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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

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Original poster

Nanny and royal wedding

48 replies

Knackeredmother · 14/02/2011 23:13

Hi, our nanny works wed, thur, fri and gets 17 days holiday inclusive of bank holidays. She started last sept so obviously has not had any bank holidays actually fall on her working days yet. I am fairly sure she thinks that she gets any bh that fall on her working days in ADDITION to her 17 days and I know I need to clear this up in time for good Friday.
Anyway my question is, given we have an extra bank holiday for the royal wedding do I need to give 18 days leave this year?
Thanks in advance for any replies

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Strix · 15/02/2011 18:53

We choose them together, and I am reasonable. I prefer she take hol when we can also take hols, so not in term time. I once had a nanny who wanted hol at a time which was very inconvenient to us because it suited her boyfriend's boss and I decided I didn't need to accommodate the boyfriend's boss, so I declined. ANother nanny wanted three straight weeks in term time because it suited her father's preferred h oliday schedule. That was declined. I have also had a couple of nannies who wanted time off in term time to attend wedding. Those I approved and DH and I just had to cover between us and give up going away ourselves. So, no, the nanny has no right to announce holiday orrespective of us, but I do try to accommodate where I can and where the request is reasonable.

I realise lots of people just say you choose 2 weeks and we'll choose two weeks. But, I find it works better if we sit down together and agree all of them to suit us both.

As it happens I will give this day off to our soon to be au pair because I expect to get it off. I just don't think everyone is obligated to give their nannies perks they don't get from their own jobs. Seems a bit ungrateful on the nannies part if she has come to expect that.

menee · 15/02/2011 23:14

I think a nanny has a right to decide at least one holiday! And the rest to discuss and agree between you.

Blondeshavemorefun · 15/02/2011 23:37

Strix obv makes it clear at interviews that she chooses the holiday so the nanny knows that so up to them if they accept

Personally I wouldn't agree to that - I usually chose my holiday in term time as 1) cheaper 2) less rude older children about

I love kids but on holiday its my time and I don't want screaming kids at my feet/ in the pool doing bombs/throwing sand etc

Have to say one of our best hols was at a hotel that had an adult only pool

Anyway - is it fair to say that if the parent gets the day off that so does the nanny?

menee · 16/02/2011 07:36

Yes I totally agree. If parents not off nanny should work. But if off then dont see the harm as the parent probably want that time with the kids anyway :-)

SnapFrakkleAndPop · 16/02/2011 08:59

Well they might have plans which aren't work which don't involve the children. You never know, they might be invited!

Quite often employers have more holiday than their nanny does which means they can take days for them but still have nanny work.

In blondes' friend's case, though, if the employer is off and paid for a public holiday it's mean to say to the nanny it's off unpaid or you work it, unless they have specific plans.

StarExpat · 16/02/2011 14:08

Frakk no strix is not the only employer who does this. All employers of teachers do this . yes I have a lot of holidays (on one now! :) ), but I've never been able to choose my own dates for holiday.
To the person who said it wasn't "fair"... There are actually many people who don't get to pick and choose their holiday time.
Just wanted to point that out :)

eeyore12 · 16/02/2011 14:17

Just a thought but we seem to be talking as if this extra day is a one off, it may be worth noting that we have an extra one next June 2010 as well for the queens jubliee, they are moving the Whitsun May bank hol back a week and giving us the Tuesday as a BH as well.

Ob it isn't going to happen every year but may be worth thinking about what you/we will do next year when deciding what to do about this years one.

Strix · 16/02/2011 14:22

Incidentally Blondes, if at the beginning of the year, nanny / au pair said I want this week off here because I got a good deal and really want to go to blah blah blah... I'd probably be fine with that. What I can't work with is "I am taking two weeks begining two weeks from today" if I'm on a project that won't let me have it. With advanced planning (months not weeks) I can accommodate. I can bend to accommodate nannies. But, nanny's boy friend's boss... I'm afraid my loyalty does not extend quite that far.

In practice though, I open a calendar and say I want American Thanksgiving, 4th of July, Christmas hols, and is there anything in particular she would like?

I do get one more week of hol than the nanny gets but that is always consumed by nanny's sick days, childrens doc appts, etc. So there really is no cushion for me to plan a hol outside of the time she is on hol. So, why should I give her hol when I will have to stay home and do the school run?

judyathome · 16/02/2011 15:57

Hi. I wonder whether the royal couple will pay employers who have to pay an extra days holiday, the amount it will cost. In my case it could be 15 staff x a days pay!!! I am a small business. I am positive, in the present economic times, they can afford it more than I can. If your nanny's contract says "include bank holidays" then you can include it in her ordinary holiday entitlement. The FSB (Federation of Small Businesss) have a website, and this information is available to anyone going onto the site.

Fortunately my staff's contract say that their entitlement includes bank holidays, so it will be one days less ordinary hols as I call it.

SnapFrakkleAndPop · 16/02/2011 17:17

Hm okay star, I don't choose my teaching dates either but 'normal' practice for nanny employers is the 50/50 split. Teaching/lecturing is one of the few jobs you don't get to choose. Most other jobs will let you request 100% of the 4 weeks which aren't bank holidays.

nannynick · 16/02/2011 17:59

but 'normal' practice for nanny employers is the 50/50 split.

Though I've never had that arrangement in any of my nanny jobs. Mind you I'm not Normal

StarExpat · 16/02/2011 19:26

Very true frakk. But I think any nannies working for teachers should be prepared to accept this (thinking of someone I know in particular... She made it very clear upon signing contracts but nanny still complains about it).

ohnoshedittant · 16/02/2011 19:33

'To the person who said it wasn't "fair"... There are actually many people who don't get to pick and choose their holiday time'

Doesn't make it any more or less fair though does it? Lots of people being treated unfairly doesn't make it fair! Two wrongs don't make a right and so on....

StarExpat · 16/02/2011 20:39

I don't think it's unfair
it's the way it is.

ohnoshedittant · 16/02/2011 20:42

You don't and I do.....nothing to be about!

StarExpat · 16/02/2011 20:51

Sorry I didn't mean to sound short or anything.

ohnoshedittant · 16/02/2011 20:53

no me neither

I think I've been treated very well by my employers so I'm perhaps a bit spoilt...

SnapFrakkleAndPop · 17/02/2011 07:04

Term time contracts I mentioned previously - that's more a limiting clause than saying 'I pick all your holiday'.

If a nanny work term time only then obviously the holiday issue isn't really an issue because they're contracted term time, usually they get paid in 12 instalments and the holiday pay is added on. Technically all your holiday is chosen but the arrangement is usually that if your boss works you work so you have Bank Hols and school holidays off and you get your dates well in advance anyway. If you don't get 12 monthly payments you do choose your holiday, or rather you choose when you want to not work and be paid.

Holidays outside term time only is different (and not unusual) because the nanny is still working and you can still choose when, with the caveat that it's school holiday. But I could choose whether I took my choice over Christmas, Easter, sometime in August etc.

Having a clause which says 'your holidays are to be taken in school holidays' isn't the same as the employer choosing all the holidays.

Specific cases like teachers aside I still feel it's unusual for a nanny employer to completely control when the holiday is taken - although sitting down at the start of the year and discussing isn't the same as 'you will be off then'.

nannyj · 17/02/2011 08:15

I've never had the 50/50 split either. It's all about give and take. If my boss had to work a bank holiday then I would be happy to work.

Treeesa · 17/02/2011 09:39

Although most jobs lets you request 100% of the weeks which aren't public holidays, in a number of large public organisations (and private firms as well I'd imagine), this is fairly restricted and doesn't necessarily mean you're going to get any of them.

I would love to be on teaching holidays and have them 'forced' on me - because that's when I would like to take holiday - with my children. In nursing you have to request all your holidays & very often the computer says no..! In the summer there is usually a restricted amount of weeks that you can book between June and September to make them go round equally (fair enough), but some summers I've had to accept split weeks (one week in July and the other in mid August) just because others have got their requests in already and the only available weeks aren't consecutive.

At Christmas there is usually no requests for holidays - this is so staff work Christmas Eve/Day/Night one year and then maybe have New Years Eve/Day holiday. Some years I've worked both though - even with children and trying to put in shift requests (different from holidays).

One effect of our public holidays is that it puts more strain on hospitals and the police because of the excessive behaviour of people not going to work.. Drinking goes up and our wards have to take the overflow of drunks who've been out celebrating a bit too much - giving even more reasons for staff not to be able to have these days off with our families either..

StarExpat · 17/02/2011 22:31

Oh no don't get me wrong, I LOVE it! I get to spend loads of time with my DS and maintain my career. I consider my situation to be a good one! I've often said so before :)
Ive just never had a job where I was to choose holiday time, so it isn't something I'd ever expect. But I appreciate that other jobs operate differently.

ImFab · 18/02/2011 07:51

In all my nanny jobs I chose 2 weeks and the parents the other two.

euracantha · 20/02/2011 12:42

In all my jobs Ive told the parent s that I will go along with them when choosing holidays which are usually in school holidays. I do say that I like a week off at Christmas but as all employers generally have a week off at Christmas thats fine.I have worked the odd day during that week when parents had to work.I find that often I end up having more holiday during the year than is officially in my contract.

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