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Paid childcare

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

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Original poster

Pay question - please help!

49 replies

AforApple · 05/01/2013 09:34

I have been asked to look after two children aged 8 and 3 for eight and a half days whilst parents are away. The 8 year old will be at school for six days and I will do half the school runs whilst the 3 year old is at nursery for two mornings, plus a couple of other short classes. I will be living in preparing meals, doing washing and cleaning etc.

I am a 3rd year university student with a pediatric first aid course and have worked for this family before. 2 summers sole charge throughout the day and some nights. Please could you tell me what is reasonable to charge - no nanny qualifications and a student.

Thanks!!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Runoutofideas · 05/01/2013 10:52

I've just had a quick look online and nanny agencies quote between £150 and £250 per 24 hours proxy parenting, which is what you would be doing. They are completely taking advantage of you. Please stand up for yourself on this one as what they are suggesting really isn't fair. What did they say yesterday when you mentioned the previous £7 ph?

iluvkids · 05/01/2013 10:53

do not do it for that

i charge 150-200 per 24 hours

you want at least 100 per 24 hrs

GoldPlatedNineDoors · 05/01/2013 10:53

If they are family friends, could you speak to your parents and see what they say?

Why arent they taking the dcs away with them?

NotThoughtOfMy2013NNyet · 05/01/2013 10:53

That's £1344 for the total time at £7 per hour.

If you do 12 hours x £7 per day for 8 days= 672
Add 5 hours at £5 per day for 8 days = 200

So even on their own pay scale they should be paying £872. I would ask for that in total as you are responsible for the full nights so are unable to offer a discount.

BTW, £872 is still the cheapest they would find anywhere.

What would you accept?

Viviennemary · 05/01/2013 11:01

And it's such a responsibility. Will you have insurance if anything goes wrong. I don't think you should do it when I think about it.

choccychomp · 05/01/2013 11:03

As a live-in carer I get between £400 and £500 a week, with 2 hours off each day, so more than you're getting but a lot less than some people are suggesting! If it was me I'd accept £600 plus full use of fridge & washing machine but if the children are very active maybe more? Are they good sleepers & will they be ok with their parents away?

choccychomp · 05/01/2013 11:06

Good point, Viviennemary. What happens if you or the children are ill, can you contact the parents or another relative?

Runoutofideas · 05/01/2013 11:10

But your situation is slightly different choccychomp. If your full time job is live in then you don't have rent to pay, bills on another property etc. If you are just doing it as a one off, then your usual living expenses will still apply too, which is why it needs to be more money.

WeAreEternal · 05/01/2013 11:14

They are absolutely trying to take advantage.

Tell them you that going by their previously set pay that this offer is totally unacceptable.

I would even go as far as to print off a selection of adverts and prices from sites found online to show them what they could have to pay, I would possibly even suggest that they consider choosing one of those services as you don't feel able to do the work now.

To pay someone so little for such a massive responsability is very concerning. It's like they don't care about the quality of the job you do so long as they don't have to pay you very much.

iluvkids · 05/01/2013 11:15

show them this post

mercibucket · 05/01/2013 11:16

how much would you do it for and do you live in a high or low wage area? theybprobably can't afford to give you 1000, i'd guess (or can they?) but 250 is very unrealistic as well. in your shoes i'd have been happy with 5 or 600 but would you? tell them either way and don't feel bad about it - that price is taking the mick

ReetPetit · 05/01/2013 11:22

the sad thing is merci,they probably can afford it! it's always the parents who can afford to pay it, who will try every trick in the book not to, and will try and do everything on the cheap. personally,my priority would be paying for childcare - it looks like for this couple,their children are at the bottom of their list of priorities.

LadyHarrietdeSpook · 05/01/2013 14:49

I doubt they can afford more but this comes under the category of "if it sounds too good to be true it probably is." Very few people can afford to go on holiday for eight days and leave their children with a nanny because it would cost a bomb and if they don't realise this they're being daft.

But OP it sounds like you know them and they don't have previous form for being a-holes or you wouldn't be contemplating this let alone just left them to set the rate. I would firstly ask them how they arrived at the figure and then explain that the figure isn't going to work for child are during the day for the younger one (which you need to charge your normal rate for) plus an overnight fee. Your Normal rate to the children's bedtime plus an overnight few would be reasonable. Fifty quid per night is three hundred alone plus whatever day care on top. They are looking at at least five hundred.

Here's my school mistress voice: you will do yourself a favour and they will respect you if you just calmly and professionally outline your fees and how you arrived at them. It's an important lesson to learn! Next time don't just ' leave it to them' (whoever they are!)

GoldPlatedNineDoors · 05/01/2013 15:18

Do let us know how you get on.

Fwiw if I had school age dc myself and a friend asked me to have her dcs for the week for them to go away, I would do it on the condition that they come and stay for the week and would only expect a token donation for activities. I wouldn't charge. However this is different. THis is a nannying service, where you have to stop your whole life for one week and submerse yourself into theirs. It is worth way way more than £250.

Blondeshavemorefun · 05/01/2013 17:22

Wow. Def slave labour !!!

Even if the children are at school / nursery during the day you are still on call esp as parents are absent

Personally as a nanny with 21yrs exp I charge between £180 and £240 a day depending if I'm up during the night if young baby / bad sleepers

For regular parents or employers I charge slightly less but what they are offering is seriously taking the piss !!!

As a bare minimum in your position I would want £100 a day so £800 the week

Guess in the end depends how much you need this extra money or if you have another family you can earn more

Original poster

AforApple · 05/01/2013 18:40

Thank you so much for all of your advice. I have sent a message saying that I have researched the going rate (I am in the SW btw) to see what is reasonable and that at the lowest £100 per 24hrs is the norm. I have to take into consideration that it's going to cost me £60 each way to get there for the week as I will be coming home from uni especially - so will be earning £680, which I would be happy with.
Having read your posts I don't think it is worth my while to take much less and I would be better off at uni writing my diss. Unfortunately they are unlikely to want to pay that much (although I'm sure they can afford it) which is a shame because it would have been lovely to see the dc's. Either way I feel much better after reading your posts, that I am not being unreasonable wanting more.
Will let you know the outcome!

OP posts:

ReetPetit · 05/01/2013 19:07

well done you have done the right thing!! lets see what response you get...

eurycantha · 05/01/2013 20:18

I would do a 24 hour day for £160 ,you should be getting at least a hundred a day plus money for food and expenses for the children,even if they are fm amily friends your parents wouldn't expect you to do this for this tiny amount .you are going to be a live in housekeeper / nanny for the week which is pretty much my job and I would laugh at this amount .you would expect that for a weekend ,I would want more but only as a very old nanny ,,,hee hee.don't do it they're taking the mickey out of you.

LadyHarrietdeSpook · 06/01/2013 13:02

They will ring a nanny agency if they're desperate and get quoted much more because they will also have to pay them a fee i suspect. You may well still get it if they can really afford it but as you say there's an opportunity cost to you in foregoing work on the dissertation. So that has to work too.

GoldPlatedNineDoors · 06/01/2013 15:37

OP any response from them?

MarshmallowCupcake · 06/01/2013 18:47

I'd expect £250 for just the weekend!
They're having a laugh!! Work out what £7ph sole charge and £5ph overnight work out to be then get back in touch with them. I'd rather let friends of the family down than be taken for a mug!

Original poster

AforApple · 06/01/2013 19:44

They've agreed it was far too little and explained that they hadn't really given it any thought, which is probably why they they were so far off. I am waiting for them to confirm £100 a day and won't take the job if its any less. You have all been really helpful thank you so much!

OP posts:

ReetPetit · 06/01/2013 21:17

good for you AforApple!

lol at them explaining they hadn't given it much thought!! more like they thought they could get away with it....

something tells me they will be paying you the £100 a day you have asked for - they won't get anyone for less.

Well done! x

SamSmalaidh · 06/01/2013 21:20

I think £100 a day would be fair (approx minimum wage 7am-7pm, plus a sleepover rate of £30), but in your position I would probably accept £600 for the week.

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