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Original poster

advertising for a nanny - should I mention proposed pay or not?

35 replies

nomoresleep · 03/02/2010 10:18

I'm about to start advertising for a nanny again. We were v lucky with our previous nanny who stayed for over 3 years until we had our second baby. I really want to get the recruitment process right to increase chances of getting another great candidate - last time around it was more by luck than anything else that we got someone good.

My current dilemma is whether or not to mention what we are proposing to pay in the job advert.

We are planning on offering £9 per hour net for a 30 hour week (SE London, zone 2, near East Dulwich).

However, I suppose for a fabulous nanny we might increase this to £10 net - the difference in cost is about what it costs to have a cleaner, which is a luxury we've splashed out on whilst I was on maternity leave and I would have loved to continue but could drop if necessary.

So, what should I do? Say it's £9 net? Say nothing as in most job ads? I can see arguments for and against at the moment.

All views welcome!

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ChippingIn · 03/02/2010 14:52

Hmm - don't agree with putting 'generous pay' or 'market rates' because it is meaningless. My idea of generous and yours could quite easily be 2 very different things!!

Mummyinthedark · 03/02/2010 14:36

Note to self: must use preview and correct typos, very boring for others to read. apologies!

Mummyinthedark · 03/02/2010 14:34

I would not put salary - and msot ads don't - but give a clear indication of waht you're prepared to go to, so that you don't put off excellent potential candidates (like lovely NannyNick).
Something like - "Pay: in line with market rates, willing to flex to reflect experience" then mention any additional benefits like gym membership, use of car or whatever.
NNick - would you give this a chance?

nannyl · 03/02/2010 14:31

i dont quite agree with the others.

I think word it to the effect of generouse pay to reflect nannies experiance and qualifications.

Thereby ensuring that nannies who are experianced etc and demand (quite rightly) £10net can be accomadated, but making it easy to pay less to a younger less experianced nanny, if she is the right person without offending them.

You may find your perfect nanny candidate is 20 years old and has mostly worked in a nursery?

iiiiiiiii · 03/02/2010 14:27

oh...but surely you know where you'd fit on that scale- only a couple of years exp. what sort of quals. or were coming from a certain salary already. Parents can point to cv and justify individual offer.
negotiable is bit vague and feel it can imply 'actually really not going to pay more and were hoping you'd be negotiable'.

Blondeshavemorefun · 03/02/2010 14:12

Yes, I don't apply for jobs which don't say what the salary is as I have a mortgage to pay and it's a waste of my and the parents time if the job won't pay enough.

ditto nick

i dont see the point of putting 8-10 as obv all the nannies who apply will want 10 and not 8

iiiiiiiii · 03/02/2010 12:32

I wouldn't or v.v. unlikely to apply if only one figure stated or none. The ones I like best have a range like 8-10 or 10-12 net. (def. include net as a guide even if putting gross so nanny can easily compare with other jobs). because then you can know where you fit in terms of experience etc. and know the family's budget/how much prepared to pay for who.

ChippingIn · 03/02/2010 11:42

I agree that you should state how much you are paying. There's no harm in saying 'We are looking at a rate of x per hour, but are negotiable for the perfect candidate'. Or something slightly better worded

Good Luck in the Nanny hunt!

Original poster
nomoresleep · 03/02/2010 11:08

Thanks nannynick. Can I ask though - if the job said £9ph and you were looking for £10, would you apply anyway but say you would be looking for more £ or would you not bother applying? This is the thing - I don't want to deter super-fab nanny but nor do I want to advertise at a rate we can hardly afford.

Thanks for reminding me about not agreeing a net salary!

OP posts:
nannynick · 03/02/2010 10:58

Yes, I don't apply for jobs which don't say what the salary is as I have a mortgage to pay and it's a waste of my and the parents time if the job won't pay enough.
Give a Gross salary, then a Net equiv IF it is their only income. Don't agree a net salary as they may get other work on other days.
calculator.kistax.com will let you experiment with Net to Gross conversions.

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