nanny one day a week

[Fiddledee]

I'm considering hiring a nanny one day a week, well probably only 5/6 hours. What are the cost implications - national insurance, tax, sick etc.. I have no idea as I have never hired one.

Do you think my DS will settle with a different carer one day a week? He has just turned 2.

He sleeps 2/3 hours in the afternoon and what can I expect the nanny to do then - put the kids laundry on, batch cook some food? Clear up the playroom? Is that all reasonable.

Hello

it is normally fine for nanny to do the things you say... BUT you must consider when you have a nanny for only 1/10 to 1/8 of a normal nanny working week, IMO it would be unreasonable for you to expect her to tidy the playroom every time.

Nannies like to arrive at their workplace in a simialr condition to as they leave them. Expecting her to tidy the playroom for you everyweek WILL grate.... at least it would for me.

You want her for 5 / 6 hours, yet child will be asleep for up to 3 of them! This wont be most nannies idea of a great nanny job, tbh, as wil never have much time to do anything else.

During the time when your son is asleep nanny will want to sit down and have lunch (from your fridge / cupboards)

She maybe happy to stick 1 load of washing in the machine, and do a bit of cooking, but dont expect more than a cottage pie, or pasta sauce or similar.

Nanny should tidy up any mess / toys that are used while she is there, but not a whole weeks worth!

I would not expect a nanny to have lunch for 3 hours and only be able to stick one load of washing on! I never get a lunch break with 2 pre-schoolers, although I would of course expect her to have some lunch.

I'm looking for somebody to look after DS while he is mainly asleep so that I can take DD out for the afternoon as we are both sick of being stuck indoors every afternoon while he sleeps.

I have a few candidates show interest that are already working as 4 days a week nanny, this is not meant to be an "ideal" job but a way of earning easy extra cash.

just re-read my post and it reads as if she should spend 3 hours having lunch...

didnt mean it to read like that, more like she may spend half an hour or so preparing and eating her lunch.

if you already have people then it sounds like you are sorted, and what suits you and them is all that matters.

I just dont think its fair to expect a 1/2 day week nanny to do more than 1 load of washing to be honest, or to come in and tidy the playroom every week either!

What are the cost implications - national insurance, tax, sick etc.

They would be coming in the same day each week, the same hours. You would be dictating that, plus also what they did during that time, so they are going to you be your employee.

They are likely to have another job, so you will need to operate PAYE even though the pay level may be below the threshold for operating PAYE. You CAN NOT use the simplified scheme, it must be full PAYE as they have another job.

Agree a Gross salary. Your employees tax code for your job may well be BR (though tax office may tell you to use something else). If BR then that means all income is taxable. PAYE Calculator by MrAnchovy will give you an indication of the Employers NI costs for current tax year. I expect it will be Zero, as Employers NI does not start to be paid until a threshold is met.

You can do PAYE yourself or have a payroll company assist with it. There are many around, some offer lower costs for short term things (example, PAYEforNannies provides lower cost for a 3 month temporary period) if you don't think you will be having a nanny for a year.

Sick Pay - I don't think they would earn enough to qualify for Statutory Sick Pay (earnings requirement £97 per week, tax year 2010/11). See BusinessLink: Earnings Related Qualification SSP

Statutory Maternity Pay also has minimum earning criteria.

So unless you are paying £97 per week or more, then things like SSP and SMP are not going to apply in my view (do seek professional advice if you require it, I'm just a nanny ).

Non earnings related rights will apply, so things like having a Written Statement (contract), Notice Period for ending the agreement, Holiday Entitlement (work this out in Hours based on typical working hours). BusinessLink: Interactive Tool for Holiday Calculation

surely a nursery would be better value or do you not want that

I do one day a week on a regular ad hoc basis - I work 4 days a week as a nanny for another family and have fridays free. I have to say im happy to do all sorts of things I might not necessarily do in my 4 day job, because its only 1 day and im there to give mum a break. I do a bit of batch cooking, sorting out laundry, tidying bedrooms/clearing out wardrobes, washing, errands etc. I personally am happy to do these things as the mum is very nice, baby sleeps for several hours a day and I feel I may as well earn my money. Its all a bit of give and take - mum is happy for me to potter a bit with the baby around the local shops while on our way out and she records nice things on sky+ for me to watch while im folding the laundry. Sooo what im saying in my roundabout way is that if im happy to do these things, im sure many other nannies are too!

thanks superduper thats reassuring, I didn't think I was being that unrealistic. I wouldn't leave the house in a mess and expect a nanny to clean it up.

It sounds to me like you will be better off looking for a nanny/housekeeper. They are probably more flexible on what they do and not precious about getting stuck into the chores - it's part of the job - but still capable with childcare.

I think the best way to approach it would be to try to play to her strengths, so if she comes along and says she is a good cook, then go for the batch cooking idea.

At least that way you will get one thing done well and off your own plate.