Employing a nanny

[GColdtimer]

Not sure this is the right place so please do point me in the right direction if I have it wrong.

A friend if mine is thinking of employing a nanny. Probably not fill time but perhaps 3-4 days a week. She is recently widowed and wants the most stress free route back to work. She has an 8 month old baby and a 7 year old ds.

So really, where to start? What are typical rates if pay, how do you find a good one, what are the pitfalls? All advice welcome (she has asked me to start the research cos she is feeling a but overwhelmed with everything at the moment).

Salary varies a bit around the UK. London and other cities can be higher than rural locations. Your friend should consider what they can afford to pay (making sure they include as many of the costs they can think of) and establish what salary they feel able to offer, then advertise the job at a bit below the amount they can afford (so there is room for future pay rises).

3 Day A Week Nanny Cost Calculation - when I did this calculation, I got a final figure of £20,377 for a nanny working 30 hours a week. Take a look as it will help give you some idea of what costs to take into account.

MrAnchovy's PAYE Calculator is great for getting a feel for the taxation side of things. Note that taxation changes in April, so things like Employers NI I expect will increase.

Use a payroll company to do the payroll for the first year, whilst getting to grips with employing someone and how payroll works. Then your friend can consider doing payroll themselves if they feel it's worth the saving in how much the payroll company charges - typically around £120-£280 a year depending on what things are included.

Start advertising early, use websites like Mumsnet Local, NetMums Local Childcare Board, NannyJob, Childcare.co.uk Also be proactive and contact nannies who are on those sites as well as they may not see the advert. Include details on hours, expected duties, location, salary. Internet ads can contain a lot of information, so put as much as possible to give applicants a good idea of what the job will be.

Read up on basic employment law, look through the many posts on this part of Mumsnet as we have covered many things over the years from Holiday Entitlement to Maternity Leave.

Note that taxation changes in April, so things like Employers NI I expect will increase.

Updated for 2013/14 the day the rates were announced Nick

Have a look at this Iguide to employing a nanny.

My condolences to your friend :(

Thanks everyone, will check out those sites.