New nanny - questions #2

[Pistachio14]

Just wondering some last questions before I start looking for jobs;

1. If nanny takes the children out and buys food/drink for them, does nanny or employer cover the cost? If so, what is the process of this? Are nannies ok to buy toys and things for the children when out on day trips?

2. Similarly, if nanny wanted to buy resources/toys/games etc., in their own time, that they want to share with/give to the children, whose pocket does the money come out of?

3. What will they ask of me when I agree? Will they want to see a driving license/form of identification or anything like that?!

4. I have had CRB(DBS) checks in the past from working in daycare, would I need to have a new one for a new nanny job?

5. Does nanny need public liability insurance (such as nannyinsure)? Who would cover the cost of this?

I ask these questions about covering costs not because I care about the costs personally (I wouldn't mind if the employers didn't cover the cost of toys I bought for the children!) but because I don't want to be totally clueless about the average nanny situation

1. Employer should provide a kitty or at least reimburse you. I wouldn't buy toys :S

1. Unless the parents have asked you I would cover the cost of that, but I been really try not to cost my employers more than I need to.

1. What? Do you mean when you start? They'll need certain details in order to set up PAYE and should provide a contract within 3 months of starting

1. They may ask you to complete another but you'd have to go through an agency to acquire one

1. Yes you should protect yourself and you must pay, it would invalidate it if your employers paid.

Ok great thanks.

If nanny has public liability insurance, what insurance does the employer have?

You say 'you should provide a contract within 3 months', does the employer not write the contract?

Yup the employer provides the contract.

You will have nanny insurance which protects you, and they should have liability insurance in case you have an accident at work etc.

If a child needs drop off/pick up, does the employer cover petrol cost? And what is the process (of working out how many miles/how much petrol)?

Yes they should, inland revenue let's you claim up to 45p per mile tax free, I tend to record my mileage and email each month and they pay the full amount separate to my wages

Oh and I use Google maps to work out mileage

I agree with everything juneybean has said, apart from mileage, I have no idea about that!

I always consider kitty money there for essentials. I try not to spend it if I don't have to. I would never buy toys for the children in my care as I feel it's important for them to be able to leave the house without having a "present/treat" bought for them everytime. I of course get them. Christmas and birthday presents, but that's because I love them :)

Great, thanks for the replies.

Is a DBS check not essential then? What is essential? The only things I've found so far are public liability insurance and business insurance for my car

You need a DBS to work with children. If yours is still recent (less than three years old) then you should be fine. If it's approaching expiration, get it renewed before registering with agencies and applying for jobs. That said, some agencies will apply for one for you, so it depends if you'd prefer to let them do it. Either way, you usually bear the responsibility of the cost.

Ok thanks

Is being Ofsted registered an essential part of nannying? What would it mean for someone who isn't registered and what would it mean for someone who is?!

After the response, I looked into DBS checks a little.... I'm not going to be going through an agency, but the government website says that I can't apply for my DBS myself, I would need to fill in the form and give it to the employer to send of - what difference does it make who sends it?

Being OFSTED registered means that parents are able to pay you in childcare vouchers that they get through their work. Being OFSTED registered can make you more employable.

There are plenty of jobs which don't need you to be registered though.

A DBS needs to be applied for by a third party, there are a few different companies online who can do it for you. If you decide to go down the OFSTED route I think part of the process is that they apply for one for you.

I deal with a lot of mileage claims and HMRC's preferred method is that you take the odometer reading before starting the journey and at the end if the journey and include that information on the mileage claim. Then as others have said use HMRC's fixed profit car scheme 45p per mile for the first 10,000 miles which has no tax liability for either party.

Fab thank you all

Another one;

If nanny is allowed to take holiday of her choice, what happens when the family goes on holiday? As the nanny won't be working, will it be unpaid?

What information does nanny need from an employer?

So far I've got;
-emergency contact details of parents
-doctor's name and address
-consent to medication administration
-consent to seeking emergency care (hospital a&e)

Is this the norm? What am I missing?

One more (I hope) - do nannies generally work around christmas time, eg. the week between christmas and new year?

What illnesses/diseases should a nanny say no to looking after a child with?

Is it normal for nanny to keep a laptop with her? In case she needs to research something/do some computer play with the children?

Sorry for all the questions, replies are gratefully received

Most people split choice of holidays 50% nanny chooses and 50% parents choose. I would put this in your contract and how much notice you need of holidays. Remember as an employer you do not have to just agree to all holiday they need to request it. If you can accommodate it you do, but if it is impossible you can say no.
If you go on holiday and your nanny is not on holiday at the same time then you need to pay her as normal, hence the split.
Working around christmas that is an individual arrangement with you and your nanny. Again illnesses which the nanny would not look after the child with individual arrangement.

The computer I would make the family one avaliable to her for research or children to play on, but have very strict rules about use.

Taking Holiday
If nanny is allowed to take holiday of her choice, what happens when the family goes on holiday? As the nanny won't be working, will it be unpaid?
Do nannies generally work around christmas time, eg. the week between christmas and new year?

It will vary from job to job. A nanny does not always work full-time, you may have one or more part-time jobs. Parents do not always work full-time and may work shifts, may work in jobs which require them to work on bank holidays and over xmas period.

Avoid making any assumptions, always ask parents about how much paid holiday you will get and the arrangements for that - the employer can dictate all of it, though many will give nanny some choice though it may be constrained such as not during school term time.

When family goes on holiday, some families may expect you to go with them. Some may expect you to book the same period off work and take it as part of your annual leave. Some may consider it to be additional paid leave... so you have that time off plus still get your full annual leave.

This would be the sort of thing to discuss at second interview stage, or in correspondence between being offered the job and starting it. Ironing out the fine details is important.

With regard to contract... the time period is 2 months from the date of starting work. However I would say that you should aim to get the contract agreed BEFORE starting the job.

ACAS says: "Starting work proves that you accept the terms and conditions offered by the employer."
Thus I feel you really need to know what those terms and conditions are BEFORE starting work for the employer.

More about Written Statements and Self Help Guide to Producing a Written Statement (PDF)

What illnesses/diseases should a nanny say no to looking after a child with?

Not sure there are any really. Some types of tropical disease which requires them to be totally isolated would probably be a hospital admission initially, so probably would not be at home.

HPA Guidance for Schools could be useful to read but sick children would be confined to their home, so the same guidelines would not apply but would make sense to follow in terms of going out and about, toddler groups, pre-school.

If you are pregnant then that may make a difference as to whom you would be prepared to care.

Do consider that children can be carriers of a disease before they have clear symptoms, so you may already be exposed. Wash your hands well and frequently, especially if a child is ill.

Is it normal for nanny to keep a laptop with her? In case she needs to research something/do some computer play with the children?

Probably not normal but these days we have smartphones, ipads all sorts of things that give us internet access. Your employers may provide computer access.

Keep in mind that anything you take to work with you is your responsibility. If it get's broken, that is your problem. So where possible use things supplied by your employer.

Can I ask which country you are in? Some of the answers on this thread are very country specific, so if you not in England, then some things on here will not apply. You mentioned CRB/DBS so it has been assumed that you are in England... if you are else where, then please do say so quickly.

I'm not going to be going through an agency
Why not? You have said that you are going to start looking for jobs, so does it not make sense to register with a local agency? They can help answer some of your questions, could do a DBS check (if you are not going to go down the Ofsted registration route). Personally I would not restrict your options, no harm registering with an agency and looking for work yourself as well.