Taking your nanny on holiday etiquette??

I absolutely would never take a nanny on holiday, I can't imagine any nanny actually enjoying or wanting to do this and it would purely be as they are desperate for the money.

@Highfield44 I'm an experienced nanny and available over the whole summer if you're still looking?

Hi. Looking to take a nanny abroad on holiday to France drive from London. Our current nanny can’t make it. Where do we start finding, vetting someone?

Me neither. They learn to knock at the door and then I either come out or they go away!

I don't allow children in my room at all either, whether on holiday or living-in You have to have some private space.

we took our nanny skiing when the children were younger. we didn't pay her any extra and she did share a room with the children.

But she skied every afternoon and we covered all expenses including private lessons.

this was all discussed and agreed before we went and if she had not wanted to come then we would have made other arrangements.

i agree with everyone else here - you need to talk to her and see what works and is considered fair by both parties as it will completely depend on circumstances. if you or she are going to resent any aspect of the arrangements it risks spoiling your holiday and it's not worth it.

personally i prefer not to go on holiday with my family - though if they go to the carribean i may offer my services

tbh my family dont want me there, they work hard and actually want to spend time with their children when they are on holiday

they also go away without them and i have all 3 and dog and proxy parent for them for a week or so

sen care children are different

also children dont want to send time with their nanny while the parents are there,but if you do decide to take your nanny, then discuss hours/babysitting/evening and duties before you go

Some parents want to do absolutely nothing for part of the time they are on holls - hence the nanny. In my case my families have children with SEN - so a regular babysitter or kids club can't/won't take them.

Yes - while I'm at work I have lovely childcare and the children are happy. But when I'm not at work, I want family time.

So however lovely I think it would be to have an extra pair of hands (and eyes!) when we're away, I feel that our holidays are a break from the 'work' routine, for all of us. So having an extra person around would seem strange, even though they may be someone who is a big part of our day-to-day life.

wonderingwondering - we have never taken our nanny precisely because of the feeling of being crowded. I know she'd be happy to do it, and I would assume she would work her standard hours (maybe rearranged slightly) with an "inconvenience payment" for the fact she was away from home. But when we've thought about it (usually because we've been going skiing and thought an extra pair of hands would help) we've always concluded it would be a bit awkward in the evenings.

Christ!! Can you tell I've spent the last 13 hours with 2 non responsive children?? Very sorry about the length of that reply!!

I generally go on holiday with my families. I have always flown/travelled with them (the only disaster being on a hairpin drive up the mountains - i TOLD them i got car sick and would be best in the passenger seat for that part). Tbh the parents sit and read the paper/sleep and i have to negotiate inappropriate meals and airplane nappy changes. I'm being paid - I don't care!

I have worked everyday, and babysat most evenings (either for the whole evening, after children have gone to sleep, or simply 'being in charge at night' so parents don't have to worry. Occasionally I have had a day off, or had a few hours off during the day - but mostly not.

In return for this I expect to be able to take it easy for a little bit(ie - like a parent I expect to be able to read my book -hahaha- while the kids play in the sand for a little bit, or put a dvd on so I can chill). If this is ok then I expect normal rate, and to be paid for extra days. I don't charge for babysitting in the evenings because I wouldn't be going anywhere anyhow - but don't refuse if it's offered. If the parents expect me to be a one man entertainment show 24/7 and have no relaxation time then I start getting arsey and ask for extra money for being away from home and for babysitting.

Re room sharing - I have to say I hate this. If it's possible I would prefer my own room (even if i have a monitor in with me) otherwise of course I'll share. I find I can't sleep well as I react to every little stirring from the kids and quite frankly if I dont sleep well I had better have a good supply of chocolate!

You said you'd talk to your nanny, and I think this will prove best. Just remember - as shes new she will say she's fine with most things - so maybe try to do a little extra than shes expecting - ie little extra pay, or a child chosen gift to say thanks, or an unexpected day off on return - it'll mean she'll be a very happy nanny and much more likely to go the extra mile for you next time.

Why do you take a nanny away with you? Most hotels have a babysitting service for the odd night out, and on holiday, why is a nanny needed? If both parents are there? What do they do?

I use childcare while I'm at work, but am interested in the benefits (and disbenefits) of taking a nanny when both parents are there: my instinctive reaction is that having someone else there would feel rather crowded.

The mum I worked for didn't have a job...

FabIsGoingToBeFabIn2010 Wed 10-Feb-10 18:44:47
This was 17 years ago but I went on holiday for 2 weeks with the family. I got 3 hours off and had to ask for that. The baby slept with me, I looked after her 24 hours a day for 2 weeks and I was bloody knackered. I got one extra day off for that.

You are taking the nanny on holiday to work but she also should have some free time.

She shouldn't have the children in her room, she should have some full free time off, as per at home if feasible, and if she does end up doing more hours than at home a bit extra money would be nice. Also when she gets home maybe give her a couple of days off to see her own family and friends?

thats shocking do people not go on holiday to spend time with there children especially when they wrk long hours and have to employ a nanny.

plus i no the nanny is there to wrk but going to an other country surely they want to get out and about and explore the country and enjoy it to.

This was 17 years ago but I went on holiday for 2 weeks with the family. I got 3 hours off and had to ask for that. The baby slept with me, I looked after her 24 hours a day for 2 weeks and I was bloody knackered. I got one extra day off for that.

You are taking the nanny on holiday to work but she also should have some free time.

She shouldn't have the children in her room, she should have some full free time off, as per at home if feasible, and if she does end up doing more hours than at home a bit extra money would be nice. Also when she gets home maybe give her a couple of days off to see her own family and friends?

If this nanny has only just been recruited, then you don't know them that well. If they are live out, then consider if you could live with them for a week+, would they drive you mad? Could they live with you for that long, would you drive them mad?

I took a nanny on hols once. She really wanted to go and was only asked to b-sit one night in return for her fight, accom, etc. She sulked the whole time. Would have been soooooo much cheaper just to get a Saturday night babysitter. Silly me.

No way would I have paid her an increase to go on hols with me, but she was perfectly entitled to turn down the offer.

As a nanny if I was asked to go, I'd expect some sort of 'away from home' bonus I feel, if my hours remained the same.. Probably in the region of 25-35 pounds per day??

Remember it is not her holiday and it is harder work.

2 ways to approach it:

One is she works normal hours under her normal contract, if travel involves working outside normal hours you pay her the agreed overtime rate and she has her usual time off, including evening and weekends. Babysitting is paid exta as per usual.

The other is she has a separate agreement for that holiday with revised hours and pay adjusted accordingly etc. I lay my original contract out to provide for this at the start and it's a 'temporary revision of usual terms and conditions' or some such wording.

I ALWAYS have my own room. If I'm sharing with the children then IMO I'm working overnight and they pay me. The only time I don't is when doing maternity work when I'm supposed to share with the baby anyway.

TBH taking nanny is not always the greatest idea. If you really need childcare help then look into hiring a holiday nanny to go with you who will have done it before and not be expecting things to go 'as usual'. I personally dislike travel unless it's a permanent feature of the job (expected every 6 weeks or so).

Be clear on the hours before you leave, rather than expecting the nanny to be "on-call" all the time. I'd help on the flight if being paid for those hours. And definitely must have her own room.

Travelling with a family isn't a holiday for the nanny - it's harder work than being at home because the parents are around, you're in an unfamiliar place, and you have nowhere to go in your time off. Personally I wouldn't do it unless paid extra for the inconvenience of being away from home.