Parents! How long would you want a Nanny to commit?

[NotAChocolateRaisin]

Hi All,
Hope you are having a splendid Monday.
I'm out on the market at the moment and have been called in for a second interview with the most beautiful family. Truly, they are amazing. Their little boy is 3 months old.
However, they want a Nanny to stay with them...well, forever by the sounds of it! To look after their baby and then they are planning another, so that one too. At least 8 years, really.
Is this normal or feasible?
How long did/do you want your Nanny to commit to?
8 years seems like a HUGE commitment to me and I would be happy to try but I'm in my early 20s and tbh I can't say what my circumstances will be by then!

Wow! That's a very big commitment and virtually impossible to know whether you will. I think it would be lovely if you did stay, for the children, but it's not normal for a parent to request that.

Sorry, I should say I am a nanny but keen to know what parents would like too. I never go into a job thinking 'just a year' but as you would into any other job- until circumstances mean I should move on.

Good luck with the second interview. .

As a parent who has employed a nanny I would prefer to employ someone who wanted to stay "long term" rather than just be with us for a year, but I would never expect them to sign up for the long term! If they want a commitment from you then they can do this by putting a longer than standard notice period in your contract - though it is up to you whether you want to agree to that or not!

I think most nannies I have known would like a longer term commitment from the parents. But equally they also want to see their salary grow and have a fulfilling job so may want to experience living in different locations or work with different ages, combinations of children.

Meant to add that an employment contract would determine the length of notice you or employer have to give to end tbd contract. I think 1 month is fairly standard, 3 months is probably what most people should go for so that they can arrange new cover and 6 months would be unusual but not out of the realms of reasonableness. Anything more than that would be quite unusual! So whatever you think you would not be trapped forever (except perhaps by emotional blackmail!).

That is a big commitment.

I wouldn't want that long of a commitment and I'm early 20's too. If it happened that I ended up staying 8 years then great! But I wouldn't want to say at the beginning "Yes I'll stay that long."

Just be honest with them I suppose, that you don't want to promise them you'll commit for that long but don't intend on leaving after a year or two and see what happens.

Why not say you'll stay as long as they and you are happy for..

...thats the answer i use..tends to 'work'

I'm sure most parents would like to have one nanny stay for the duration of their family building and rearing time, but in practice it probably rarely happens. Make sure there's nothing in writing trying to commit you to this length of time (can't think what it would be) and check what the notice period is in your contract before you sign it.

in the ideal world its nice to have the same nanny for baby till they grow up and go to school so 4/5years

sometimes siblings happen and job extends

see how job pans out - i have also been for jobs where they want a long term nanny and then 6mths later then take redundancy and nanny is out of a job

They are in PFB fantasy land. I would ask for a one year commitment, and hope nanny is happy and stays longer. The only job I know of where candidate seeks an 8 year contract is President of the United States. And even then there is a four year break clause.

You could ask them what sort of career progression they are offering over this (dillusional) 8 year period? Although that might not get you the job.

I wonder how much they know about being nanny employers and what other expectations they migh have???

Maybe they are secretly very high officials strix?

All of my nanny jobs have been ' two years min', I could break at any time with 4-8 weeks notice but that was the 'aim'

They sound like they want one nanny for their child. What everyone wants really. Personally I like long term positions so as long as it suits everyone I will stay in a position for many years

Don't get me wrong, I'd LOVE to commit to it. They are a gorgeous family. But i don't think many nannies would be able to guarantee a commitment like that

Eight years is a very long time. It's great if it works out but I would/could never say that I am going to commit for the long term. Nannying is not what I want as a career, I am studying for a degree in Finance in the evenings and therefore I will only nanny as long as I am still studying for my degree. However before I started my current position the family wanted a one year commitment and I said I can commit for 18 months before I go to university full-time. In between me getting the job offer and me starting the job things changed as I got the possibility to do by degree by distance learning and start a year earlier and now I will probably stay until I finish my degree which is in 2016. That's the same year my little one would go to school full time. My employers are the most wonderful people I have ever worked for and lived with, they fully respect me in every aspect and its a family where I would stay even longer if they would have a second child and nannying was my chosen career.

I wouldn't commit for eight years, what if you say yes I stay eight years and then things don't work out and you want to leave?

I think all families want their nanny to stay with them long term. No-one says at interview 'we're looking for a nanny who will leave in a couple of years so we can go through the fun of advertising/interviewing again'. It doesn't sound to me like they're asking for an 8-year guarantee, just that they don't want someone who will definitely leave before 8 years i.e. someone here from abroad for 2 years/ someone on a gap year/ someone planning to start a family and give up work in a years time/ someone planning to move miles away/ someone planning to go to uni etc. It just sounds like they want to employ someone who has a chance of being with them long term, rather than someone who they know will only last a year or two.