Quick Moan: Families with Nannies - How many nannies have you had?! (Longish)

And the actual answer, come to think, is 7 in almost 10 years, though 6+ of those years have been just two of them. Details:

1 - only had 9 months left on her visa (sob; loved her). Went to Switzerland , stayed with family there for at least 3 years, maybe more . Now a mum in Aus. Lovely person, friend of family #1

2 - 3-day mistake. Was an hour and a half late on her first morning. Went downhill from there. Agreed she would go; she went

3 - hired in a flurry because mess-up with no.2 left no time. Was fine but no world-light-up. Stayed 10 months till pre-agreed end time. Her jobs after us did not, I think, go well - we had been very accommodating

4 - with us for 3 and a half years, friend of family #2. Lives nearby and sees the children often

5 - Housekeeper-Nanny. Not a success. She quit after 9 or 10 months

6 - just over a year, I think? Moved out of London

7 - current darling person, coming up for 3 years. Will be friend of family #3.

2 in 3 years. 1st one-mutual agreement as we moved from Sarf London to the sticks (but delayed our move until DS was 2 as she was so lovely) 2nd one had had one nanny job before us and previous to that worked as a deputy manager at a nursery then got offered job as a nursery manager so resigned. Still a bit bamboozled by that one as hoped that she would be 'the one' to stay on at least til DD (9 months) started school. It's all so stressful and I actually cannot face finding a new nanny right now-DS just about to start school in September so I have twisted my mums arm to do it for 6 months to delay the inevitable until January next year when he will have had one term to settle in to reception

Nanny 1 - stayed for three years, loved her, she married and moved to Italy, we moved countries.

Nanny 2 - lasted two years, lost interest in the job, became cruel to children and we sacked her.

Nanny 3 - lasted a year, decided childcare wasn't for her and decided to go to uni.

Nanny 4 - lasted two years, went on to fab new job when we no longer needed her.

Still in contact with numbers 1, 3 and 4.

I agree with what previous posters have said about your children now being past the "long term nanny" stage, and that the nanny-housekeeper role is hard to make work.

I think one thing to bear in mind is that lots of nannies are in their twenties. This is an age where lots of people, regardless of their profession, move area, want to work abroad, go back to study, get pregnant and change jobs every 1, 2, 3 years. I knew this was the case for me, and in the last 4/5 years I've worked for 8 families I think. All of my positions have been temp/fixed term contracts from 6 weeks to 12 months, so we've known going in what the length of commitment is, and I've never quit a nanny job. I've worked in three countries and started a degree in that time. My current position is the first one I've said from the start I want to stay longterm, and hopefully I'll be here til the youngest is in school.

blondeshavemorefun I've loved the family, and I love the job. The parents spent five years living aborad and moving round continually. They had a seven nannies over this period as none were happy to move with them as never sure where would be going(was Eastern Europe in late 90s).
Since returning to UK have had a nanny partime whilst eldest child at school. When mum became pregnant and had second child they wanted full time nanny, but current one only wanted to work part time.
Year before me they the daugher of a friend from Hungary having role of Au pair. She left in the August, I came in the Septmember and have been with them for 3.5 years.

Things may work out for you WMFK, but in my experience the housekeeper-nanny idea is actually the most difficult to make work. Either the person is a super-efficient household manager (and children are just a source of irritating muddy footprints etc.) or they are a lovely child-centred person (and the domestic admin slides). Looking for a double win in one person makes an already tough search even harder - in my experience.

If you can offer all that marvellous live-in stuff, why not find yourself an au pair plus - such as a trainee teacher? Or look for someone who only wants to work part-time, either local or live-in? Our solution, for the last nearly three years (dc are 8 and just 10), has been a fantastic Aussie ex-kindergarten teacher who actively didn't want a full-time job, but instead to combine an income with living in London & experiencing Europe.

Only read the OP.

WantManualforKids - are you me???

I could have and in fact have written your post in the past!!!

I too ( 12 years ago here) naively thought we'd find "the one" and she'd stay until we no longer needed nannies. When she gave notice after 19 months as she was herself pregnant and no longer wanted to work I sobbed and sobbed. Even tried asking her back after the birth - paid a shed load of maternity pay ( after persuading her tostay - she wanted to leave at 3 months pregnant) - and she returned with her litle boy in tow.Needless to say it didn't work. I was devastated and heartbroken .

after that we have had a succession of nannies. Some great - some not so. But all average only a year or so max. I now think its the nature of the game.

Tbh I think if you really want a career nanny who will stay the course ( like 5 or so years) you really have to make it a career path for them - regular salary increases beyond what we did ( we did £30 or so ebery 6 months) and reviews, large salaries to start with ( Im' in london suburb and think to find and keep the right person you need upwarsd of £400 per week after tax ) and plus gym/car. In other words make it very very attractive.

its out of most parents reach to do that but that is really what is needed in my very humble opinion.

jeffa 11 nannies in 13years - tbh that would put me off

what makes a job so bad that nannies only stay a year or so

My first few families I also didn't stay very long. My first moved back to Norway, then I did a summer of temp jobs before uni, then another temp job the next summer, then I had a brilliant family who moved away and I couldn't go with them because I had to finish my degree, then I temped and I've been with my current family 7 months but I'll probably leave in September because there's only one and he's off to FT school so I'm not really needed. They've said they'll keep me (on my current conditions) if I want, and I'm really tempted, but I'm worried I'll be bored and a bored nanny isn't very good for any child - so they're probably going for an American or English AP and I'm looking for another lovely Parisian family to have me!

I am currently the 11th nanny in 13 years for the fmily I work for.

I've nannied for 5 families.My first 4 I didnt end up staying in long.

Family 1-stayed 13mths.Not a nice family.dont know how i stayed there so long

family 2-stayed 6mths.It was just a 6mth temp job.

Family 3-stayed 10mths.Had to leave when visa expired

Family 4-stayed 13mths.Left as I wanted to come back to the u.k

Now on family 5 and have been here 3.5yrs and want to stay until youngest starts fulltime school

i have nannied for 4 families

family 1 i was there only nanny and stayed nearly 5 years (til youngest at school)

family 2 were lovely... i was there 1st nanny. stayed 4 months (felt awful leaving but family 3 were closer to my home offering a lot more pay for less hours so i had to move).... family 2 were so sad to loose me they waited 2 years before replacing me with nanny 2, who as far as im aware they still have

family 3. I was there 2nd nanny... 1st lasted just over a month but was so unreliable they gave up.. i stayed with them til kids started school

now on family 4. am there 2nd nanny (as they moved house to a diff area)...have been there nearly 3 years and have every intention of staying until the youngest starts school.

Hm... I'm trying to get an AP job with my partner next year so I can only put down amount of years (on the ap websites), otherwise I would split it into Early Years classroom/nursery/nanny/instructoras you say. But I go into that in my profile obviously, it's just a first glance thing! I want to look good a first glance without making it seem ott haha

Oo, Switzerland, nice

Just curious, how o you guys count experience? I'm leaving my job between Dec 09 and Apr 10 (Moving onto other jobs with the boyfriend O_O unless my family would need a childcare/DIY/Gardening couple by then fingers crossed lol) and by then I'd have had a year and a bits worth of nannying experience, but various experience over the course of 3/4 years in nannying/school/nursery/camp settings. So would I say one years experience or include the time I've had outside of nannying? confused

We had one nanny, from DS1 being 6 weeks, until he was 11. She went from live in nanny to live out nanny to childminder + holiday nanny over this period, she is still agony aunt to DS1 and family friend now DS1 is 18. The secret of our sucess was to pay well, regard her as the expert and let her get on with it and to play matchmaker so she didn't have to leave when she got married (she got married from our house too) we also provided a reasonable car, even when she was live out. She had many nanny friends, all trained, and they often chopped and changed jobs mainly for the reason that the mothers of the various charges interferred and tried to micro manage them. Her best nanny friend who worked for a friend of mine also stayed with her familly for many years and eventually married our nanny's brother, so if you are tolerant and provide good working conditions things can work well.

I am thinking that a nanny who has 5 years+ sole charge experience is probably past wanting to do a housekeeper type position unless you got for a much older person.

I used to be a nanny and it was mostly always heartbreaking when I left a job.

I stayed 6 months to 4 years in my various positions.

maybe it's the children in school / housekeeper thing
AND the 5+ years exp that are making it hard for you

pmsl

it is blondes have more fun

but agree very important to get it right

Hi you say you had to lose nanny 3 because you left the UK, can I ask where you are based now?

I will have been with my current family 4 yrs when I leave in Sept and will of been their one and only nanny, youngest one was 3 weeks when I started and will be going to school full time so they will no longer need me. Most nanny friends I have though seem to stay a year or two with a family before moving on, hence we have to keep changing our nanny and charge friends.

Would you compromise on the 5+ years experience? It seems a lot. Our nanny, who is terrific, had only a small amount of nannying experience before she started with us. She had worked at a nursery, but sole charge experience wasn't something she had. I was a little nervous, but she's been great.

I agree it's hit and miss. We were lucky, I do appreciate that. Other friends have had considerably less success, and are on their second or third after not much more than a year.

We have a one day a week nanny. Have had her for 4 years. I suppose we'll have to give her up when dd starts school in September but I don't want to think about that.

I know lots of people who have had the same nanny for over 5 years.

sorry you have had a rough time of it with nannies

tbh most nannies i know like to stay in jobs for a long time

ive been in my job for 3 years - plan to stay for lot longer if posible

last job was there 5 years till youngest went to school at 5 - had her from 5 weeks old

before that was there 4.5 years and family moved abroad