Nanny Holiday... Half & Half?

[NannyTreeChelsea]

During my many years as a nanny, I have always agreed to share my holiday entitlement with the family - they choose the dates of half and I choose the dates of half. By working together like this, with a bit of flexibility from both parties, it has always worked out very well!

Anyway, since launching my agency I have found that this agreement is pretty common (barring the odd exception) - but I was just wondering what all of you nannies / nanny employers do in terms of holiday?

My contract says family picks 3 weeks and I pick 2 weeks. So not 50/50, but as I'm getting an extra week holiday I think it's fair. In reality they usually take extra holiday in addition to their 3 weeks so I probably end up with 6/7 weeks a year. They are flexible with me carrying holiday over and have in the past let me pick extra days.

I was just wondering if there were stipulations about the nanny's choice being term time or not? I have a family = 3 weeks, me = 1 split written into my contract (next job I will also add that if the family choose to take a fifth it will be treated the same as other annual leave, as I don't want to work days in lieu just so they can go away!). I make it clear I'll probably take mine in term time & I only ask for the one week so the majority of time off they'll get to use as they want - I just want my cheap childless holiday once a year!

I have a friend who's live in and she got to choose two weeks, but it was to be taken during school hols so the family could go away too. I just wonder if there are many that insist on that clause as nannies without their own children don't get the nice cheap deals that way.

I have nothing about who chooses but say hat requests outside teaching time and planned deployments will as a rule be granted. We do plan our time away far in advance though and it will include some term time off.

Our nanny gets four weeks holiday, two chosen by us and the other two by her. We don't stipulate whether that should be term time or not. We do ask that she gives us six weeks notice, so that Dh or I can arrange time off. In reality, she is superorganised and usually gives us lots of notice.

50/50 here

Plus we have given extra time between Xmas and new year if we are off work so nanny gets a bit extra that way

She doesn't have to take hers in school holidays or any other specifications

50/50 and if employers go over their 50% then i still get paid in full and time off

I have 11 days for one of my jobs and they choose 7, I choose 4. Any extra they take I get paid 80%. If it were a normal nanny job I wouldn't have agreed but the experience involved outweighs the disadvantage holiday wise!

In my other job it's give and take and we go on a holiday already accrued basis as it's easier for MB and I to work out!

This is something to tie up explicitly in the contract. I did this ("dates by mutual agreement, but expected to be in the school holidays") and was fuming when one nanny announced that she'd booked a holiday outside school holidays as she was allowed to choose 10 out of the 20 days. Who says??? She didn't last long - there were several other examples of her taking the **ss. It never caused an issue with any of our other nannies, probably because they got quite a few extra paid days too.

I agree with bachsingingmum - holiday agreements should definitely be thoroughly detailed in the contract!

Who thinks that nannies should have the option to take their chosen holiday at any time to make the most of the cheaper holiday deals offered during term time?

It just doesn't work that way for us. I cannot be without childcare during uni teaching terms (shorter than school ones) in case DH is randomly sent away - I start teaching at 7am so leave 6.30 latest and it's not practical to have someone come to us for that time as a replacement carer. We could cope outside of that as I can work more flexibly but if DH is deployed and something happens to me we are screwed for ~48hours until a family member can get here simply due to where we are in the works so I prefer not to have holiday during deployments unless DS and I are away too.

We know that this is constricting and offer more holiday than required to balance it out but in terms of logistics we have to limit choice.

My contract with nanny says that paid leave requested by nanny is not guaranteed to be granted on the requested dates and they must not book holidays before they are approved by me (this is what my employer stipulates also). I just can't guarantee paid leave for 2 weeks/year whenever the nanny wants it.

Having said that I have never actually refused a leave request, even for two weeks during term time, and they can check that with ex-nannies.

Also contract says that if nanny uses up all of their choice and by my choice we go away for more than their annual leave entitlement, then they will be paid as normal but I have the right to ask them to come in to do child-related duties. ie I don't guarantee extra paid time off. Although again, I have never actually asked a nanny to do that.

No employee has the choice to take holiday whenever they like - least in every job I've had, holiday has had to been authorised by someone, so ultimately someone (my boss for example) makes the decision on a per request basis.

So no I don't feel a nanny should be able to take holiday whenever they like. I feel it needs to be at a time convenient to their employer.

I always had 2 weeks my choice, 2 weeks families choice the week between Xmas / New Year and all bank holidays.

i normally got extra holidays as well as parents chose more than 2 weeks

nannynick - i agree that of course holiday has to be authorised. Maybe I didn't phrase the question very well... I?m interested in finding out what the general consensus is on restricting nannies from taking holiday during term time?!

I wouldn't be happy about not being able to take holiday during term time, but I can see why for some employers (particularly teachers/lecturers) it is necessary.

For me it would be the sort of thing that would go on the 'con' list of accepting a job. If everything else was great I'd put up with it, or if no other jobs were being offered I'd have to take it, but it would be a 'negative' thing for me.

Surely it depends on what jobs the parents do ?
If they teach, then they are contractually not allowed to take any holiday in term time, so would be stuffed if their employed childcare was on holiday (not that I know of any teachers who can afford Nanny's ) . I'm sure there are many other jobs where certain times of year are a "no-go" in terms of them taking leave (end of the tax year, or some seasonal jobs), so it would be daft to employ someone to care for their children who wasn't available when they couldn't be.

Yes, I always mean in principle, to be authorised by the parents, but I do ask that I be allowed to take one (convenient) week during term time. I wouldn't feel comfortable asking for 2 weeks in term time because that doesn't give the family much chance to get away throughout the year. I feel that the 75%25 split keeps everyone happy - obviously if there were restrictions arising from a parents job we'd know about that at interview stage.

We do half and half after bank holidays are taken out. Although my current nanny often works an extra day instead of the bank holiday and saves her holidays that way.

I also have the stipulation that holidays may not always be granted, but so far never needed to use it.

I think as long as you make it clear early on that your nanny can only take her holidays during school holidays it's fair to all parties, she's fully informed and can choose to either take the job or not.

I like to go away either may/June or sept as schools go back as

1. cheaper if not school hols
2. want to enjoy my holiday and more likely to if no/few children About

That sounds horrible but I love kids but don't want them
Screaming in my ears on holiday

British children seem to be the worst behaved - bad manners and rude compared to many foreign children

Sometimes it is embarrassing to see some british children abroad :(