Any advice on nannies please!

[tilder]

I have used a nursery and childminder previously, and been happy with both, but am interested in looking at a nanny when I go back to work after maternity leave for our third child. Having flicked through these threads, a lot of the questions seem to centre on money, tax etc. Have never dealt with that sort of thing before, or employed someone directly in that way.

Is there anywhere I can find basic, beginners info on how to employ a nanny, what my responsibilities would be as an employer and what I can expect from a nanny? I have 1 child at school who would need care before/after school and in school holidays, one child at preschool needing the same type of care and a baby - I am only looking for 2 days a week so not even sure if a nanny would be interested in that (part time but full days).

Thanks in advance.

I personally think it's worth every penny to employ a nanny payroll company. We've used NannyPaye for the past 7 years, they are brilliant and the chap who runs the company is super knowledgeable about the tax and employment law aspects of employing a nanny. He's also very nice :)

Also, have a search for Nannynick's posts. He is a nanny and has written loads of posts on what you can expect from a nanny. Hopefully he'll be along in person soon :).

Thanks peggy - will have a look at nanny payroll. Hadn't realised how different it is to employ a nanny than having a childminder until I started looking.

Some nannies may well be interested in a 2 day job. They may already have a 3 day job, thus the two may combine nicely giving the nanny 5 days a week employment.

Some nannies don't want to work all week, thus part-time jobs appeal to them.

Using a payroll service will free you of some time doing the payroll but you can learn to do it yourself, using info from HMRC. There are various nanny payroll companies, which often charge around £120ish a year.

Agree a Gross salary to pay the nanny. All their personal tax allowance may be used in other work, so all their income from your job will be taxed.

Consider what things you would want your nanny to do. A nanny is mostly there to care for your children, though they also are there to care for your home as well. Don't expect them to clean the loos but do expect them to cook your children meals, make cakes/biscuits - children love helping make those, some general tidying, childrens laundry, changing children's bedding, taking children to activity groups / baby groups / toddler groups, taking your children on trips out to see places of interest, taking children to the park/playground.

Nannies can start early and finish late. A 12 hour day is not uncommon. So a nanny becomes a big part of your families life, so choose someone you feel you will get along with.

To answer the expectations question it's probably better if you settle in your mind what you need from a nanny, what you want and what would count as a bonus. A nanny's job description can be very wide ranging but you may have specific requests that would make life much easier or nicer for you but would be off-putting for a nanny (ironing bedlinen for example) or you may be very easygoing! Also think about the profile you want - do you need them registered to use vouchers? Do you want qualifications? Do they need to have certain experience?

If in principle you're happy with the idea of being an employer then look at what you can afford and what you want from your nanny. Then MN can tell you what you can get for your money and whether it's reasonable.

Thanks for the info guys - never thought that a nanny did anything but be there for the children. I guess cooking meals for them would be necessary though as the days I do work I would be back after their tea time - nursery/childminders have always provided meals, just seems a bit different being in our home rather than a childcare setting.

It sounds like the main difference is that I would be the employer directly, rather than paying an hourly rate to a company or individual. Makes me wonder what a nanny agency actually does!

A nanny agency matches you with the ideal nanny for the job you have on offer. It should save you the time of going through job applicants details selecting whom to invite for interview.

Can work well sometimes but it can cost a lot.