How much extra per hour for a 3 month nanny contract?

[ApuskiDusky]

Hi there, I am in discussions about taking up an interim role for 3 months, and would need to organise childcare at short notice for my two preschool children; a nanny is looking like the most practical option.

Given that I will be looking for someone on a temporary basis, and with nanny rates in our area being typically £9 to £11 an hour for permanent roles, what should I expect to pay to attract decent nannies to a 3 month job? There's a possibility that the job could go on longer if my contract is extended or I find another role, but obviously no guarantees.

TIA.

Not sure why you would be wanting to offer more pay due to the contract being for a short fixed term. Sure a lot of people may not be in a position where they can take a short term job but I don't see how paying more money would make a short term job any the more attractive to say someone looking for a long term job.

Offer what you can afford to pay... keeping in mind that there is Employers NI to add to the nannies Gross pay, along with other day to day expenses such as cost of outings, food etc. Also payroll will need to be run for the financial year (and possibly the one following depending on when the contract ends), so part of your costs will involve doing that. Some payroll agencies will offer you a special rate for a temporary subscription but it tends to be limited to being less than 3 months.

Thanks nannynick - I'd seen a lot of comments about how expensive temp nannies were when original nannies were off on maternity leave, so thought I'd need to pay more. Because I will need someone at short notice, there won't really be time to readvertise at a higher rate if the role/rate isn't attractive enough to get good applicants.

Maybe it was the agency fees that made finding a temp nanny more costly. It's the finding someone at short notice issue that I feel could make it cost more because you haven't got the time to be putting ads out yourself, so need to use an agency which has nannies on their books ready to work at a moments notice.
Have you contacted agencies to establish:
if they have nannies on their books looking for work and wouldn't mind if it was just a 3 month assignment?

how much the agency fee would be for finding someone
Probably worth doing that now, so you get a feel for what your costs are likely to be and if any agencies in your area would be in a position to help find someone very quickly.

Whereabout are you? I have a friend looking for temp position. I don't think you need to pay more just bec it's a temp position.

Thanks nick, I've been in touch with one agency who were a bit vague about whether they had anyone on their books, and will contact another who I have seen advertising for my area on gumtree.

Lily, it will be in Bristol, northern outskirts - I am also simultaneously moving house (and trying not to have a breakdown!). Yes, if there are any nannies interested in a job until Christmas with a lovely family , then PM me!

You have mail :)

There are two kinds of temporary nanny.

Genuine temps, or agency nannies, are employed by the agency. You don't have to worry about sick pay, holidays, maternity, tax and NI etc. All you do is pay the agency an hourly or daily rate. They are expensive, partly because all those hidden costs are covered within the rate, partly because of the added value of the agency's service and partly because this kind of work tends to attract experienced 'cope with anything' nannies who attract a higher basic rate anyway. They are commonly used for sickness or holiday cover where the option of searching for someone to work for you for just a couple of weeks is not practical.

The other kind of position, one which is short term but otherwise identical to a permanent position, is what the other posters on this thread have been talking about, and they don't necessarily attract a higher hourly rate than permanent positions. They tend to be filled by people who are looking for a permanent job but haven't found one yet

Thanks, mranchovy, that all makes sense.