To ask if you employ a FT nanny/housekeeper, what is your household income?

[UncleBunclesHouse]

I feel that we need this service but it just seems like something I’ve only thought was for the very wealthy, not ‘normal’ working people. I don’t know if I’m being unrealistic or out of my league to recruit for this position.

Not necessary for the answer but so as not to drip feed, I earn 6 figures and husband income is less clear as self employed. For various reasons we would need the nanny/housekeeper to be self employed also and invoice us their bill. I’d want a really good one who is doing it as a career and can be very proactive in running the home and engaging with the children to further their development, plus flexible as our jobs can sometimes mean unpredictable hours.

@Octopuscake

Because I’m a nanny, not a cleaner. When I say I do everything related to the children, I sew, darn, batch cook, organise activities and play dates, sort their artwork/general tat that they accumulate everywhere, book holiday camps, plan activities, sort dentist and hair and doctor appointments. Stuff that my employer just wouldn’t deal with. I’ll load and unload the dishwasher. But I’m not employed to deal with adult’s dirty washing and I don’t expect to be their personal chef, either. Plus when the children aren’t at school, which don’t forget was a lot this year and last, I had home-schooling to deal with, and when they’re at home I don’t have time to do most of the stuff I mentioned above.

I do not live in either.

@Octopuscake surely SAHM are doing their own washing and cooking etc so it’s not exactly comparable to a nanny doing it! I’m not a nanny for adults, I still have all my own washing and cleaning and cooking to do at home!

There's been some strange threads on MN lately where people earning 6 figure salaries feel they're struggling financially. Did anyone see the recent thread of someone considering an abortion due to financial reasons yet the combined income of the 2 parents was around 100k a year. I can only imagine that perhaps some people have huge outgoings due to gigantic mortgages or something??? I cannot imagine thinking I struggle when earning anything past 60k to be honest.

(completely misses point of thread)

@Pricklypear12

It depends where you live

In most of London, you would struggle to get a decent 2-bed flat for much under £2k a month to rent, or £500k to buy, which is going to be a mortgage payment of about the same, plus outgoings

Nurseries are £2k a month per child

£100k salary is a take home of around £5k/month once you’ve made a pension contribution

So having a few hundred a month left over once you’ve paid your housing, bills food
Shopping and childcare is hardly living the high life
Add in an expected extra child who needs another £2k/month nursery place and you’re fucked

Legally you must employ if you are their only or principal employer, unless they are paid through an agency in which case you pay the agency instead who sorts the pension, tax etc. You can't choose for them to be self employed

I think if you are considering paying a full time 'normal' working person's salary - or even two - out of your salary, you must realise that you earn more than a 'normal' working person.

I can say however that I have never found anyone who is capable of both nannying and doing housekeeping well at the same time.
And nor should they be. Totally different things.

It just doesn't work to have a nanny/hk I'm afraid. I had a full time all singing all dancing nanny who did everything child related and a few household things on top - eg made enough supper for the children that DH and I could have some too later in the evening and did the weekly shop for us. She was live in (but only worked Mon-Fri) and had a car for her own use in her own time as well as with DC. She'd probably be on about £35k gross if I was emplying her now (plus I'dd be picking up the tab on the benefit in kind of the car). I had a separate self employed cleaner who came in and cleaned the rest of the house and put the washing on/did the ironing and organised sending sheets etc out to the laundry service. (A further £12 or so an hour at current rates plus the laundry service.)

It was sometime ago now as DC are much older but I guess that our joint salaries would equate to about £350K in today's money. TBH I needed the childcare as DH worked abroad a hell of a lot (away most weeks in my second pregnancy) and I was client facing and often had to stay late - I did negotiate that overtime after 8.30pm at night meant that my firm reimbursed the overtime I paid my nanny though.

We employed a nanny and had a cleaner x2 a week
Our nanny cost about £41k
The cleaner £4K
Between us we earned about £185k

We have had successful nanny housekeepers for several years

They were very good and organised at using nap times to do housework when Dc were at long nap stage, and then when they were at nursery in the morning, they had lots of time to get everything done

The cleaner we previously employed did 4hrs twice a week, so the total hours over the course of the week were about the same.

But, we aren’t total slobs. We didn’t leave all the laundry, dishwasher, cooking etc to the nanny.

If you’re the sort of person that treats a cleaner like a skivvy, you would need 2 people

I first employed a nanny almost twenty years ago when our household income was about 120k

At that point it was cost effective as I had two in FT childcare although it did take all my salary plus more to pay the nanny.

We stopped needing a FT nanny about five years ago and decided to get a FT housekeeper after about a year. Because our housekeeper is a luxury rather than a necessity I could only justify it on the basis that I was earning many times what I was in 2002.

OP only you can know whether it’s affordable to you.

@Littlemissweepy

I presumed OP means wealth in the class of footballers and royals etc vs high earning working professionals.

@Littlemissweepy correct - apologies if that came across badly, I wasn’t trying to offend

Just to go against the grain and say it is possible to get a nanny/housekeeper to happily do both roles but you need to be soo clear during the recruitment process. A previous nanny I had would carefully take the children’s cereal bowls off the table into the dishwasher after breakfast and leave mine to make the point she was a nanny not a housekeeper. I learned. My current one employed as nanny housekeeper for years now loves running the whole house, kids, errands, cooking, shopping. To answer your question directly I am not on a footballer/ banker income but a lone parent on a senior professional salary which I know is an enormous privilege. I prioritise this over any other spending as it affects all areas of my life for the better. The house is taken care of and I can focus on my job during the week and my kids at the weekend with no stress.

When I had a nanny, the total cost to me was around £33K (plus car for her own use - the car stayed with her), and it was before compulsory workplace pensions. Still cheaper than nursery for two. I was on £110K at that time, it was quite touch and go at times financially.

Thanks for all these very helpful responses, I also hadn’t twigged that if I’m talking about FT they couldn’t be self employed. As you may be able to tell I have very little experience with this area and only know ‘nannies’ or whatever they are officially called who do multiple jobs for different families and all PT/temp etc. It seems the consensus is I’d be better getting two people, would they then work together I presume to make things run smoothly? As I really would get the most out of someone who could run things and take the mental load not only the doing. If I have to manage everything happening I’m not sure that will be that beneficial for the cost!

Maybe get your dc to write a wish list, rip it up, then throw it into the fire.

The Mary Poppins you are after, may just fly in on her umbrella.

@Butterflyfox

Just to go against the grain and say it is possible to get a nanny/housekeeper to happily do both roles but you need to be soo clear during the recruitment process. A previous nanny I had would carefully take the children’s cereal bowls off the table into the dishwasher after breakfast and leave mine to make the point she was a nanny not a housekeeper. I learned. My current one employed as nanny housekeeper for years now loves running the whole house, kids, errands, cooking, shopping. To answer your question directly I am not on a footballer/ banker income but a lone parent on a senior professional salary which I know is an enormous privilege. I prioritise this over any other spending as it affects all areas of my life for the better. The house is taken care of and I can focus on my job during the week and my kids at the weekend with no stress.

@Butterflyfox thanks so much this is really helpful, exactly what I’m getting at and what I would want! Could you clone them and send them my way…

@Butterflyfox

Just to go against the grain and say it is possible to get a nanny/housekeeper to happily do both roles but you need to be soo clear during the recruitment process. A previous nanny I had would carefully take the children’s cereal bowls off the table into the dishwasher after breakfast and leave mine to make the point she was a nanny not a housekeeper. I learned. My current one employed as nanny housekeeper for years now loves running the whole house, kids, errands, cooking, shopping. To answer your question directly I am not on a footballer/ banker income but a lone parent on a senior professional salary which I know is an enormous privilege. I prioritise this over any other spending as it affects all areas of my life for the better. The house is taken care of and I can focus on my job during the week and my kids at the weekend with no stress.

I agree, but it depends on the age of the children. Say, expecting substantial household duties say from someone looking after two year old twins is probably unrealistic.

They can’t be self employed, that’s a non-starter.

If they live they will cost less but I’d assume £4K per month inc all tax and NI.

Employment status isn't about being full time or part time but about providing personal services in a way that isn't as part of a business venture
A part time nanny is also an employee.

@FrankButchersDickieBow

Maybe get your dc to write a wish list, rip it up, then throw it into the fire.

The Mary Poppins you are after, may just fly in on her umbrella.

@FrankButchersDickieBow that would be practically perfect in every way 😊

Ultimately OP you have to look at your market and do your maths. As i mentioned my nanny will cost me well under 2k per month. But that's in the NW and after the tax free childcare which potentially you are not eligible for.

"Normal working people" = 6 figures

... Only on Mumsnet...!!

@LittleBearPad

They can’t be self employed, that’s a non-starter.

If they live they will cost less but I’d assume £4K per month inc all tax and NI.

Sorry meant to say ‘live in’.