Nanny for school age kids?

[sortingoutmylife]

(Name changed as I'm worried this would be outing if connected with my other posts)

I'm a newly single mum and trying to sort out my life...I have a good job (barrister), but I'm self-employed and there is no one who can step in if the kids are ill etc. There is also the possibility that court hearings run on later than afterschool club, which I have been using. It's really difficult to juggle (meaning I have had to turn down work, which I can't really afford to do), so I'm trying to find a better way.

AIBU to consider a nanny for school aged kids (all primary, youngest about to start school)? (Appreciate its not really an AIBU, but please help!) It would be for 2 or 3 days a week.

Is that a possibility? If so, what can they do in school hours?

I have thought about an au pair, but I've just got out of living with EXH who ignored me for a year, so I really want my own space. One DC also has SEN, which is manageable, but I wonder if an au pair might be daunted.

Any suggestions welcome! I'm really struggling to figure out how to make it work.

Nanny/housekeeper. Can sort the house/fold washing/iron/ cook a meal during day and look after kids after school. Difficult to find but worth weight in gold!

Not unreasonable at all. It gives your kids continuety and security. Not sure where you find one. Many years ago there was a publication called The Lady that used to specialise in this type of person. Absolutely no idea if it still exists.

An agency could find you someone. Or via your local college for a nursery nurse. Word of mouth. You need someone who might be flexible with hours.

DD is a barrister. No DCs yet but I can fully understand the dilemma! You might just have to have someone live in for the moment.

OP I had a nanny, I'm a lone parent too and had to travel for work.

I had one that lived in, it was a huge relief during primary years. Honestly do it.

The nanny then left when my DS14 went to secondary, I picked a private school and my DD does flexi boarding.

The nanny still comes and stays at the weekend sometimes because she's part of the family and my DD adores her.

Why would YBU? After-school nannies are a thing. It's hard to find a good ASN though as most want FT hours, understandably, so nanny-housekeeper may be your best bet. You could also consider a Nanny With Own Child or, if you have a parent of one of your DC's friends who works school hours or not at all, perhaps they'd be open to being paid for their time. You can also look at Koru Kids although TBH I didn't find them useful. Good luck.

I used one for a couple of years - 3 days p/w 8-11am and 3-6pm and full days in the school holidays. She was happy not working full days in the term time so it worked well. After she had dropped the kids at school she would spend the extra 2 hours cleaning and tidying. There were days when I paid her but ended up not needing her, but that’s the nature of being self-employed - I’ve always had to pay for childcare on a worst-case scenario knowing there will be days when I’ve finished work way before end of school. Have a look at childcare.co.uk and koru nannies because you can often find nannies prepared to do different shift patterns.

We had a nanny for three days a week all through primary school having used a childminder for pre-school age. Similar reasons, professional jobs with unpredictable commitments. I would wholly recommend for anyone who can afford it. It meant stability for the kids, they could do clubs, have friends back after school, sickness covered, holidays etc.

during the day they (we had two individuals over 8 years) would do bits for the kids (laundry keep bedrooms tidy), sort presents for parties and costumes for school but honestly we had to accept they weren’t that busy, it did mean the job was attractive so we had stability. My only stipulation was they had to stay local while the kids were at school so they could pick up etc in the event of sickness

You definitely need some help with childcare. If you have to work at hours that don't coincide with school, you will have peace of mind knowing that your children are cared for.
Someone who will also do light household duties such as meal preparation and ironing would be a bonus.
Go for it and make your life easier.

Friend did this - lone parent in vvvv demanding job and frankly it was easier and less stressful having an underemployed but bulletproof nanny in than trying to juggle holidays, school times , evenings etc. I think it came to an end when the nanny went on maternity leave. Youngest child was eight ish.

Not quite the same but our nanny happily handled household duties, and would’ve done more if we’d let her. Advertising for someone who would also, for example, run and hang laundry, cook meals, unload the dishwasher along with childcare would be the way to go imo.

100 percent you need a nanny to work as a barrister in this situation! Unless you’re lucky enough to o have lovely grandparents living round the corner happy to step in at a moments notice which doesn’t sound like the case! Just do it!