to wonder why nannies are paid so much more than childminders?

[slipperandpjsmum]

I have read some of the salaries quoted on here in regard to Nanny wages and wonder why there is such a massive difference between them and child minders. In my area CM are paid between £3.40 - £4ph. Some of the ones I have used in the past do not have their own children, they all have a list of qualifications as long as your arm and are very experienced with children.

I know CM have the opportunity to increase their earnings the more children they have but still the difference seems enormous and I just wondered how this has come to be....

Because a nanny is an employee, so you (the parents) can call the shots.

A nanny is based with one family - taking care of the needs of one family in the families home. A childminder has different ages and amounts of children daily and in her own home she is not working for one specific family. A childminder could earn more than a nanny depending how many full time children she had :)

A nanny is paid more cos they come to your house, fit arount you, and do basically anything you say (e.g. you can be more specific about activities done with your children, about what food they eat, when they sleep,etc. Also you can guarantee the nanny just for your child whereas with a childminder your child will be with up to 2 or 3 others under 5 plus possibly a handful of older ones after school. Also with a nanny you're also paying their income tax and national insurance. That's why it costs so much more.

Childminding is a service provided to parents - the CM sets the rules, the parents decide if they want the service or not. The parents drop the children off and collect them. A CM will not look after a sick child (others to think about) and will not be doing things around the home for the parents. They will not be catering just to your child.

A Nanny arrives at the house, only has your children to consider, will do nursery duties and cannot increase their income by taking on another child. Your children are in their own home, going to groups etc with more flexibility than with a CM.

It is not a given that a CM will be 'more qualified' than a nanny.

A Nanny cannot live on £3-£4 an hour - a childminder doesn't need to.

A nanny is paid per family, a childminder is paid per child.

So, a nanny might get £10 an hour, but a childminder might have 3 children at £4 an hour.

Mostly though it comes down to whether you want to run your own business (childminder) or be an employee (nanny).