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.

@LittleBearPad

Regardless. The type of position the OP appears to be posting about wouldn’t meet the potential requirements for self-employment. Too many hours as when would a potential nanny/housekeeper have time to work for other people.

Yes, Which is what every single reply to this thread has told her

Yes including my own last night. You’re the one rattling on about it!

I can assure you that 'normal' working people do hire nannies and housekeepers or nanny/housekeeper. Practically everyone works nowadays which is a great leveller.

One of my ex neighbour's daughters trained as a nanny; not Norland but the local college. She was very good, she would also do some housekeeping. She worked for a couple of smashing families. When she married and had her first baby she went on maternity leave and then back to work for the same family, taking her baby with her.

I don't know what she earned (it was years ago), but she did well, ran a good car, she and husband bought a house before marrying. I know they paid good overtime if she was asked to do extra or stay later.

I worked part time for years and grandparents did free child minding and pick ups for me, husband staggered his hours too, but I did employ someone very part time to clean and child mind. I'm ordinary! Husband was a surveyor.

Look around, ask an agency for advice. Make sure you know exactly what you want from the person you hire, take up references yourself, don't just leave it to the agency.

Good luck.

Some nannies don't want to be housekeepers too - I get that, and it's a completely reasonable choice. But @SmidgenofaPigeon if you wanted to(which you don't, it's fine) you would actually benefit able to do more than childcare or cooking for the children / admin within your working day.

Obviously not as a nanny to 2 year old twins given as an example in another post - until school age it's mostly childcare. And I don't think it's possible to clean a house like a cleaner, and take care of children.

But in term time, on a full time nanny/housekeeper salary, if you are & want to be a nanny/housekeeper, it is surely possible to tidy a room, strip beds, each day shove washing on/hang it out including towels and whatever is in the basket, cook a family meal for 4+ people, and do admin like ensuring uniform is ready, ordering a few bits online, booking dentist appointments. Then at 3.30 help kids with homework and serve food. I say again, a SAHM would do this and more.

It doesn't matter that you have your own housework to do in the evening- so does everyone who works! The parents would still be sorting out their own lives, parenting at night, just not having to do all the washing and cooking at night.

*be able to not benefit! Not sure you'd benefit

@Octopuscake I don’t think you get it!

I’m on a great salary WITHOUT taking on all those things- I’m also 30 weeks pregnant so will be leaving on maternity soon anyway- and the family employs a cleaner for all of that. I look after the children and that’s that. I do do all their beds and other laundry. I’m certainly not willing to take on the adult’s cooking and washing too, as many nannies don’t (although more often than not I make bigger portions of the from-scratch cooking I do for the kids so they tend to eat that anyway) If I wanted to be a nanny housekeeper I’m sure I could, but I don’t.

Suggesting your six figure salary is normal is a kick in the teeth for the many people who earn substantially less

Oh chuff off, people are allowed to earn 6 figures and shouldn't apologise for it. Wealthy people are entitled to ask questions that might only apply to wealthy people. Racing to the bottom is not the way to deal with envy.

OP we have a housekeeper. We are her employers because she is with us full time. We're not in the UK so salary isn't comparable.

She works Monday to Friday, but very flexible. She starts at 7am to have breakfast ready for us and then she can manage her day as she likes. If she wants to go off for a few hours during the day she does, but makes up the time. I really don't care when she's here during the day as long as the work is done. She's not a nanny though, not sure if my post is helpful!

Suggesting your six figure salary is normal is a kick in the teeth for the many people who earn substantially less

How so? The op is not likely to be advertising her income worldwide and this is an anonymous internet forum where people can surely share quite a lot of things, including finances where relevant. There are and will always be always people who earn more than others, that's life. Everyone will encounter problems regardless of income.

I cannot remember now whether the six figure income is a joint one: op and partner. I assume so. Good for them.

PS: I do get that most nannies don't do housekeeping which is fair enough, however there are people who are nanny-housekeepers and advertise themselves as such.

Octopuscake Say you work as a PR executive, how would you feel about being asked to pick up some extra tasks from a lower level member of staff? Would you be happy with that? A lot of nannies are highly trained and skilled and I'm not surprised if they are not interested in doing a cleaner's/housekeeper's tasks. Of course there are exceptions to every rule.

@Crankley

You're right - it's all about expectation setting.

And I imagine as the work world finds its feet with home working / hybrid wording, the nanny / childcare role will continue to evolve.

@Crankley I agree people can take on whatever role they like and say yes or no to ant task or responsibility when hired.

The point I'm making is that some people on the thread said it simply wasn't possible to do nanny and housekeeper jobs well, with school age children. I was just a bit

1. You don't choose the law. She would have to be a PAYE employee and you would have to pay employer NI, employee NI and tax as we did.
2. Nannies don't do house keeping so we had someone in addition who came mornings only Monday to Friday when we needed that help.
3. What do people earn to afford that? Depends but obviously more than that grossed up before tax salary plus employer NI. So eg it might take £50k of your own before tax earnings, then you pay 40%+ tax on that, then the balance pays the nanny's employer NI, employee NI , tax and her pay (and food when caring for the children). I am a lawyer and have always worked full time so we used a daily nanny.

Most nannies earn 5 figure a year incomes so your 6 figure income won’t cut it! SIL was a nannie she earned 35k plus car and live in, didn’t clean anything