Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think nannies are overpaid?

358 replies

Fr0thandBubble · 29/07/2020 19:59

Inspired by another thread about how much people earn. Plenty of nannies earning £50-£60k per year apparently and one on £120k!

Our nanny has just left us (youngest about to start reception, thank goodness) and we were paying her nearly £50k for 8:30am-6:30pm Mon-Fri. She would also pick up quite a bit of extra money babysitting evenings and weekends L. She didn’t even have to do anything from 9-12 each morning while my youngest was at nursery - and then only had my youngest to look after until school pick-up time when she had my eldest too. And nannies these days are very reluctant to help out with any cleaning or ironing so she really was doing nothing much at all in those hours.

She was lovely but has no qualifications and is in her early thirties.

It seems wrong to me that nannies are getting paid more than most teachers when they don’t need any qualifications. What do you think?!

OP posts:
Saz12 · 29/07/2020 21:24

8.30am-6.30pm, 5 days is 50hrs per week. £44k per year, with only 20 days holiday (I assume including public hols), no real flexibility, fairly short term role, and no other remuneration (bonus/enhanced pension/extra maternity/private health/car allowance/training courses/etc). The only perk is not having to pay for the lunch that she eats with your children (that’s got to be about £2 a day). It’s not a brilliant salary package for London, is it?
Her hourly rate is around £18 or so. So good, but not fantastic.

And the lack of qualifications (really? Not even first aid??!!) doesn’t equate to a lack of skill- surely your employer pays you more now than you’d have earned as a newly-qualified?

Hardbackwriter · 29/07/2020 21:26

Given that you didn't name lockdown as a time that you looked after your children, can I take it that your nanny worked throughout? If so then you have been in an amazing position compared to anyone using other forms of childcare and I feel like that alone surely justified the decision to use a nanny, and the cost of it, many, many times over? Speaking as someone who's been working full-time while caring for a toddler!

MolyHolyGuacamole · 29/07/2020 21:27

@talkingkrustydoll

I'm in the wrong job. I work in a special needs school and earn just over 11k a year.
You absolutely do! I worked as a TA in an SEN school then left to become a nanny!

OP, nannies are a luxury, hence the price. Nurseries don't do laundry and tidying and taking care of the kids bedrooms and cooking, or have your child when they're sick. And it's your choice to employ someone with no qualifications. I have a degree and years of experience in education, and provide a nurturing and stimulating environment for the children that I care for.

I don't just 'chuck clothes in' I do the whole family's laundry (even though it isn't officially a nanny's job to do so), tidy up messes left over from the weekend or the night before, all because I know my bosses come home tired and don't want to deal with that stuff. And I do it when the kids are at nursery, so again, more fool you for having your nanny do 'nothing' (although I'm sure she does, but you seem to be trivialising most tasks).

She's there while they are at school to be on call should they need to be collected, or can't go in because they are sick or some other issue arrives.

I only do 4 days a week and am absolutely shattered every day when I get home, I barely get a chance to sit down. And don't forget, we don't get lunch breaks like you do in most jobs, where you can leave if you want and have completely uninterrupted time.

Ironing isn't a nanny's job if the clothes are the children's; a nanny isn't a housekeeper (although many parents seem to think this).

A nanny's job is quite specific to each family. And like anything that is customisable, it also comes with a higher price tag.

Binswangers · 29/07/2020 21:27

@itsaratrap
Interesting. In my experience, those acquired through reputable agencies do.

It is interesting. I've had a very variable experience with agencies. Many of the ones who I haven't kept for long have been through an agency. The best were by recommendation. I think it's very hard to find a nanny you like.

Pamalarrrr · 29/07/2020 21:29

Where are these jobs where nannies earn £120k!!! Wow! They must be Norland Nannies surely and be qualified

morriseysquif · 29/07/2020 21:29

As a childcare professional it is really sad that this woman has been in your children's lives at the key time for them in forming emotional attachments and feeling safe and secure in the world and the only thing you can reflect upon is how much she was paid. Yet you set the terms and paid her. Confused

Seem to me you know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

Miljea · 29/07/2020 21:29

[quote Fr0thandBubble]@Palavah Yes I stand by what I said. My work is more difficult, more stressful and requires a higher skill level “than keeping someone else's children alive” as you put it.

Most adults manage to “keep a child alive” - it’s not that hard.

That doesn’t mean I don’t think my nanny is great and I don’t appreciate her because I do - but my job justifies a higher wage because it’s something you need to be highly qualified to do and which requires me to work very long and unsociable hours. The stress level is much higher - I don’t get to switch off when I’m not physically at work, I’m constantly checking my emails, taking calls at all hours, waking up in the middle of the night worrying I made a mistake, etc![/quote]
Froth. I mean this kindly.

But no one ever lay on their death bed and wished they'd put in more hours at the office.

The reality is, your nanny is quite possibly earning more per hour than you.

But making the comparison with others, like teachers and so forth, is pointless. She provides a service that you need. She appears to be doing a good job. She facilitates your chosen way of life.

It's possible that you need to go on paying that because if you don't, others, possibly in your social circle, will pounce on her, upon witnessing that you're happy with her work but moaning about her pay.

The Rich, like you, will always attract those who would seek to relieve you of your money. But paying a good nanny the market rate for her services, nannying for The Rich, isn't her exploiting you.

Fr0thandBubble · 29/07/2020 21:30

@Hardbackwriter No, she was furloughed for over two months. I didn’t mention it because maternity leave sprang to mind as a much harder time to look after my children (although lockdown not much fun either, trying to look after children and work at the same time)!

OP posts:
FinallyHere · 29/07/2020 21:30

Surely people pay nannies what they need to pay in order to secure their services.

Seems fair enough.

There is no reason to pay people more than is necessary to secure their services. If your job is so much more stressful, what's stopping you giving up your job and being a nanny ?

Thought not.

kaikaidodo · 29/07/2020 21:31

I'm a nanny in Oxfordshire 40 hours per week over 4 days and I'm on 25k (12.50 ph) I drive my own car have 4 years experience Ofsted registered etc etc.

I think it's a good wage and I love my job, it barley feels like work but realistically you could be let go at any time depending on the parents circumstances and there's no opportunity for promotion. If I were to stay in nannying for the next 10 years my wage probably won't increase that much. Also it is such a lottery whether you get great employers or terrible employers and some children can be much harder work than others.

All things considered I don't think I'm overpaid?

Cadent · 29/07/2020 21:33

Seems to be some sexism at play here, where jobs that are primarily done by women are not deemed deserving of a commensurate salary.

Fr0thandBubble · 29/07/2020 21:35

@Miljea No, she isn’t earning more per hour than me. What a strange comment.

And I don’t appreciate your classist assertions. Just because I have a nanny it doesn’t make me one of “The Rich” or that I want my child to “socialise with the right people” or whatever it was you said. You couldn’t be further from the truth on that by the way - I absolutely hate classism with every ounce of my being and you are way off mark.

OP posts:
mathanxiety · 29/07/2020 21:38

My point is that nannies get paid really well without needing any qualifications or having to work that hard.

@Fr0thandBubble
My counter point would be that you wouldn't be able to do your job unless you had the complete peace of mind about childcare coverage that the nanny offers.

That is what you are paying for.

How much is that worth to you?

Have you ever tried to function in your job without that peace of mind?

upsidedownwavylegs · 29/07/2020 21:38

Just because I have a nanny it doesn’t make me one of “The Rich”

Eh? Of course it does. Why do you think most of us don’t have them?

MolyHolyGuacamole · 29/07/2020 21:39

@Pamalarrrr

Where are these jobs where nannies earn £120k!!! Wow! They must be Norland Nannies surely and be qualified
I guarantee the ones earning that salary are on a 24/7 rota and working for high net worth, demanding families. That's always the case. When you divide the salary by 24 hours a day where they need to be on call, it's actually a pretty average hourly rate
Damnloginpopup · 29/07/2020 21:40

Well deserved imo. Anything to get rid of the little wankers for a while 😁

MolyHolyGuacamole · 29/07/2020 21:41

@Cadent

Seems to be some sexism at play here, where jobs that are primarily done by women are not deemed deserving of a commensurate salary.
Bingo.

Also the fact that it's a 'domestic' role.

Hardbackwriter · 29/07/2020 21:41

Out of interest, what's the plan now they're both in school - you clearly need wraparound care and holiday care and that's not much of either that will offer those sort of hours? I thought most families in that position keep the nanny.

LakieLady · 29/07/2020 21:42

I’d say that £40kish gross in London for 50 hours/week isn’t really that well paid at all

It works out at £25 + something ph, so not a lot for London imo.

DP used to work for a company that provide payroll services to people who employ domestic staff. He was gobsmacked by how much some people paid them. One very rich person paid their housekeeper and her handyman husband £100k a year, and they got a cottage that they lived in for free. The employer had a 2nd housekeeper at their London house, too, plus a gardener, a chauffeur and a cleaner, and he reckoned their wage bill was bigger than a lot of companies he's done payroll for!

The convention for domestic staff is that their contracts are based on net pay. If someone has 3rd party deductions, eg student loans, child maintenance, the employer effectively carries the cost, and the net pay remains unchanged. If tax rates were to go up, the gross pay would have to go up, too.

LakieLady · 29/07/2020 21:43

Sorry, that should £15+ an hour, not £25 - fat fingers!

nannymags · 29/07/2020 21:45

They are likely Norland and / or rota nannies working for high profile types. They most likely will be working 24/5 or possibly 2 weeks on 2 weeks off for the jet set world. Comes with its own set of perks but also drama and demands in my experience

CharityRoyall · 29/07/2020 21:49

I nannied for 5 years and it was the hardest job I’ve had. Didn’t earn anywhere near that much though - I was on £32k which is still the most I’ve ever earned. I worked 5 days a week, 6am-8pm, 6am-midnight on Thursdays (I stayed over). I loved the children but I was constantly on the move, doing stuff all the time. Many difficulties with the parents over that time, though we’re good friends now. Looking back I was exhausted, anxious and depressed - it definitely wasn’t the right job for me. Wouldn’t do it again even for 60k!
My point is nannies work bloody hard and as a PP said they’re a luxury, they’re supposed to cost a fair amount Smile

lyralalala · 29/07/2020 21:51

You might not pay for qualifications with a nanny, but normally you pay for experience. A brand new nanny costs less than one with a good amount of experience.

Also you're partly paying for what she may have to do - last minute days off school/nursery, dealing with emergencies and the likes. Much the same as firefighters sometimes don't get called out while on a shift, but still get paid as they are there in case they are needed.

I find it fascinating how so many people grudge paying for the care of their children. nursery workers are appallingly low paid in general. Obviously you are going to pay a high premium for one-to-one care or one-to-two care. If a nanny works full time on a pittance how is she supposed to live?

nannynick · 29/07/2020 21:51

As a nanny with over 20 years experience, why don't I get paid that much. Most I've ever made in a year is £28k. Guess it's those people working in London.

SunshineCake · 29/07/2020 21:53

I think you sound resentful with no understanding of what a nanny does.

I used to be a nanny. I did everything in my contract and a lot more besides. It is hard work emotionally and mentally. We get attached to children and can be given notice whenever. We are responsible for someone else's child which is scarier than when it is your own. I used to do anything to do with the child/ren so their washing, cleaning of their rooms, ironing, cooking, taking on outings, etc etc etc.

I was paid well with rises and bonuses but I earned every penny as I cared for the children a lot and they were my complete focus for the ten hours or more I had them each day.