Help! Need pay advice from nannies!!

[ClairityVerity]

I am self-employed and so my work is irregular - at the moment I'm working most weeks, but have occasional weeks off. I have some overnight stays coming up this year (about 20 days). I am also about to become a single mum , so I'm trying to work out what my options are.

My children are at school/ pre-school, and so on days when I'm working out of town I'd need someone to collect them from school, give them dinner, etc etc and stay overnight. These dates would again be irregular, sometimes including weekends. Then when I'm working in school hols I would need someone to have the children for half days/ full days/ occasional overnights while I work. The holiday work would be more consistent.

Does it sound absurd to aim to find a nanny that would be able to work with this kind of irregular schedule? I'd be able to provide dates several months in advance, but I sort of assume that nannies would generally need regular times and hours.

Also where's the best place to find out roughly what nannies charge in the southeast?

TIA.

You shouldn't have much of a problem finding someone to work those hours if you know them in advance. I would probably pay a little bit more than the going rate to make it an attractive option instead of a M-F job for a nanny.

Will you require a different number of hours every week?

Do you have a spare room and could get a 'live in nanny' I worked for a freelance mum once, each week was different and she would normally know the week before what the next week would look like. The pay was the same week to week, so some weeks id work 3 days, some 5 days, some just mornings, each week was different, but pay stayed the same to even out the hours worked. I liked this as I knew the week before what my hours were so could plan things during the day!

Thanks loads for your input - it's really helpful.

I don't have a spare room, sadly, so they'd have to stay in my bedroom when I'm away. But I like the idea of paying a regular wage at above the going rate. OK so I could do that for the school hols and overnight days, and perhaps pay in advance rather than having a retainer on top? Finances are going to be squeezed! Would that sound reasonable if someone asked you for that? Also I'd like the kids to get to know them first, would you normally do a settling-in session? Presumably that would be paid!

I also might see whether a friend might be willing to do a nanny share.

Oh, and if you're still around I'd love your suggestions on a reliable website to get advice on costs of hiring a nanny.

Thanks!

Not to worry, have found info!

If doing an overnight I would expect more, maybe an extra £30 per night as I can never sleep as feel as deep as I normally do, as I'm conscious of hearing the kids, plus the early mornings.