Christmas for nanny - bonus? Present? Lump of coal?

[JinxyCat]

Ok, so I'm joking about the coal. But as a first-time nanny employer, what do people do for their nanny for Christmas?
Do you get them a present? I'd like to, but don't want to make her feel an obligation to get for us.
Or is a bonus more usual? A weeks salary? A fixed amount? Not desperate to spend more cash than we 'have to' but also want to keep nanny happy!
We live in London, and our nanny is live in, and will be visiting family for Xmas/NYE

I've never had a cash bonus but had inconsistent pressies ovr the yr. Some years really good, others not! The best have been presents that involve some thought ie spa day voucher, cd i mentioned i liked. toileties from my fav shop etc.

No nanny but always give my childminder £100 in vouchers from local shopping centre.

I have just started nannying and i think the nicest thing is when they have listened when i have been saying something ie i was saying to mb the other day that i was having difficulty finding a vegan friendly styling gel, and when she came home she had found and brought one for me which i thought was really nice as it showed that she wasactually listening when we talk and it was totally unexpected.

Reviving this thread. Any idea what nannies want this year? And to top it off, it's our nanny's 21st birthday on Xmas day so it needs to be extra special - [M I hope you aren't reading this!].

I am thinking a designer purse (for Xmas) and a spa day (for birthday). Or would she prefer cash?

As a nanny I have been given a cash bonus each Christmas from one family, this was a weeks pay. However the last two families I've worked for have given gifts. Things such as Hollister hat and scarf set, slippers for work because their house was always freezing, base layers and gloves because I was skiing over Christmas and Amazon and iTunes vouchers which are always good. I don't think a cash bonus is necessary however it is a good idea put with a box of chocolates if your are really unsure as to what they would like!

Ask nanny if they have an xmas/birthday wish list, such as on Amazon. That can be handy to help know what they want, rather than you just guessing what they want.

Don't forget that only "trivial" gifts are exempt from tax... I rather suspect a designer purse and a spa day won't be considered "trivial". Any cash is always taxable.
See www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/eimanual/eim21863.htm

I usually get a weeks wages bonus. I am leaving this yr for a new job (not coming back in Jan) so don't know if I will get anything. they seem very annoyed about my departure but its due to moving!

If she is a good employee and has been with you a large part of the year I would give somewhere between a couple of hundred pounds and a weeks salary in CASH. I would get the kids to get a little something too.

I think a weeks salary is nice.

If I were a nanny I would always prefer cash.

Vouchers that are really useful eg: Westfield, last minuite .com, Gordon Ramsey group etc if you're not comfortable with cash. I-pad? I-phone ? Spa day would be a winner for me personally but a Tiffany necklace or designer purse would not so guess it depends how well you can pick her tastes. Can you ask her sister/boyfriend/mate?

3yrs on since first reply

and reply is still the same, if you can afford it then a binus is very much appreciated by nannies :)

tho a thank you also goes a long way

and friend that used to get £1k bonus, now left, has 2 kids, and in these 3 years they have had 4 nannies - says it all

Darn these ZOMBIE thread

I wish that the MN zombie thread warnings wouldn't disappear once a thread has been resurrected.

The OP had probably moved on a bit now

I wouldn't mind a bag of coal, but then we have an open fire and use the black stuff every day.

Funnily enough, I was just looking back over this thread to see what people recommended to check it was right!

I'm getting my nanny some PJs that she said she wanted (£30), and probably £100 cash and some small presents from the kids. I think a weeks salary would be an amazing gesture, but the amount scares me!

Will see if I can get DH to agree to a bit more as I know what she's bought me and it was expensive (very nice of her) ;)

Oh, and I do try to say thank you as much as possible - as our current nanny is AMAZING ;)

Last year I was lucky enough to get a book as I like cooking and also £250 I my bank account to say thank you for working so hard, really surprised when she said she would pop something extra in my account for it to be that much! I had only been there a couple of months too...this year she has actually asked if I would prefer cash or a pressie as she knows that's things are tight as my husband got made redundant in September and still hasn't found anything.

I have found out they need a little thing for their kitchen so have brought for them and spent about £15 on each child as I love them to bits! They have gone out of their way to thank me on a daily basis for everything and are genuinely the nicest people.

I realise I'm very lucky but being appreciated goes a long way!
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