am I too late to get a nanny for 1st October and other questions

[MamaChocoholic]

I know there are lots of "how to get a nanny" threads. I've read a few of them, but, forgive me, I'm having last minute not wanting to go back to work wobbles and need to ask a couple of questions.

I go back to work at the beginning of October, initially 3 days a week, rising to 5 days a week in January. Is there any chance I can get a good nanny by October who will be prepared to do 3 days for 3 months then go up to 5? (I suspect the answer is no). If no, is it possible to get a nanny for just 3 months?

How do I work out roughly how much one would cost - ie what is the hourly rate in East Anglia likely to be for (just turned) 1 year old twins, probably 8.30-5.30 mon-wed, rising to mon-fri? (we also have a 3 year old, but he is in nursery 3 days a week and with dp the other days, and we are likely to keep this).

Where do I start looking/advertising?

You may well be able to find a nanny at quite short notice as at present at least to me (and I've heard from a parent who recruited a nanny recently) it seems to be an employers market, so lots of applicants.

I would agree with you that you may struggle to find someone who is prepared to do only 3 days initially whilst committing to 5 days later. Getting a temp nanny from an agency I feel would be costly... possibly to the extent where it would be about the same to hire someone yourself privately and pay them for all 5 days a week.

Could you not consider having someone for 5 days from the start? Perhaps you may find someone who would be happy doing say 36 hours a week initially (or whatever they need to cover their cost of living) then increasing the hours later. That might be another way to look at it... as I feel you are wanting someone to commit to working 5 days a week as of say Jan/Feb, so it's not going to be easy for them to find other work to fill the days.

Try looking at job ads and nannies seeking work ads on job listings websites to get a feel for local salaries:

NannyJob (select your region)
Childcare.co.uk (enter your full postcode)

These are also good sites to start advertising on.

I would expect that you will find a range of salaries being offered/wanted. Probably in the region of £7 to £12 gross per hour. A nannies experience can make a difference to salary, though you may well find that some people without much experience are wanting the same as someone with 10 years+ experience. Probably better if you calculate how much you can afford to pay, then pick a figure below that - so there is some room for increasing salary after probation period, for giving a bonus at some point, for giving a small annual increase, that sort of thing. Do not underestimate the costs involved... it is hard to say how much the ancillary costs to the salary are, as it will depend on what you are wanting your nanny to do, but Mileage and Activity costs can add up to quite a lot over a year.

Use a PAYE Calculator to help do some conversions for you, such as Net to Gross plus calculate Employers NI. For now assume their taxcode is 747L. When agreeing a salary, agree Gross salary.
If you see an advert by an agency, parent or nanny which does not state if it's Net or Gross, probably best to assume Net.

Number of children I do not feel is a factor in determining salary, though will affect activity costs. So do try to factor in your older child to an extent, especially once they are attending school as then your nanny would have them all day during school holidays.

There is no reason why you cant find a nanny to start in October.

Ok some may not be able to, but im sure there are a fair few that can!

Good Luck

Hi,
I'm actually in my last week in my position and am moving back to Ipswich this weekend and I am interested in the position. I was wondering where in East Anglia you are?