happy to pay a much higher rate than that - I would want someone who is motivated, loyal and feels valued. Emma makes some valuable points about the advantages of a nanny bringing her own child to work - an adoptive sibling for an only child, more experience of childcare, more empathy for parents (and particularly the mother) of the child she cares for.

The whole argument of "you're only getting 50% of the care" seems to me to be a bit petty - at the end of the day any mother with more than one child balances up the impact of a second, third (or more) child on their first born - and the majority conclude that what a firstborn loses out on when s/he is "dethroned", s/he gains in terms of learning to share, having a playmate, and so on.

millarkie - i dont understand why you would think you dont get the same care the nanny will still do all the same taskss, carry out all the same activities and do all the same things she would normally do with your child with that little extra bit of enjoy for your child as there is another child to fun in the fun and make it more exciting

im not a nanny but i wonder why i nanny would carry on with there job once the have a child if they couldnt bring there child to wrk makes no sense to pay childcare to go and watch someone elses child theres no logic in that at all.
i am actually a childminder i used to be a nursery nurse and when we decided that we were trying for my daughter i started to register as a childminder there was no way i was paying to put my child into the nursery and then watch other children in the nursery where as now i watch my daughter at home and other children come to us and use my service. i would feel so guilty and feel like a useless mum if i send my daughter away to childcare and then had great fun doing things with someone elses while thing my daughter would love this.

'You are still getting the same care' - no you're not - you are getting 50% of the care..I would pay 80% of the salary though, but not 100% and I wouldn't employ a nanny with their own child who obviously hadn't fully thought through the pros AND cons of the situation.
And that's speaking as someone who has employed nannies without children, nannies with their own child, shared-nannies and used all sorts of childcare types all with their pros and cons and all with their appropriate cost.