After school nanny?

[Mandy21]

Currently have one at nursery and 2 at school (both in infants). I work part time and the older 2 go to an after school club for 2 nights a week (from end of school until about 5.30pm). The nursery is a private nursery that opens until 6pm so I collect Number 3 after the older 2.

Obviously could send all 3 to the after school club (on the school premises) but am thinking about getting a child minder / part time nanny to collect them from school and take them home. Would be thinking of doing this for 3 nights of the week, possibly from say 3pm to allow her to get to school until I get home at 6. Would mean the older children could go to after school activities / playdates (brownies / dancing) etc that they miss out on at the moment (am assuming the nanny / child minder would drop them at the various activities / do reading etc / give them a snack etc).

First of all, does anyone have this kind of child care arrangement? Does it work? Are the children happy with it?

Second of all, how would I go about finding someone to do this?

Then what would you expect to pay? Obviously 3 children (reception/ lower juniors) for 3 hours for 3 nights?

Many thanks
Mandy

I think you would be needing to look for an after school nanny. A cm probably wouldn't do all the after school activities as she will have other mindees and her own children to consider, so your children would be in the same situation as going to after school club. She would also look after them in her own home and not take them back to theirs.

After school nannies can be hard to come by and you only want 3 days a week. They very often have a younger child of their own (so only want a few hours a week or have trouble finding a job where they could bring their child) so you need to think about the logistics of 4 chilren and cars if the school run and activities if they are not within walking distance.

Depending on the area you lie in and the experience of the nanny you could be paying anything from £7 gross per hour up to £12ph. You would become an employer so will need to deal with tax, ni, holiday pay etc. 3 hours 3 days a week wouldn't usually mean any tax and ni (unless you are paying the top end salary) but you need to bear in mind that this may not be the nannies only job, so tax could be due on the whole salary.

I think the easiest option for you is the after school club - but you may decide the extra hassle involved is worth it so that your children can be in their own home and go to activities.

Yes, after-school nannies work very well (I have had a number) but there are some things to remember - you are not offering many hours so the job, while it will appeal to those who are looking for part-time work, may not provide enough hours for them so they will be looking to fit your hours around another part-time role. Also many after-school nannies, in my experience, have their own child and as you have 3 of your own, this may limit where she will be able to drive your children. Yes, your idea of her providing a snack, some homework supervision, etc is all eminently do-able. Dinner preparation is also quite usual. Not sure aobut pay rates, depends somewhat on where you are located.

I have an after school nanny, and am very happy with the arrangement. I advertised on Gumtree for "a big sister or brother" and got lots of replies, but was only left with a handful once I removed the ones who can't legally work in the UK, and those who I thought were desperate for any work but would probably leave as soon as they found full time work. I asked about the reason for particularly wanting a part time job.

The downside is that they tend not to stay for long, not because they don't like the job but because they are usually in a transient phase of their lives, and after a while they return to their home country or emigrate etc.

I pay £9 gross an hour (london) to my current one.

Thanks everyone for your replies - definitely food for thought. Many thanks

Mandy

You don't say where you are but if it's London, it's VERY hard to get an after-school nanny. It appeals to the nanny-with-own-child which can work very well; however in some instances it means they're not as reliable as they have their own parent-teacher meetings/illnesses/navity plays to attend. However if you have the after-school club as back-up, that's not such a big issue.

The other problem is that it's hard to get someone who will do 9 hours work a week. The standard is about £10/hour so £90 is not a lot for anyone who actually needs the money.

Could you consider an au pair and use her for (say) 2 of the 3 days you need help with and the after-school club the other night?

I have an after-school nanny though it is really after - after-school club. I found that mature students doing some of the business studies, etc courses in Central London were very useful (and I took up references and did all the proof of allowed to work). Are there similar things where you are?