AIBU to pay the live in nanny/au pair this salary.

[SpagBolgs]

£300 a week for 7:30AM-5PM 5 times a week sometimes it may be a bit more. Then give her some money so she can treat herself. She will stay in our house and she get the chance to go to college/university. We will provide her with food, water a shower and internet. She will be treated like a member of the family and will be able to access the family car.

• Early finish, I meant there! 5pm finish is very early for a nanny and means you miss the worst part of the day, after tea and bathtime.

We pay our nanny equivalent to 37000 per year after tax (that's what he takes home and we pay the other stuff)

We pay 52 weeks a year regardless of what's going on (ie. vacation or not - if we go away he still gets paid)

We pay Xmas and birthday bonus = one week salary each time

When he is on duty he's in charge (no undermining with grandparents - ugh)

You get what you pay for

Treat your nanny like royalty because quite frankly they deserve it

The set-up the OP is suggesting obviously isn't in any way like an actual, legitimate nanny position.

However, what she is suggesting ('nanny'-cum-housekeeper, with an emphasis on the latter) is a lot more common in London than I think people realise.

7am - she will wake up

Seriously have you forgotten that this is a human being? You tell her what time to get up? So she's already working for £200 per week and you want to see how much it has to go up too, shouldn't that be something you thought about before hiring? Free time during the day with 2 babies, maybe that's why you seem bored?

Perhaps she could got to night or afternoon lectures.

Ooh living the dream, eh? Or she could get a normal 9-9 job be paid properly and then do lectures while not being complelty wrecked form taking care of your children for a pittance.

I forgot about the free water.

And of course being allowed to study should she so wish in her FREE time. Or run jump and sing like Mary poppins too...? The lucky lucky girl!

I think some of you are being unnecessarily harsh. Admittedly this was 5 years ago but we paid our nanny £24,000 for a 40 hour week. Because of my shifts days sometimes started at 6:45 and finished at 7:45 however this would be maximum of 2 per week with another 2 days of 8:30-4 with at least 1 day off per week. No babysitting obviously. She had a four year old at school/nursery and a 1 year old to look after.

Thank god both dcs are at school now we pay our housekeeper £11 per hour to clean and keep an eye on them the one day we need Childcare.

I admit I don't know much about Nannies but I'm seriously considering becoming one if this is the pay that is on offer!

I have a Diploma in Childcare and Education plus 2 Degree's yet I work 60 hours a week for minimum wage and after tax, NI and student loans I'm lucky if I bring home 300. I then have all my rent, bills and food obviously to come out of that, despite getting CTC for one child it leaves me with very little.

And I work a physically hard and emotionally draining job working with elderly people with dementia 6am- 6pm 5 days a week. Yes perhaps I should argue that I should be paid a living wage but it seems to me 350 a week with no bills is very reasonable. And definitely a salary of 26k plus perks as some posters are saying is something I could only dream off up here in the North and I know I'm not the only one

I also don't understand why nannies are paid net not gross? If my job was contracted in terms of net pay it would be way under NMW. I'm not criticising it as such, just wondering why nannies get paid that way?

From her English, I am guessing the OP is from the subcontinent. Are you OP?

How old are your youngest two children, op? You don't really believe the au pair will have it easy because they nap through most of the day, do you? If they genuinely do this, I would fear for their health, tbh. It's not normal for children to sleep most of the day.

I was thinking the same Mimi, in which case it's often normal for 'nannies' to be paid low and treated like a maid. Especially in the Middle East I see it regularly.

What you are proposing, OP, is exploitative and disgusting.

The notion that she is having "free time" all day with two small children to look after is laughable.

I really, really hope she dumps you and moves to a family who give her decent pay.

Someone with 6 years' childcare experience who looks after 5 children full-time is not, I repeat, NOT, an au pair.

Maybe op's small children are very easy kids, possibly they entertain themselves. If the kids have a playroom or are used to watching tv all day and the nanny can read or study online or mumsnet other do leisure activities then that is relaxing. Sure it isn't free time, but it is relaxing.

If op wants the nanny to be going to toddler groups, organising craft projects or baking all day then that isn't so relaxing.

I have my own child so I couldn't be a live in nanny but if I was single, childless and wanting to live cheaply in another country I would think 300 pounds a week +food+accommodation+gym membership+use of a car was fantastic.

I disagree that you get the quality you pay for with nannies. I worked as an English tutor for a couple of years, one of the families had a Malaysian nanny, she was paid a pittance ( not a 300 pounds a week pittance,a real pittance) she was the most dedicated loving nanny I have ever met. The kids were constantly involved in crafts or trips out, she really really loved the children and they were very bonded to her, she also cleaned. I am not saying that situation was ok, I think the parents did take advantage of her but the kids were happy and the nanny was happy.

I have read many stories from mainly young women on the net, exploited by employers as nannies. A recurring theme is that their employers said the young kids slept all day and/or were very easy kids. It is very rarely true. It is just another way to justify umderpaying them.

Not enough IMO.

Not enough IMO.

OP, youu said you are going to start working soon. Is this your first job? You seem to not understand employment issues.
Also, when you start working with 5 dcs at home is going to be very stressful. You will need good support, a capable nanny, a happy one, one who will stay for long period.
It is not smart to mislead your emploee. You can fool her that is going to be easy job. But soon she will find out. What is your job? Will you be able to take time off when she resigns?
Plus you will have 5 upset children, who will then reject the next nanny and you will need to take more time off. Is your job so flexible that you can make experiments?
Don't underestimate people's intelligent, especially when english is not their first language, because you might get a cold shower one day.

So, regardless of the pay give a proper realistic description of the job. Leave out the bs i.e.she can be free between 7-730 am, relaxing time during day etc and give the real facts: i.e. start work at 7.30am , sole care of 3 under 6yr all day, working holidays with 5 kids etc.
Then she can decide.Not point trying to manipulate someone into something. Its not smart and it always ends in disaster.

Oh and have plan for ilness too (5 kids) and nanny's sick days etc.
If it was as simple as providing free water then we would all have careers and make money aswell ad having many children.
I don't think you have ever worked actually.

Do you really think a nanny would leave young kids 8-4 all day in bed?

More like:
8-9 she will feed/ clothe/ get them ready/ read to them
9-11.30 they will go to park/ swimming/ play with friends/ music class/ teach puzzles/ reading/ painting/ cooking etc
11.30-12.30 she will make lunch and play
12.30-2.30 she will get them to nap. During this time she will prep dinner so she has time for homework later, tidy toys, sort any child's things out.
2.30-3.30 wake children, get them ready to go pick up others
3.30-5 struggle to get 3 children to do homework whilst occupying younger two and heating dinner/ sorting out last min school requests/ finding swimming costume for someone's class

How the hell can she do night lectures and be up for 7am to do a long full days work?! Treat her like a human not an animal

Hello after reading this thread through with DH we have taking many things into considerations. DH and I both have very demanding jobs that is why we had hired the nanny, before I had the LO I was at work full time as well with the same job and company but I am now returning to work. I do feel ashamed of my self I was being selfish and thought the world had revolved around me. We have taken the things into consideration and will now pay the nanny 20400 a year, and her schedule will now be from the hours 9-5. No I am not from Asia I am from Northern Europe.

That sounds a lot better, a lot mre reasonable

Yes that is much fairer OP. good for you to take comments on board and reassess. It is also a good idea to draw up a specific job description and holiday plan. Thing like whether nanny will be expected to accompany you on holiday to work and who chooses when she takes her holidays.

Much better op...is water still included!

You say you are going to give her £75 "if she does well" how are you going to quantify "doing well"?

Is that bonus daily, weekly, monthly or yearly? Have you explained to her how she gets her pat on the head and her "good girl" reward.

You are coming across as patronising and I am having trouble believing anything you are saying in respect of your employment of her.

You said that you are returning to employment yourself, it is to be hoped that your employer shows you more respect than you are showing your employee. A good start would be to get her role correct. She is a nanny, not an au pair.

I would suggest that you look realistically at what you are classing as free time...free time is when, as other posters have said, where she has no responsibility for your children. If you are suggesting that when your LO is napping, she is free to do what she chooses, you are deluded. She is not free. She cannot leave your child, therefore she is not free.

Stop talking utter bollocks and come back when you have something sensible to say.

1974rach I suggest you read the thread fully.