Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Paid childcare

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

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Is this just not on?

32 replies

littleanimal · 14/02/2012 22:18

DD (4) and DS (2) currently go to a day-care nursery on the 3 days a week that I work. However the days are very long (8-6 at nursery plus commute) and we're thinking of changing to a nanny. Both kids could go to a local pre-school for 3 hours every morning. We would need the nanny to take them there and then pick them up afterwards and look after them for the rest of the day. This would be a much more expensive option than the current nursery. Would it be completely unreasonable to pay only half-pay for the 3 hours each day that the nanny would not have the kids to look after?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

AgentProvocateur · 14/02/2012 22:24

Yes, unreasonable, I think. It's not like she could get another job in these three hours. And presumably she'd be "on call" if your DC were sick and needed to be collected early.

MaureenMLove · 14/02/2012 22:24

Not really, because you are preventing the nanny from earning any money for the 3 hours that she hasn't got any children to look after. She needs to be on call, so she could do anything else.

I think you'd be hard pushed to find a nannie to do that.

MaureenMLove · 14/02/2012 22:25

Oh, spooky! Both said almost exactly the same and exactly the same time!

AgentProvocateur · 14/02/2012 22:26

Sorry - I didn't read your post properly. Did you mean half pay for the three hours? I thought you meant pay her for half a day because the DC were in nursery.

I think that would maybe be ok.

AgentProvocateur · 14/02/2012 22:28

Great minds, MaureenMLove

Original poster

littleanimal · 14/02/2012 22:29

Yes I meant give her half the hourly rate for each of the 3 hours that she isn't doing anything.

OP posts:

ChippingInNeedsCoffee · 14/02/2012 22:33

Well - you have options... :)

Some people advertise for 'split shift' or 'wrap around care' - it's possible to get a nanny to do that, but they are also likely to take another job when it comes up.

You could do as you suggested and offer to pay half - but only if you don't expect her to do anything at your house during those hours.

Or you could do what most people do and pay her for all the hours. She could then prepare meals for the children to put in the freezer (for you to use on other days & her to use on her days), do the childrens' laundry, keep their rooms clean & tidy, change their beds etc.

If you only pay her half or nothing, you can't expect her to have them if they are ill or for any other reason they can't go to nursery.

Could you do drop offs and just employ an afternoon nanny?

When is your eldest going to school? Remember you will need to sort out holiday care then too.

What about a childminder instead - it's cheaper.

HolyNoSheDittantBatman · 14/02/2012 22:34

You can always offer that arrangement and see what response you get. You may be lucky and find someone who lives close-by and wants to go home/the gym or something for three hours in the morning. I think you'd have to be lucky though.

You need to think about what happens in school holidays? What happens if one of the children is sick before school or whilst at school? What happens if the pre-school is closed because of snow/flood/other unforseen cirumstance. If you want the nanny available then you have to pay. If you're confident that you will never need her in those three hours then you could try offering the half pay idea.

It may be better though to just advertise the job with the wage you can afford.e.g. instead of saying £10ph 8am-9am and 12pm-6pm and £5ph 9am-12pm, just offer £8.50ph all day.

Original poster

littleanimal · 14/02/2012 22:49

Thanks for the replies. I could change my work hours to start later and do the drop offs myself, which would mean only needing a nanny for the afternoon, but then I'd be stuck with no morning care during the school holidays. That's why we thought of the half-pay option - if it's a goer!

OP posts:

Ladymuck · 14/02/2012 22:57

No harm in trying I guess. But I would make sure that the nanny fully understand the deal before she starts, otherwise you could be in for a bumpy ride if she feels that she is getting a worse than anticipated deal. I guess that you also need to consider how the nanny will be making ends meet. She will have to be fully employed on the other 2 days for this to work I would expect.

bbcessex · 15/02/2012 07:45

Have you consudered the 'home jobs' the nanny could do in that time? Childrens laundry, rooms, cooking etc? She's not likely to have 3 full hours free, with travel to and from pre school for the pick up.

You can try, but i think it sounds awkward...

Karoleann · 15/02/2012 08:12

No, I don't think that's reasonable. It'll only be 2.5 hours max after travel to and from is accounted for and I'm sure you can find her little jobs to do at home, cooking for children, running the odd errand, their washing.

civilfawlty · 15/02/2012 08:32

If the situation was reversed, and your boss said they needed you for a 9am meeting everyday, and then not again til 1, but that you were welcome to go for a walk or read, but sometimes they might want you to be available so you couldn't commit to anything in those hours but they would only pay you 1/2 wage - what would you think? Personally, I'd tell you to get stuffed. But if you think that is reasonable, go ahead...

nannyl · 15/02/2012 08:43

yes, completely unreasonable

she can hardly get another job in those couple of hours, and what about during holidays / when kids are ill? presume you will want / need her then?

warthog · 15/02/2012 08:49

unreasonable.

she won't be able to get any other work in that time.

Oneofthechildlessones · 15/02/2012 08:50

I am paid whilst DC is at nursery as:

If he's to ill to go I have to be available and care for him.
If he is sent home ill I have to be available and care for him.
If the nursery is shut unexpectedly I have to be available and care for him.
If the nursery is shut for holidays I have to to be available and care for him.

If I wasn't paid I would find another job in those hours and if I was lucky issues would arise:

If he's to ill to go MB would have to go to work for an hour come back for 3 hours and then I take over.
If he is sent home ill MB would have to pick him up and care for him until I take over.
If the nursery is shut unexpectedly MB would have to pick him up and care for him until I take over.
If the nursery is shut for holidays MB would have to go to work for an hour come back for 3 hours and then I take over.

MB has an important job where she can do the very occassional late start if she books it in advance but she would not be able to do this all the time, hence the need for a nanny.

HappyAsEyeAm · 15/02/2012 09:29

We pay our nanny whilst DS is at pre-school. She works 3 days a week, and he is at pre-school for 2 of those mornings. We don't have other children and she isn't a nanny-share or anything.

She takes him and collects him, and that leaves 2.5 hours or so in the middle. In that time, she does various things like washing, dying it, ironing (only DS' things though), some shopping eg if they are going to make a cake that afternoon, she will get the ingredients in and anything else we are short of like bread or milk whilst she is there, she has bought things that DS needs in town in the past eg mittens etc. Some weeks she batch cooks and freezes meals for him in portions. And I would imagine she also sits down with a cup of tea too!

This is standard as far as I can see. She is paid her full hourly rate for those hours, and so during half term and school holidays or when DS is too unwell for pre-school (rarely), she looks after him and there is no difference in her pay.

eastmidlandsnightnanny · 15/02/2012 10:23

Have you just considered what you can afford for a nanny and advertising the job at that pay for 8-6 or whatever time you need then you have a nanny who knows what they are going to be paid and you will only get people applying willing to work for that amount.

nannynick · 15/02/2012 11:50

Both kids could go to a local pre-school for 3 hours every morning.

Could - they don't have to do so, do they. I would say that for your 4 year old, it is a positive thing to do as it helps prepare them for school. For your 2 year old I see there being little benefit - they may get more benefit from 1:1 time with nanny at home & out and about in the local area.

Pre-school may not have places available. It can be quite hard in some places to get funded places at pre-schools. You may get offered 3 mornings, 3 afternoons, a mixture of both. You may get offered 5 mornings, 5 afternoons, mixture... but don't expect to get all 5... where I am (Surrey/Berkshire border) it certainly does not happen.

Blondeshavemorefun · 15/02/2012 11:59

def not on - you need to work out what you can afford to pay as a salary then advertise the job

what many employers forget is what happens if the child is ill/baker day/school holidays/falls over and bangs head etc

yes a nanny isnt always cost effective when children are at nursery etc but you are paying for peace of mind for what if ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, happens

RitaMorgan · 15/02/2012 12:22

Agree with those saying just work out what you can afford to pay and advertise the job at that - instead of working out half pay hours/full pay hours/different rates for holidays etc.

If you're saying you can't afford eg £10 an hour 8am-6pm, but could do £10 8am-9am and 12pm-6pm + £5 an hour 9am-12pm - why not just advertise it at £8.50 an hour?

nannynick · 15/02/2012 13:04

Would you do payroll yourself or use a nanny payroll company? I would suggest speaking to various nanny payroll companies (most will offer you advice for free in the hope you then become a client) to establish if the payroll software they use could accommodate different rates of pay and how far in advance you would need to tell them the hours your nanny is doing/done that month at each of the different pay rates.

I would have thought that most nannies are working because they need the income. If they can't work out what the income is likely to be from a job, then would they take the job? Not sure I would.

If you paid a lower rate some of the time and your children then had lots of time off pre-school, you would then pay full rate for those hours, so your cost is not going to be known in advance. I would have thought budgeting wise it would be better for you to know how much things are likely to be costing each month, or even for the entire year.

Original poster

littleanimal · 15/02/2012 14:16

Thanks for all the messages - I think I get the picture! I think the simple thing is that we can't afford to employ a nanny at competitive rates (we are in London) so I think we'll just stick to our current childcare. On another note - when DD starts school and DS is still in full daycare, what do most people recommend for getting DD to school and afterschool care?

OP posts:

nannynick · 15/02/2012 14:38

Childminder - will do before and afterschool care, plus could do all day care (and pre-school run) for younger child.

Iggly · 15/02/2012 14:42

What rates are you thinking? I'm surprised that two kids at nursery is cheaper than one nanny.

I wouldn't bother with preschool for the younger one.

What about a nanny share?

Flip

1 2