I am a part time nanny - AIBU to get fed up doing household chores such as washing, ironing, general house hold chores when i am babysititng in the evening....?

[josben]

(i work 9 hours per week), I would really like to know if that normal to be expected to so those chores when babysitting in the evening...

TIA

I've never had to, I've generally tidied up after a days work so the house isn't covered in toys but they're paying you so they can ask you to do so...

If you are only working 9 hours per week, how many hours of that is in the evening? In general, if you are babysitting, I do not think you should also be expected to be ironing, cleaning etc during that time as you have presumably already done a full day's work by the time it gets to evening. I think because you are with this family for such a short period of time, they are taking advantage. Is the work at least child-related or are you doing general ironing etc? If the latter, definitely out of order!

I do after school\care mainly ...

Yes, general ironing, but i have always done it - so bit late know really ! I am just getting a bit fed up - i have also started another job in the daytime (not child related) for 18 hours - so am bit tired!

Well unless you were employed as a nanny/housekeeper, I don't see why you should ever have been doing general ironing? Unless you specifically agreed to do housework? But yes, if it has become assumed over time that you do it, it is difficult to change the status quo now.

I would have a higher hourly rate to do any other jobs outside looking after the children. The only cleaning up i do is anything i've done with the children or my own coffee cup.

sorry - 18 hours a day or per week? I realise it's totally irrelevant but i'm not sure 27 hours a week can be classed as tiring.

Re the household chores while babysitting - I'm never asked to do extra duties but sometimes choose to do my normal ironing so i can watch rubbish daytime tv relax during naps. I think its a bit off to ask someone to do extra household chores while they are babysitting. However - you said you've been doing it for some time, so i'm not sure how you can change it. They may well lower your pay in accordance.

generally bs is sitting on your bum watching tv not doing all the chores

you agreed to do them by doing them iyswim, so you may find the parents a bit peeved if you stop

so only then can you decide to carry on and do them or leave if they want you to do them

You could stop doing the babysitting. Just do the contracted nannying hours. The babysitting part is optional - isn't it?

Thanks for your messages - i know 27 hours a week doesn;t seem like that much but i've got 3 young DC's of my own and so its all a bit of a shock going back to work and trying to keep on top of my own housework and household stuff!

I have been working as a nanny for the last 4 years and i do not have a contract although i do pay tax and Ni. I get paid £10 an hour and I am now doing more housekeeping stuff when i am at my employers.

i am quite an easy going person and I generally have a good relationship with my employer but I think that she can be a bit of a liberty taker sometimes - and i guess i wondered what other people think...?

I guess i also wanted to have a moan too

Hi Josben I thought I'd answer as an employer rather than nanny! Firstly I think it is not at all right you don't have a contract...others are more clued up on this than me

but back to your question - the truth is being a nanny, more than almost any other job ever, means entirely different things to different people as far as where the limits of the job are....so it really depends on what you agreed in the first place

Having said that, as with any job, if it is changing by bits being "added" and "liberties taken" I think the first thing to do is talk about it - otherwise you will get resentful and/or stop doing things and a situation is likely to arise iyswim!

It may be with another job taking time and energy now is a good time to have a chat to ensure this job stays in check!

£10 an hour to sit on your bum watching TV - where do I sign ?
I don't think it's unreasonable to ask you to do a bit, maybe for 50% of the time of ironing or tidying.

I'm going to go against the grain and say that I expect household tidying and ironing as part of evening babysitting (assuming you are nanny/housekeeper rather than purely nanny) once DC/s have gone to bed. You are still getting paid £10 per hour. Appreciate that you may be tired as you have your own DCs and just gone back to work but that wouldn't change my expectations. Possibly not the most supportive post but hope it helps re getting a variety of perspectives.

Perhaps offer to be paid less and not do chores !!!

what were you employed as nanny, nanny/housekeeper or babysitter. do you only go round in the even to babysit or have you been there since after school time.

Agree with bunnymother.

Where I am £10 ph would get you a full up nanny/housekeeper. I have no idea where you are so that may not be representative!

I would expect ironing and a tidy round of toys after the dc are in bed. I certainly always had to do that and that was when I was babysitting as a teen - I also had to give tea and wash up after... TBH I don't think ironing is unreasonable but I would think "oh can you clean the bathroom and prepare tomorrows tea" would be IYSWIM.

So exactly what is a baby sitter now days..
When I was a teen and used to baby sit, that is what what you did, sat and watched the telly listening out for the children if they were to wake?
Prehaps I was lucky, the children were normally in bed and asleep when I got there?

But what did you earn MJB? I was well paid as a teen baby sitter but that meant doing more. If I wanted to pay a few quid then I could get in a teen and provide shite to eat, sky tv and block all mobile numbers from the landline . However I would rather pay a bit more and get something more for it!

I pay my teen babysitter £6 per hour. She is either in for an hour or two while the kids are awake, and she plays with them a bit. No chores. Or she comes in after they have gone to sleep, and gets on with her school work.

I pay my student babysitter £10 per hour, she is expected to feed the kids and get them ready to bed, and put them to sleep. She comes on a monday for 2 1/2 hours, and is paid £25. If she also mops the floor, which I sometimes ask her to do, she gets paid £10 extra. We have oak floors throughout the kitchen and open plan living room, so quite a lot of mopping. Then the pine staircase, and the oak floor downstairs in the entrance hallway.

Without a contract it's tough to say because the contract, as well as setting out your rights and responsibilities and those of your employer, is there to say what you do and do not do as part of your job.

Is it babysitting or is the evening a continuation of your nannying duties? If it's a continuation then it's not unreasonable to ask you to do child related chores or light housekeeping if that was part of the original arrangement.

Even as a babysitter-babysitter (so just there for the evening to supervise) I would always tidy up after myself/the children if they'd been playing with toys, wash up the baby's bottle. It's basically leaving the house as you found it.

Thanks for your all posts - I reeally do appreciate other POV's.

I have always done tidying up toys + kitchen and loading/unloading of dishwasher as part of my evening Babysitting, and sometimes bathing and putting the kids to bed, but since my employer is a bit hard up at the mo she has got rid of her ironing lady.
So i now find a big pile of ironing to do aswell and the other night i was outside hanging washing on the line!

I am trying not to be unrealistic as I know £10 an hour is a good rate, but I just wondered what other nanny/babysitters are paid and are expected to do...

Hmm, well adding to your work load to save herself money without discussion or extra pay is out of order IMO. If it was always part of the job then fine but not to add it in this manner!

That's definitely not on. She can't just add to your duties like that.

Asking you to put on the odd load of washing is fine - it's mucking in around the house and silly not to IMO - but leaving you a huge pile of ironing because she can't afford to pay anyone else to do it is just unfair.

Meant to add - bill her for it at the end of the month