Thinking now of getting live-out nanny but they seem to earn more than I do!

I wouldn't worry about age either. My first nanny job (and I had no training to fall back on, just younger siblings and cousins) was 3 children including a baby. Common sense and getting on with you and your baby are far more important than age - but training will definitely help a bit and experience even more!

FWIW I like the sound of your job (and you as an employer), you sound very sensible!

I agree alot of it is down to gut feeling.Every nanny has started from somewhere.I got my first nanny job at 18.It was complete sole charge of 3 children of 8mths,2yrs and 5yrs old.I even moved abroad for the job so had no friends,was in a new country with a new language and I managed fine.And I am grateful to that family for giving me that chance

i know a nanny who was in cambridge - not too sure if she still is, i will ask and get back to you

waves to boffinmum

no real advice,hope you find someone

agree salarywise is likly to be nearer £60/65 a day - maybe you can agree on a wage for the day and not hourly?

tbh most nannies dont want start a new job with mum on ml for a few months

my 1st employers choose me as they couldnt afford a very exp nanny, i was striaght out from college and had sc care of 4mth and 5yr 55hrs a week

when they moved and i left, they again had a newly qualified nanny,as thay was the only way they could afford to have a nanny

guess what i am saying, is if you like the person, then doesnt matter if they havent got tons of exp as long as you feel they are capable of looking after a nb

Do you want someone local to you?
Is Peterborough to far?

Get someone to start sometime in mid-late August, if they are fairly inexperienced. If they are an experienced nanny, just drop them in the deep end

Perhaps word an advert such that it can attract people who can start at various times... for example...
"Sole Charge Nanny wanted to start 1st September. Opportunity to start earlier (shared care with mum) if required."

BoffinMum - personally, yes I would be a bit bored and I don't really like having the mum at home, so doing bits and pieces during maternity leave wouldn't be ideal for me... but I would probably put up with it for the full pay! A good nanny would only need a week, two more for your comfort than hers, to ease in - any more might feel like too much. The longest handover I ever did was a week (and that was with the current nanny rather than the mum) and by Thursday I'd had enough. I wouldn't want her to start before August if you go back to work in September.

Yup, gut feeling and talent as well as any experience they have. My sister was a nanny at 18 or 19, looking after four children including baby twins and a little boy with SN - the mother was an air hostess so my sister regularly had them overnight for up to 72 hours. She was brilliant, even if I do say so myself!

The age of the nanny I don't feel is that relevant... it's far more about your ability to trust them to care for your bundle of joy. You want someone your baby gels with quickly - so there are few if any tears at your departure (you may feel you want your baby to acknowledge that your are leaving them, but a happy baby = a happy mummy... upset baby = mummy feeling guilty for leaving them for rest of the day).

Someone straight out of college is probably not ideal - you want them to have some experience outside of college placements. However you may find someone who has been doing lots of babysitting (including daytime) who you and baby gel with.

Probably best to keep an open mind and see what applicants you get. Not everyone will want to work a 52 hour week.

Boffinmum, why not? A 20 year old who has done a NVQ and spent some time working in a baby room in a nursery would be more than capable of looking after a baby I would think. I had a 6 month old charge 50 hours a week when I was 21, my cousin was married and had two children under three of her own at 20. All depends entirely on the person, and if they have experience and/or training I wouldn't rule someone out because they were young. Personally I would probably look for someone 20+ just because younger than that and they likely have not had much experience. If money is a consideration for you, younger will almost certainly mean cheaper, and they may also be more enthusiastic and willing too.

Yep - that could be said too.

Training is good but I also think experience is good where babies are concerned. Only with experience can you know how to handle the demands/routines/expectations of looking after a baby.

BM - this is where you need to go with your gut instinct (as well as checking out all references)

Some 20 year olds will be more than capable - some will not. I nannied from the age of 16 for a 2 and 4 year old and was only 18 when I got my 2nd job looking after a 6 month old. And I was brilliant

Still nannying now and I am 40 this year!

Good point weddingcake - paying a nanny £300 net will cost the employer about £420 with tax added on, plus maybe £20 a week kitty, mileage, food, heating on all day...

I think that's it Boffinmum - with a full time job you're guaranteed an income so maybe prepared to accept slightly less. Remember as well that wages depend so much on the nanny's age and experience. You might find a 20 year old who wants to get out of nursery nursing and into nannying, and would be happy with £350 gross a week. A nanny with 15 years experience and additional qualifications may want £500 net.

Don't forget to factor in expenses for you Nanny to do things with the children even if it's just £2 here and there for drop in toddler gropus etc. it's best to budget it all from the start rather than have a nasty shock. Good Luck!

If you find an Ofsted registered nanny, you can use childcare vouchers to pay her which saves some (not much) money - about £40 a week.

I nearly agreed a nanny share but the logistics were very offputting, and quite frankly, if I want hassle I'd have sent them both to nursery (high hassle factor for various reasons).

A good nanny is worth her (his?) weight in gold - it makes a huge difference to the whole family. It consumes quite a lot of my take home pay - however, I'm rationalising it by saying it won't be forever. Soon they'll both be at school and we'll have a different arrangement. My job isn't the kind you can just dip in and out of - if I stopped working for 4 years I couldn't restart - so it's a short term measure to get us through. Not sure if I'd feel differently if I was making a loss though...

Remember that hourly rates for part time jobs are likely to be higher than the hourly rate for a full time job too. Round where I am £400 gross would be pretty standard for a 50 hour week.