Childcare: who is going to want to work these hours?

[LindorDoubleChoc]

I'm trying to think what type of person might want this job I've just seen advertised.

It's an afterschool nanny for a 9 year old and 11 year old. Five days per week 2.30pm to 7pm in term time including school pick up by car and cooking dinner, and then full time in school holidays.

Who would it suit?

Obviously someone not bothered about eating dinner in the evening. And able to chop and change from part time hours (and part time salary) to full time at the drop of a hat. If it's private school they would be working full time for about a third of the year.

It might suit a student, but a student who drives and who can cook dinner 5 nights a week? I imagine they're quite hard to find.

This isn't my advert btw. Some of you are reading it like this is a role I'm advertising.

When I say "not bothered about eating dinner" I mean someone who is not bothered about cooking and eating with their own family. I eat with mine at 8pm but I wouldn't be able to produce something healthy and interesting in half an hour or so start to finish every night of the week, every week of the year.

These weren't the exact hours I had a nanny for, but similar. It suited someone wanting to work part time but without paying their own childcare costs, because they brought their child to work with them. (They either finished early enough to take their child home to bed, or their husband collected the child for bedtime if they were working later.) They ate at my house.

Why wouldn't a student drive or be able to cook?

I could imagine someone who has worked as a full time nanny for younger children and isn't quite ready to retire but wants less hours and potentially less demanding children.

I don't think op is the employer.

I was going to say the same, my friend’s nanny works these sort of hours. She used to work full time for them, then had a baby when the youngest started reception, and has come back from mat leave to these hours bringing the baby with her. It works really well for them all.

It will essentially be a full time wage though - the mornings off in term time make up for the holidays being very long and full on.
22.5 hours for 33 weeks
60 hours for 19 weeks
That's still an average of 36 hours a week.

I used to do this, I stayed on with the family I’d been working for when I had my first child. I only took a v short maternity leave, and they were happy for me to come back with my child. I did before and after school and holidays. After a while, they paid me a retainer to cover days when the kids were off school sick. It worked well for us- my husband often picked up my baby to start bath and bedtime before I got home.

Lots of families with full time working adults cook in half an hour every week night, takes a bit of organising but it's perfectly do-able, you could prep in the morning, leave it in a slowcooker, use an airfryer or have easy food like omelettes.

I did as an aupair and later as a nanny (I attended university in the mornings).
If the pay match the hours and job it shouldn't be a big deal to find a nanny.

Quite a few students can drive, but not necessarily have access to their own vehicle. Hence why many of these jobs come with "access to family vehicle for pick ups/ drop offs/ activities/ suit family requirements". The employer insures the nanny on one of the family vehicles and nanny uses it to ferry the children around/ run errands for the family. I know 3 students who nannied and all 3 had access to a family vehicle - was also less faff car seat wise.

In terms of food. I know a few nannies who cared for school age charges and all had school dinners so the evening meal was usually a lighter affair - sandwiches, soup and toasties, salads ect. Especially on nights where children were at after school activities.

Of course in the holidays they would need to do more cooking but many students are capable of whipping up filling but basic meals. Plus there are loads of recipes online that are easy to follow.

It won't suit many people is the answer. It could suit an older student (PHD/Masters), a semi-retired person, a nanny looking to work fewer hours (maybe because of age/ill health/other commitments).

There are LOADS of people who need these hours and not enough people who want to work them, as a result these type of jobs do tend to be fairly flexible. For example, they may take a nanny who wants to bring her own child along with her/put the children into holiday camps to keep the holiday hours down/offer extra hours for housekeeping and management stuff/pay a high hourly rate.

We had a similar roles when our children were primary aged - we advertised for ‘NWOC’s - nanny with own child.

we had two Nannies over time who had babies to toddlers… it wasn’t perfect but the hours we needed meant we found it didn’t appeal to many, but it did to those who wanted to bring their own child to work.

we did get home at 6.45/7pm though..

Crossed and agree with @NuffSaidSam

Don't understand the comments about it being difficult to find a student who can drive and cook dinner. Most young people seem to learn to drive at 17 or 18 around here. And I presume that most can cook by that age as well!

'Has passed driving test' and 'has been driving long enough that I'd be happy for them to drive my kids around/insure them on my car' are two quite different things.

Not to mention the ones who can't afford lessons or have had lessons and can't get a test.

Just to clarify again. The advert states that a requirment of the job will be to cook dinner (5 days per week) and does not say anything about "you can bring your own baby to work".

I think of all the students I know (and I know a lot!) and none of them could do this job.

The add might not mention the baby thing, but they might be open to it when approached. If not initially, after looking for a while and realising that what they want isn't really out there. It's all negotiation.

They need an au pair really. Thats what we did.

Live in au-pair, helps get kids up and out in the morning, breakfast and drop off at school.

Free all day.

Pick up kids from school, homework, downtime, dinner, prep, bed. Au pair went out most nights, was contracted to babysit for us twice a week but we almost never used that up and if we weren't going out she could.

Yes,, she needs an au pair.

I did exactly this as a student and it was perfect - yes I could cook and drive. At one point I job-shared with a fellow student as neither of us could manage the fact hours 5 days a week due to classes.

We also found someone to do these hours for our own children - not a student but only 21 when she started and she stayed until she had her own children. She was happy with the hours - not hugely ambitious, she just wanted to work in a nice environment and we paid a good rate.

When I was a student, many decades ago, I did this.
I was able to drive, had my own car, and was also able to cook.

I didn't need to collect him until 3.15, but it was a brilliant job whilst I had it.

I had someone doing similar hours; she’s the same age as me but has no kids. She is also a casual cater for a couple of elderly neighbours (kind of a pop in, drive to the odd appointment, walk a dog, sort of visitor to help people who aren’t completely dependent.) She would do 3-7 each day to include cooking dinner. When I broke the summer holidays down, I could figure out a bit of flexitime at work, our own family holidays, and some play dates/visits to family or friends, as affording full day care for several weeks woukd have been beyond me. I gave her loads of notice on dates and times, and it worked out about 20 hours per week during term time, and about the same when spread out over the summer, so I paid her the same amount every week.

Why would students not be able to cook dinner? DD is 11 and she could make dinner, she loves cooking and often makes stuff for herself and for us. Obviously I’m not suggesting an 11 year old could do the job, but if an 11 year old can cook meals then why wouldn’t an 18-22 year old uni student be able to do it?

I've read threads like this before, posted by nannies who are a bit cheesed off. They've taken the job and it hasn't been explained to them that 'full-time during school holidays' means from the crack of dawn to whenever the parents decide they want you to stay in the evenings, and then you get paid nothing at all when the family goes away on holiday. Either that or you are obliged to use your annual leave when they don't need you.