Nanny/housekeeper or nanny and cleaner?

[marshharrier]

Asking for a friend at the moment- but i'm wondering myself.

My friend is a single parent- works part time from home, and needs a nanny to look after her DCs (3yrs and 9 months) and a cleaner to help around the house.

She works M-F morning as the nature of job means its better for her if she works half a day rather than 2/2.5/3 days a week iyswim.

She was looking into nannies, but it seems impossible to find someone willing to do 1/2 days- so she was considering tying the two "jobs" she needs filling together to give some a FT job- nannying in the morning (9-1) and then housekeeping in the afternoon- washing for the family, ironing for the family, walking the dog, light cleaning (1-6) with obvious flexibility for ending early.

Do these sort of nannies exist?

Yes but you have to get them when they are (young) keen and expect to have to teach them all of it! As long as the ad clearly states the requirements and that is backed up in the interview process it is ok but remember some people are great with kids but not domestically gifted and vice versa so a trial period is essential and two people may be better than one.

Employers insurance for home-workers is a good idea. She could also employ two or three people across the week so everyone works full days but just one or two days a week, makes it easier for them to work another job and means she has possible cover for sick leave or holidays.

There are nanny housekeepers, but I think there are very, very few who are great at both parts of the job. There are nannies who will 'housekeep' because they can't find a full-time nanny job and there are housekeepers who will supervise older children. To find someone to spend the morning at toddler group with a pre-schooler and a baby and the afternoon cleaning will be tricky.

Maybe she would be better with a childminder or nursery for the morning? That way the children will be out of the house while she works.

There will b be nannies who will do it, but as the others have said, they'll likely be younger or be better at one part. I'm a nanny housekeeper and am not amazing at housekeeping, more the laundry and ironing than anything else, I'm really slow at it and do make mistakes with the laundry occasionally.

I've been a nanny/housekeeper. I'm happy with both parts of the job but really struggled to keep a high standard of housekeeping when I had small children to entertain as well.
I think the way it is separated may work far better. All you can do is advertise and see who applies.

I think that if your friend advertised for someone 9 to 3, so 9 to 1 is looking after the children and two hours of light cleaning/ironing, it would suit a mum whose children are older and at school. It's not a bad deal really. She could take the children out to playgroup in the mornings, then prepare and eat lunch with them, and clear up afterwards. Your friend might need a cleaner (three hours) a week to clean bathrooms/kitchen/floors/hoover once a week?

Yup - a childminder who does mostly after school care might fit quite well. Or half days at nurseries.

I would have loved this. I've been a nanny/housekeeper with sole charge all day so cleaning got done with kids in tow. To have a couple of hours without kids to blitz cleaning would be lovely! You will find someone.

I fell into a similar role when helping a family short-term when their previous nanny flounced out/was sacked and I happened to be between jobs. I had no previous experience but she was desperate! Employer present in the house all day but not particularly engaged with kids 2, 4 & 6 unless it suited. Laundry, shopping, cooking and tidying up (cleaner twice a week) was fitted around the children's schedules. 8am to 8pm. I loved the job and the family and I stayed for two years. Other "proper"/professional nannies told me I was being taken advantage of because I did jobs that they wouldn't do but I just saw myself as helping and doing what I was able and willing to do. The only down-side is that I became very attached to the children and it was a terrible wrench to leave them and carry on with my "normal" career when I decided it was time.

You will find someone. Maybe someone like me, who knows?