Considering getting a nanny?

[ToffeePennie]

We aren’t by any means well off and I actually just enough to cover the costs of a nanny. However, I’ve tried being a sahm and it just doesn’t work well for me (I end up really grumpy and moody) so instead I work in a school as a ta.
My ds1 starts school in September and ds2 is still a baby. It works out at over a grand if we put the baby in daycare (nursery) and we pay for wraparound.
I’ve been contacted by a lovely lady who is a nanny. She lives with her children and husband in the village and seems kind of perfect.
We can use tax free childcare so with her we would actually pay £350 less. Not to mention I think she would be brilliant with my baby.
So is it really pretentious to even get a nanny? Do I need one? Is it going to sounds really snobbish to say “we have a nanny” when the truth is we could pay our mortgage in the amount we will save financially.

I think a nanny is much better for a young baby than a nursery so if it's also less expensive and you've found someone who you think would be great you should go for it. Unless you're generally seen as flashy and pretentious I very much doubt that anyone is going to think you're snobby. It would be ridiculous to continue with a less nice and more expensive choice of childcare out of a reverse snobbery.

We are not flashy or pretentious. It’s quite clear that we don’t have much money to spare as evidenced by my crappy car, the baby wearing his brothers hand me downs (thank god I had two boys - all the clothes can be reused!) and ds1 has second hand uniform for school. (Couldn’t afford new)

Why do you want to go on about how poor you are?

I imagine you will need to think about sick pay and how you would cover illness and potentially maternity leave. Not to pension contributionsZ

That’s a good point another - in terms of illness, my husband actually works from home 3 days a week and can if needs be work from home 5 days a week (but really would rather not have to: especially when caring for a baby) so as a one off/when the nanny is sick, I think we can manage. As for sick pay I’m taking a guess that we can do it the same as the government? (But that’s just a guess though) I’m never going on mat leave again, and although the nanny might, I get the impression she is two and done too, so hopefully that won’t be an issue. I’m not sure about pensions.
Clearly these are things we need to look at - thanks!

Having a nanny seems like the sensible thing to do.

We aren’t posh or rich and have a nanny. It’s the most practical option and works for us. Bear in mind most Nannies quote their salary net and you need to gross it up and pay pension contributions too. Ensure you know the full ‘cost’ of the total package.

Mumsnet - Talk - Nannies is a great place to discuss all things to do with employing a nanny.

As a nanny myself I have worked for a variety of parents, being well off is not a requirement. What is important to me is that the parents earn sufficiently to pay my wage, pay the Employers NI and pension contribution, pay the payroll admin fee (I want my earnings correctly reported, not cash in hand) , a reasonable budget for activities and mileage plus food in the house.

I am surprised that a nanny would not work out over £1000 a month, are you sure it will be lower cost than nursery or childminder? It can certainly be more practical as a nanny comes to your home so you do not need to get children ready at an early hour but cost wise it is typically a more costly form of childcare with two children.

I don't really understand the dilemma. You are hesitant because you think it sounds posh/snobby? Not because it doesn't fit your requirements? Just do what suits you and your family best and forget what it looks like.