Holiday with family

[nannynewo]

Hi I have been asked to go away with the family I nanny for this summer. Just wanted some general advice, do's and don'ts and also any stories from people. It will be quite a long time away so want to get as much advice as possible! Thanks in advance.

Do not consider it to be a holiday for you.

As far as possible agree in advance what hours you will be working each day. Will you get a day off to do as you wish?

Who is paying for passport, visa, jabs, travel insurance - will this holiday cost you anything?

Travel - are you working during travelling? Do you need to keep the children occupied on the plane/boat? Will the parents be sitting in the same section of the plane as the children - some may decide to fly first class or business class, leaving you in economy with the children.

Accommodation - what is your accommodation, is it shared with anyone such a child. En-suite bathroom or are you sharing?

Overtime - if you will be working more hours than you usually do, agree overtime pay rate plus max hours you will work.

Thank you very much for your reply!!

I have pretty much thought of everything that I need to ask them but so glad you mentioned the visa and jabs.

I really hadn't thought of that!

I definitely have a lot to consider before jumping into a decision.

Any other advice or stories?! just wanting to get as much opinions as possible. Anything else I should ask the family?

Hi there, I have never take our nanny on hols with us but I'm interested in stories of those who have!

Nannynick has covered a lot..and I'd definitely agree, don't think of it as a holiday or a 'bonus' (unless you're getting tonnes of free time).

I'd guess the sort of accommodation will govern a lot of the questions I'd want answers to.. if it's a house or a villa, house, it could be a home from home, if it's holiday apartments or a hotel, it could be harder... If it is a hotel / holiday apartment, I'd add:

meals - will you all eat as a 'family' or will you feed the children then sit in a room with them whilst the parents go out?

Is there any separate space for you to (escape!) switch off / have down time?

swimming - will you supervise the children in/around a pool etc, if so are you a swimmer?

Also look at transport. If you're in the middle of nowhere, will you need a hire car or similar?

On the plus side, it could be a great opportunity to travel a bit and learn / extend a new language though..

• How many nights babysitting do they want in addition to time during the day? Definitely agree total daily hours.
• If they're giving you quite a lot of time off at various points, do THEY think this is a holiday for you or part holiday for you? Will other holiday time off of your choosing be 'renegotiated' at a later time? i.e. will they try to say, but you had all that sunshine at this faboulous resort, forgetting how many hours you worked.

I would be tempted to say no (I am a parent.)

Thank you so much for the replies! I've definitely a lot to think about. It is all early days yet and nothing is set in stone so I have a lot of time to research and think about the best decision.