or what is reasonable pay for a nanny doing this potential job?

[Dillydaydreamer]

I am hoping to do my HV training soon and will need a nanny from 7.30-4.30/5ish mon-friday. No weekends/Bank hols or babysitting duties. To live out.
2 dds- 3.5 and 18mths both in good routines and well behaved for other people!
Daily duties would be to get children washed/dressed and breakfasts, take dd1 to pre-school each morning and dd2 to nursery (2 mornings) or an activity. Pick up at 12 then lunch.
Children sleep in the afternoon for 1.5-2.5hrs. In this time I expect dishes from meals washed and evening meal prepped if needed. That would be for all the family as we always eat as a family. Nothing complicated as we aren't fussy
I then expect the nanny to rest for an hour lunch
I expect her to take coffee when possible
Extra jobs only expected when both children are at school (3hrs for 2 mornings)
switch washer on which I load.
ironing (childrens only)
hoover/dust/tidy/sort childrens clothes etc in their rooms.
There could be odd occasions where she/he would be needed until 6pm but plenty of warning.
Do I sound like a good employer?
How much would you expect to be paid?

I had brilliant au pairs who did many of these things you are asking.

I didn't use an agency, just word of mouth and then one au pair would recommend us to her friend etc a year later. They even helped put the bins out, feed the animals, bit of gardening etc. We used to pay £65 a week live in. We're still in contact with most and one now has her own baby back in Czech Republic, we went to her wedding.

Don't need an au pair now but I do miss the daily banter about the children and the laughs we had.

I think a lot is to do with personality, both theirs and yours. I would say my au pairs were generally warmer to the children and more helpful than my friends' expensive Norland Nannies.

You hear dreadful stories all the time about hired help so if you do get a good match they are worth their weight in gold and should be treated as such.

Unfortunately the only person I know who had an au pair had several bad experiences, so it puts me off. I don't move in circles where it is common place anyway, so its unlikely to be word of mouth.
We also don't have a spare bedroom/big enough living space for an au pair and I value my privacy in the evenings.

The au pair who had my mindee for 6mths basically had no discipline and allowed him to watch Ben Ten from getting in from school to evening meal time every night. He has no imagination and his social skills are below average for his age He was very spoilt when he came to me.

10net seems high to me for Dorset. IMV nannies wages depends on their experience and how much parent/s can afford.
Would expect you could pay £70 to £100 Gross per day.
Best to look at job ads in your area to get a feel for your local market.

Most nannies around here looking after slightly older children seem to be happy to put a wash on, or cook a bit extra for the parents so they can eat with the children. I am not sure that constitutes domestic slavery myself. If I was nannying I'd quite enjoy rustling up a bit of dinner, because an army marches on its stomach, IMO, and happy parents would mean I got an easier life.

I'm a nanny. Have been for 14 years and i honestly don't see the problem with cooking a bit extra for parents, or taking 30 seconds to put a wash on. I do this now - and i look after 3 kids - one is a baby and one with sen. In all honesty as a parent i wouldn't employ someone who was completely inflexible.

thanks all I could just about afford to pay 70 per day as I have savings which I could use to supplement my income with while doing the course.

Dorset Nanny Jobs

Nannies can be very flexible in what duties they do. It depends on the candidate. Personally I don't iron... but then it's rare that children's clothes need ironing, at least until they start prep school.

Not sure where you are seeing a 6 hour gap... can you explain where that occurs? There does appear to be an hour/1.5 hours between dropping off at nursery and collecting again - this is term time only though and is probably only sufficient for some light domestic tasks, such as unloading dishwasher, doing part of the laundry such as putting a load on and folding a load that has dried. The time goes by quickly, especially when you factor in a coffee break (probably the only coffee break the nanny will have all day).

Nannies are paid for all the hours of their working day, regardless of if your children are present or not - the nanny is on call. Please don't see nannies salary as being a per-hour whilst children are at home... it is far more I feel a per-day cost.

Children in my experience (about 20 years worth of experience now) rarely sleep to schedule and afternoon naps are phased out as children start attending nursery/pre-school. So while your children may currently nap in the afternoon, in a few months time they may drop that nap.

Hi nannynick. both children will be at pre-school and nursery for 2 mornings from 9-12 which are a 5 minute walk from the house and next to each other, so even with half hour travelling there and back to collect they have 2.5hrs with no children on 2 mornings. They also do nap to schedule where I can set my clock by them and the ages I have put are the ages they will be when the course starts iyswim. They are 12mths and 3.3 atm.

Sounds reasonable for nanny to do some domestic chores during that time then. Though do keep in mind that when children are in the care of a nanny (or any other childcare provider) they nap schedule may change. As a CM you must have experienced that yourself.

We've had a few nannies over the years but haven't asked any of them to cook for us. Seems like a cheek to me TBH. It all sounds good on paper, all this precise timetabling, but IRL it goes a bit pear shaped every day. I think you'd just end up with a stressed nanny who maybe ignores the DCs when awake to do the peeling and cooking instead (much like we all do) or gets stroppy when they don't go to bed at the exact time and for the required length etc. I think you're expecting too much from one person in one day.

I find it best going with the flow... if the children want to see something, we go see it. If the children want to mix vinegar with bi-carb, we do that. While we have a kind of schedule, we don't stick tight to it... it bends to accommodate the children's desires. Happy children = happy parents. The pre-school childhood phrase does not last long... plenty of time for tight schedules once they start school. As pre-schoolers I feel they should be exploring the world around them, learning through play.

Hi there

I just wanted to add that as long as dillydaydreamer is up front about what she is looking for in the interveiw then what is the problem!!!!!

As a Qualified experience nanny of 14 years I would happily work for you, In past jobs i've taken pets to vets, picked up dry cleaning and taken videos/dvd's back to blockbusters. None of these duties are typical nanny duties but i have been happy to do them when asked.

Surely it's up to the nanny to decide on what she is willing to do? if she's not happy to do it then she wouldn't accept the job.

I'm sure you will find a nanny to work for you and yes you do sound like a very good employer to me.

Good luck finding someone.

As a nanny of 16+ years I'd have no issues with doing food prep. A nanny would be expected to cook for the children and what Dilly is proposing is hardly slave labour!

A nanny is normally expected to keep the childrens bedrooms and bathroom clean and tidy, do their washing and ironing, keep the communal areas tidy and clean up after herself and the children.

I have no issues with unloading dishwashers or bins but I expect to come in to a clean and tidyish house to start with.

I think some nannies are a bit anal about 'nursery duties'. If something is mutually agreed at the start of a job then I don't see a problem. Obviously some children will be more demanding than others which may make a nannies job a little harder but Dilly's sound fine and it sounds like a nice job.

I can't see anything wrong with what you are asking.

Hoovering/dusting/tidying of childrens rooms is part of a nanny's job.

And you are only asking someone to switch on an oven or peel and chop a few vegetables - it's not like you're asking them to cook it all and have it ready to serve as you walk in the door.

In fact, if a nanny said 'ooh no, I'm not doing that as it is not part of a nanny's job' I would not want to hire someone that is so inflexible.

With the sleeps time, 3.3 is quite old to be having a daily sleep, so really it won't be that long until it is dropped.

Dilly This all sounds ok to me. Where abouts in Dorset are you? When are you looking for someone? I may be able to help. I am in Bath, dont' know if thats too far??

I paid £10 per hour gross in the North West for a lot less duties than you expect and my god did she moan/not do them.
I hope you find a good one

I think people are exagerating with their 'its slave labour' views.I have been a nanny for 7yrs and would have no problem doing food prep and hoovering and dusting the kids bedrooms is part of a nannies duties.In fact if i was hoovering dillydallies kids bedrooms I would probably hoover the whole upstairs while I was up there if its that small as it sounds like it would only take an extra 5mins.
The oldest will probably stop napping soon but most 3yr olds I know would love to help with food prep so its actually an activity the nanny could do with the kids.
This would actually be an ideal job for a beginner nanny.

So, what's the consensus then, just wondering. Can't see any figures decided upon....

How much per hour??

Dilly, TBH I can't see what the problem is. Obviously whatever the Nanny agrees to is fine. I know 'Nanny' is a job discription, like 'teacher', 'cleaner', 'analyst'...but for each of those jobs there will be a job discription particular to that position, and it will vary from employer to employer.

When I worked as a day nanny I would have been quite happy to turn the oven on for my employers, or peel some carrots for them, or stick a casserole in the oven. Obviously I would always expect them to be upfront that this was part of the job, and not just 'spring' it on me. I also used to do ironing when both kids were asleep - their stuff, the kids stuff - well it made no difference to me! I took my lunch break, and when that was done, I did any other small tasks about the house (not scrubbing and cleaning obviously, but tidying up, folding some washing, ironing) until the kids got up.

Dilly, you sound very reasonable, and so long as you are clear about what you expect, and as long as you are understanding when things go 'wrong' and extra jobs don't get done, then I don't think you will have a problem. Good luck

i dont see what you are asking is too much but some nannies are pickier than others (me for example) i NEVER iron!!!

nannies generally do nursery duties, ie was the childrens clothes, change beds, tidy up toys etc - but some dont have any (like me, but only as mb and cleaner do it)

i wouldnt object to chopping a few veg,putting food in oven - but no complaining about my cooking

if your children are too tired to eat at that time, i would get the nanny to make tea for the children and give it to them about 4.30/5

if she is nice she may make a big shepherds pie and you can have some, or you might have to come home and cook your own tea, just as the nanny will have to do once she is at her home

i know what you mean about sleeping, my 3.6 and 9mth both sleep 2hrs every afternoon

most nannies are flexible and i have picked up dry cleaning, taken dog to vet, taken shoes to be reheeled, picked up parcels from post office etc

you do need to pay your nanny when children are at nursery, as the nanny is on call, incase they are ill/fall over etc - tbh i dont think you will find one who will work 7-9 and then come back happily at 12

as long as you are honest at the beginning then shouldnt be a problem

all sounds perfectly reasonable to me as long as everyone agrees to it upfront

fwiw I work in a day nursery and I have lots of non childcare duties too, like putting the rubbish out, cleaning the toilets( even the staff ones), mopping the floors etc etc

I think people are getting too bogged down in the nanny/ mother's help/ housekeeper job title

as the employer, what your employee's duties are is up to you

I wouldn't worry at all about the division of roles - just make it clear as crystal in the ad and in the interviews/pre-interviews exactly what you're expecting. Rigid distinctions between what nannies do and what other servants should do are a hangover from when nannies were part of a team including maids and cooks. Just say it's part of the job and if someone doesn't want to do it then they don't need to apply for this job.

The nanny role includes nursery duties - tidying/hoovering children's rooms, doing their laundry, and cooking their meals is part of it.

I'm a nanny and in my job I do all that, plus I clean up after breakfast in the morning (including unloading the dishwasher) and I hang out washing if there's a load in the machine (even if it includes some parent's clothes). As I said on the other thread, the only thing that might be a bit is the meal prep, but as long as you're clear about that upfront it shouldn't be an issue.

I'm in the South West too, and don't know anyone who earns £10 net an hour! £7 to £9 gross is more usual. £350 a week gross would be fine.

if i was still a nanny i would love this job as you sound very caring,i wouldnt mind prepping food for whole family.when my charges were at pre school i used to cook for the freezer which the whole family ate.i cooked childrens meals,casseroles,spag bol etc