phone for nanny

[sleeplessinderbyshire]

does anyone supply a PAYG work phone for their nanny? I would like ours to be contactable when she's working (clearly not when driving but in general) she says that by the end of the month she is skint and has no credit for her phone so it's not always there to receiev calls or phone out (she works very very part time for us and is seeking other work having just split from her ex and trying to support her grown up but rtahre feckless kids) i'm unsure if it seems somewhat unreasonable to expect her to use her own phone (and keep it topped up) we were thinking of buying a SIM card to go in an old phone of ours (or a new cheap phone) and then pay for £5 of credit on it for her to use

I think supplying a phone seems a very good solution.

I think it's very slack for a nanny to have no credit on phone if being paid each week/month

Was a thread a while ago saying that nanny had no credit so couldn't return boss's calls

Tbh I don't know any nannies that have a payg

Most have 'smart' phones and then unlimited texts and xxx mins a month

Maybe just give nanny £5 a month to make sure phone is topped up - though tbh I don't think you should have to - but saves paying a cheap payg and nanny having to take 2 phones out with her - and may set your mind at rest

We supply a phone for our nanny as I think it's unreasonable to expect them to pay for work-related calls/texts. I also like her to take photos and email them to me.

I'm with blondes I don't know any nannies on payg mobiles, all have smart phones on contract with unlimited texts and hundreds of free minutes and Internet so they can take and e-mail photo's to their employers.

I pay £10.50 a month on my contract and have unlimited texts, 1000 minutes free calls, all calls to O2 numbers are free and 1GB of Internet. I very rarely go over my tarrif. Unless I am roaming or my partner is out of the country.

i wopnder iof this is a regional thing - most nannies round here are earning £6-8 per hour and thus I suspect a contract and smartphone would be beyond their reach... of my acquaintances and work colleagues I'm almost the only person I know with a contract phone everyone else does PAYG

I wouldn't have thought it was regional. £8 net, 50hrs a week is £400 net a week./ £1600 a month. Most people could afford a contract on that. As someone able mentioned they pay £10.50 a month. That includes the phone and services.

I would provide one if she's uncontactable but I do think it's unprofessional for her not to arrange something herself. As a nanny I pay for training every year, first aid refreshers, insurance, ofstead, etc etc. being contactable is just part of that.

I would also maybe look at a sim only contract. You can get them for less than £5 now

I'm a nanny with a PAYG phone. It's nice to meet you blondes and callaird.

Not everyone wants a mobile phone, not everyone wants a smart phone.

If you require your nanny to have a topped-up phone and she doesn't have one, you should supply her with one.

Blondes, Callaird, Forever would you expect to be supplied with a work car or reimbursed for petrol costs if using you own car? I expect you would. It's no different with a phone.

It is not slack or unprofessional

Who said anything about 50 hours a week?
(she works very very part time for us and is seeking other work having just split from her ex and trying to support her grown up but rather feckless kids)

This nanny works part time hours and has teenagers to feed.
Contract phones cost a lot more than payg, which is why I have a payg one for myself and have had one for years, including when I nannied.

It's not unprofessional or slack not to have a contract phone -- it's a fact of life that when you can't afford something you can't have it.

I think it's a great idea to pay the small amount it takes to make sure the nanny can be contacted and can contact you OP.

I am in Derbyshire and have a smart phone, so do all of my nanny friends. Op is £6 - £8 per hour net or gross? If its gross that is very low. For part time work in our area the going rate is £10 per hour gross maybe a little more for someone very experienced.

i know you didnt say 50 hrs for you, but you said all nannies you know couldnt afford one. personally as a nanny knowing many many other nannies, the shortest average day is 10hrs long. most 12 hrs. so thats 50-60 hr weeks min without any overtimes/babysitting. Hence i said they could afford a £5 contract sim a month. £1.25 a week. even on a v low wage of £6 per hr, over a week 99.9% of the population can afford £1.25

Whether they can afford it or not is completely irrelevant. If she chooses to spend her money on other things or chooses not to have a smart phone/a contract phone/ a mobile phone that is up to her. It has no bearing on how professional she is. In any job, if someone is required to have a mobile for work contact they are provided with one.

Why are you entrusting your children with someone whose children turned out feckless?

i have unlimited texts and 1000's of mins on my contract - therefore i dont need a parent to pay for calls i may make/text to her - so different from a car/petrol, but i see your point :)

saying that i am thinking of changing it to pay less a month, but i would always make sure i have a phone that has credit if i were payg as you just never know whn you need it, car breaks down, child falls over at park and injures self badly and need to call 999 (free) and then contact parents etc

sleepy i know of teenagers that have smart /contract phones, they manage it, so tbh your nanny should even if on a small income

how very part time is she?

but yes if it makes you feel better then give her £5 per month to top up/use for your calls

'sleepy i know of teenagers that have smart /contract phones, they manage it, so tbh your nanny should even if on a small income'

Why should she 'manage'?! Maybe she doesn't want a contract/smart phone. She is perfectly entitled not to have one.

I must have missed the 'everyone must have a smart phone on contract' law that was passed.

yes she is entitled not to have a smart/contract phone

just making the point that teenagers can afford one, so surely someone who has work could if they wanted to

but the main thing is that the nanny should make sure she has credit on her phone, if not to ring her boss for those other emergencies, like i said a car breaking down or needing to get hold of her teenagers when working etc

for the 3rd time i will add, if the op wants to give her £5 each month towards her phone then do :)

'but the main thing is that the nanny should make sure she has credit on her phone'

No she shouldn't. There is no rule that everyone must have a phone with them at all times. Human kind existed for many years prior to the mobile phone, I'd go as far as to say there are places where people still don't have mobile phones . I reckon people survive.

How she deals with a car breakdown or an emergency with her own children is none of your business.

She should have a phone for work, which the OP is willing to provide/fund, as she should do.

Well times have changed now. Mobile phones are very useful and I can't think of anybody that has not got them. People can of course survive without phones but I think her nanny should be responsible enough to keep her phone topped up, however if she is not willing to do this just provide her with one for the sake of five pounds.

It's personal choice, nothing to do with being responsible or not.

I don't think anyone is arguing that mobile phones are not useful. Washing machines are useful, but if the nanny wants to do all her washing by hand she can and it doesn't make her slack, unprofessional or irresponsible.

Teenagers can't afford them. Their parents buy them/top them up

I had a contract/smart phone for the first fine a year ago. It was a 38th birthday present from my very generous dad. Previous to that I paid 5-10 per month on PAYG. I run my own business.

All the engineers who work for my dad who are expected to be contactable are given company mobiles. Why should a nanny who is employed be any different. It would be a different matter if it was a self employed childminder.

a washing machine is her choice, owning phone is her choice. not being able to contact employer in a hurry to say car has crashed/ children injured/ child has suspected meningitis isn't really a choice, its just what you need to do.

im just highlighting that a £5 monthly contract will get you more than a £5 payg. same cost, more minutes. in an emergency even if all minutes used up she can go over and use, with payg if you run out your stuffed.

My teenagers have smartphones because exH got a work related freebie and included them in his contract. If not for that they would all have payg phones and would be paying for their own minutes and top ups.

With Vodafone you have an emergency credit thing on it.

Do £5 a month contracts exist? The minimum I could find was £10

Giff gaff do £5 for 200mins and unlimited texts

3 network is £6.80 but that includes data also.

'not being able to contact employer in a hurry to say car has crashed/ children injured/ child has suspected meningitis isn't really a choice, its just what you need to do'

This is exactly right, but it is not the nanny's responsibility to provide a topped-up/contract phone, it is the employer's. One of the differences between an employed person and a self-employed person is who provides the tools needed for the job. A nanny, an employee, does not provide the tools for the job, they are supplied by her employer. She can have no phone/a phone with no credit and it has no impact on her professionalism.

I agree totally with Pictures.

Similarly it is an employees responsibility to get themselves to their place of work and be able to contact the employer by a certain time if they need to csll in sick

If an employee is required to travel during the working day or make/receive phone calls during the working day the employer has to provide the jeans, whether by providing a car/phone or paying mileage allowance/top up voucher.