Am I looking for a Nanny or an Au Pair?

[scantilymad]

Hello - I'm looking for some help!

I am going back to work in August and we have one 5 month old DS. We are looking at childcare options (8am to 3.30pm every weekday except Wednesdays).

We are looking at CMs but are also considering the Nanny/Au Pair route. I'm just not sure if it is a Nanny or Au Pair we are looking for. I would hate to insult either one with unrealistic expectations or by not really understanding their role.

We don't need live in, but would like someone to do the childcare for these hours and perhaps light housework (dishes, dusting, maybe vacuuming - more just keeping things tidy!) if they had time.

DS is already registered for nursery which will start when he is 2.5 years old, so the position is for 18 months.

We are in walking distance to lots of facilities (beach, doctor, dentist, two parks, a library, two children's centres, shops and a supermarket) and so we wouldn't provide a car but we would public transport costs for them to get to us/get home.

Please can anyone help me define what we are actually looking for?!
Also, any tips or suggestions as to salary? We are in a coastal town in the West Country.

Thank you so much.

Definitely a nanny. Too many hours and too much responsibility for an au pair and they would need to live in. A nanny may not do the housework you expect - they will clear up after themselves and baby but not you (although they may unload the dishwasher or run the Hoover round occasionally).

I would suggest £8-10 gross ph depending on experience and qualifications but have a look on sites like nannyjob.co.uk and childcare.co.uk to get a feel for local salaries. Salaries may be quoted net but that's not a good idea. You also need to factor in employer's NI, payroll, kitty and petrol expenses if they use their own car. Bear in mind that paying commuting costs is a taxable benefit.

A nanny is a pricy option for one child. You might be able to reduce costs slightly by finding another family to share with, possibly one with school ages children who don't need a FT nanny any more except in school holidays but do need before/after school and want to keep their nanny.

As your DS is a baby, you are looking for someone with baby and toddler experience.

As you will not be present at the same time as care is being provided, you need someone who is competent enough in babycare.

Therefore I would say you need a nanny. Someone coming to this country for some experience of the culture is not likely to have the babycare experience you need - they might but it is not that likely.
An au-pair is Live-In, so that does not fit with what you want.

Why would you use a nursery at age 2.5 but not use a nursery now? Is it a pre-school perhaps (typically children aged 3-4) though many take from 2.5 years... many are sessional groups, so morning or afternoon session.

If you need someone to come to your home to tidy up, have you considered having a cleaner come in say once a week? That would probably make the place a lot more tidy than having someone juggle it with baby/toddler care.

Hi you are looking for a nanny as an au pair should live with you do about 25 hrs of work a week attend language school, be part of the family and most importantly not have sole charge of an under 3 yr old due to language barriers unless of course you speak the au pairs mother tongue at home all the time.

You do not need to pay travel costs to and from work that is for the nanny to cover, you only need to pay travel costs when the nanny is taking the baby out/running errands for you.

If you are happy with them just keeping the areas they use clean and tidy then that comes under a nannys nursery duties as standard if you want them to tidy/clean any thing else then you need a nanny/housekeeper that will cost you a little more but you get more household help.

I would advertise locally and see if it would appeal to a local... possibly a local mum whose children are at school. The hours fit quite well with that, as long as you don't mind someone bringing their children to your home for a bit before/after school and during school holidays.

Salary wise I would look at what other jobs there are locally, in various sectors. Pay more than others offer but not too much more... will have to be at least NMW relative to the persons age.
Agree a gross salary. Keep in mind your other costs, such as Employers National Insurance, payroll admin, holiday entitlement, activity budget, food (such as lunch, tea/coffee), employers liability insurance (check wording of your home contents policy).

Thank you so much for the detailed responses.
DS is enrolled in the nursery attached to the school he will be going to and the youngest they take is 2.5 years. We wanted him to be in a home environment until then so that's why we aren't looking at nurseries at the moment.
So much food for thought, thank you so much. Will definitely investigate the nanny/nanny share route as we aren't too fussed about the cleaning.

hi have you found a nanny yet?

Hi my name is Hollie i am 20 years old currently looking after a 11month old girl in Greenford only on Saturdays but looking for something with more hours. I also do adhoc baby sitting for a 4year old girl and 1 year old boy brother and sister I have looked after the little girl since I was 16 when she was around 6 months old when ever her mum needed me took her out for days gave her lunch went to parks and this continued her mum then had another baby which I first looked after when he was 3 months old. I have them both together some times its the whole day other times just evenings so I am experienced in looking after two children at once. I am looking for full time or part time hours during the week (Monday-Friday) I live in south east London but willing to travel all over London as I have a train&tube station and a bus station next to me making it easy for me to travel. I am 1 bus away from Greenwich I don't drive I also do not smoke. I have a recent enhanced CRB check and first aid qualified until November but I am going to update it. I do not have any childcare qualifications but i do have experience and you could not fine anyone who loves spending time with children as much as me. I'm a very fun and bubbly person not afraid to be silly and play with the children go out for walks or go to activities but can also be firm. Cv and references available upon request please contact me
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