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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Nannies are not babysitters!

90 replies

Stardust1901 · 07/03/2017 07:07

A lady messaged me yesterday looking for a weekend nanny (8-6) Saturday's and Sunday's EOW plus extra days every school holiday.

Brilliant, I thought, would suit me well. Explained that I would accept £9p/h, the lady offered £8p/h. I accepted, happy to help a struggling mum and earn some extra income. Arranged to meet and discuss contract today etc.

I've just had a message now, cancelling unless I would take £5p/h as she can't afford £8p/h?!
That's not even minimum wage! Needless to say I declined!

I'm level 3 qualified with 8 years childcare experience working in nurseries, schools, being a registered childminder and a nanny. WIBU to expect £8p/h or should I have settled and asked for min wage? Angry

I'm in the North West if that helps!

OP posts:
NeedsAsockamnesty · 07/03/2017 12:31

Childcare.co.uk state at least minimum wage

SpikyFish · 07/03/2017 12:36

I would notify HMRC about this. They are likely to find someone else and pay less than the minimum wage.

bricobraco · 07/03/2017 12:38

That's terrible!! I am looking for a nanny in the NW at the moment and expecting to pay between £9-11 p/h. To be honest I can't imagine why people would expect to pay less than this to the person with sole care for their children during waking hours. We have two babysitters, I pay both £7 p/h and they are both aged under 21 and only babysit when kids are asleep. I pay more when kids are awake / if they put them to bed. I am now wondering if I am underpaying but neither is qualified which I think is a different thing to being a qualified nanny!!

TurquoiseDress · 07/03/2017 12:40

That woman is being utterly ridiculous- she's obviously looking for dirt cheap childcare!

I think you were being accommodating accepting £8/hour when initially it was meant to be £9, but then turning round offering £5- surely that's just taking the piss?!

Dumbassmummy · 07/03/2017 12:52

I use a childminder either 6:30am -2:30pm or 1:30pm -9:30pm and alternate weekends. She is qualified and fully registered and her fees are £4:50 per hour before 9am and after 9pm and weekends. And £4 an hour between 9and9 weekdays. There's no way I would be able to afford £9 an hour that would work out to be more than I would earn for one shift and I'm paid above minimum wage! So I'm sorry OP I think you Abu

Lunde · 07/03/2017 13:03

Dumbassmumy - I don't think you understand the difference between a childminder (who looks after several children for a lower hourly rate) and a private nanny

Purple52 · 07/03/2017 13:05

Is her price per child and she has a few of them?!
Stand your ground!!
& if you're desperate for pennies find something else. Or hold out for what you're worth doing what you want!

Mummyoflittledragon · 07/03/2017 13:07

Dumbass

Op is a NANNY not a childminder. You're comparing apples with pears.

Doyouwantabrew · 07/03/2017 13:12

dumbass a cm is self employed and runs her own business so can claim business expenses back against tax.

Also as a cm I charged £4 a hour per child but had 4 mindees.

Cms and nannies are totally different.

WhiteChristmas2016 · 07/03/2017 13:31

My childminder is £4.50 per hour per child. Including lunch. Maybe in Scotland we're just cheaper in general

gillybeanz · 07/03/2017 13:36

She can't afford a nanny she needs a baby sitter.
Don't take it personally, she will find somebody who is less qualified and experienced to do it.

expatinscotland · 07/03/2017 13:40

But the OP is not a childminder. OP, when someone pulls a stunt like this , they are NEVER worth keeping. Glad you told her no, but in the future, don't drop your rates. You're not here to 'help out a struggling mum' or running a charity, you're a nanny.

Devilishpyjamas · 07/03/2017 13:57

If she wants to pay childminder rates then she needs to find a childminder (I used childminders and nurseries). Childminders offer shared care - so their hourly rate comes from different children. Of course nannies cost more.

Aspiringcatlady · 07/03/2017 13:58

Oh no! That is so cheeky. Especially for a weekend! She is going to struggle to find anyone willing to look after her child for £5ph on a weekend!

Justwantcookies · 07/03/2017 14:27

I don't get why you are annoyed though.

You told her your fee, she asked if you would work for 8ph which you agreed to and arranged a meeting. She has obviously gone away , worked it out and thought shit, I can't afford that. So asked if you would accept lower. You said no, so the meeting was cancelled.

No ones time was wasted because she cancelled the meeting with you.

YANU for not working for £5ph! But you are BU for being annoyed about her asking.

Willow2017 · 07/03/2017 15:21

Whitechristmas

We are not cheaper in general in Scotland, op is a nanny not a child minder. BTW I am cheaper than your cm Wink

ForTheSakeOfFuck · 07/03/2017 15:39

Christ, Stardust can you come and watch mine for that rate?? I'll even pay you the whopping £9 per hour. As plenty of PP have said, I think you're better to decline. To give her the maximum benefit of the doubt, she might be someone who struggles to bargain face-to-face and then went home, did the maths, and realised that there was no way she could stretch to £8ph. Or she could just be a cheeky fucker. In a bizarre way though your rate reflects on your ability. It shouldn't because I've paid for expensive things before that have been shit, but some will judge how competent/able you are by how much you charge, and some will judge someone who charges double as being better than you. It's something to think about. Of course your prices have to be sensible within the general NW nanny ecosystem, and this is totally off-topic from what you asked, but it's something to consider.

ForTheSakeOfFuck · 07/03/2017 15:42

Cookies I disagree. The OP has the right to be annoyed if she is being asked to work for a payment amount that is literally illegal and below the poverty line. It's not unreasonable to feel offended by someone asking, "Hey, person I don't know and who owes me nothing - will you work for starvation wages?" I'm not talking enraged enough to summon up a demon-army and storm her house or anything, but certainly she can pull a few Hmm faces and entertain us here with her story.

rollonthesummer · 07/03/2017 18:36

Have you heard back from her, OP?

Original poster
Stardust1901 · 07/03/2017 19:16

Hi no not a peep! I kindly let her know that I was unwilling to work for less than minimum wage as it was against the law and wouldn't be worth my time. She said she would let me know Hmm But I have a strong feeling I won't hear from her again!

OP posts:
Katherine2626 · 08/03/2017 17:51

Even £8 is very cheap to have the responsibility for someone else's child - O really agree that she is a chancer, and you'll probably find she 'hasn't got any cash today' or whatever when it's time to pay. You are worth a lot more than that.

RevEm · 08/03/2017 17:57

She was taking the p**s. £9 an hour was more than reasobly for a weekend nanny. I would have pointed out that a fiver an hour is illegal as not even minimum wage....could you see till point that out? As if she would expect anyone to mind her children for that.

pollymere · 08/03/2017 18:06

Explain yes, but you'll need paid holiday, tax and NI on top of that... seriously though, some people have no idea of how much things cost. Explain that unfortunately it would be illegal for you to accept a job paying less than minimum wage, and that you had already offered a discount to your hourly rate. Having said that, most childminders charge £5ph around here as presumably they take more than one child and its in their own house so she may be thinking along those lines. I pay babysitters £7.50 an hour ish (£20 for an evening of less than three hours) so £5 seems low even for babysitting!

SherbrookeFosterer · 08/03/2017 18:09

Well done.

You are a professional and you must be treated as such at all times.

jayne1976 · 08/03/2017 18:20

Can't think even a babysitter would sit in your lounge while the kid was asleep for £5 per hour / never mind actually have to take care of a child whilst awake and active