Paying nanny a retainer while the children are at school

[Socksandslippers]

I've been working for a family for many years. The children are now all at school. The family have been paying usual salary as need cover if the children are off school. During school hours I have been doing odd jobs around the house, cooking etc. Now the family have decided they want to cut my salary and pay a retainer for school hours and I stop doing jobs around the house but be available if the children are off school. I'm not exactly happy about this and don't want to take too much of a pay cut. I spoke to my local agency who think the family should still pay me full pay, they said if I do take a pay cut the family should pay me 60% of my hourly rate. What do you think is fair?

I think your either available or not. So they need to pay full pay if they want you to be able to pick kids up if they are sick/ cover sick days/ holidays/ etc then need to pay full

It's not like you can work elsewhere during those hours incase your called

I'm not a nanny but I've employed one. I'd say that is very unfair. You can't take another job because you have to be available for them, yet they want to pay you less. Personally I'd say no and be prepared to look for a new position if they push it.

It sounds like what they really need now is wrap around care. Maybe an au pair.

A friend of mine has kept her nanny on even though both the DC are at school, to provide wrap around care and for school holidays / sickness. They still pay her the same amount as before. They know they are paying over the odds, but are prepared to pay for the convenience of the arrangement.

I think you should start looking for a new family.

They can offer it- some people would like to be paid something and usually be able to go to they gym/get their hair cut/do the weekly shop etc etc. If you could afford it, might be quite nice. If you can't afford it then you need to decline and they either continue to pay you, and you work during that time, or they make you redundant.

Not unreasonable of them to suggest it, unreasonable to insist.

They aren't being realistic. They think that they can pay for wrap around care and get full day availability. Another child for school hours is going to be very hard to come by. I think you need to be blunt with them.

Green - but she can't do the above. If she books hair cut at 10am on weds, but weds am at 8am gets a call saying child has woken ill then can't go. She can't book and pay for say yoga every mon at 11am as waste of money if can't attend half the time

It would be 'ok' if you wanted more spare time and didn't need a full time wage, but if that's not the case then just say 'No, that doesn't work for me, sorry'.

Just explain politely that you need a full wage to cover your bills, and that you will need to look for a new job...

...that they would need to make you redundant so you can look for another job.

I don't want to leave the family, I have been with them for a long time and love my job.

OP, sadly, they don't need a full time nanny anymore. They just need wrap around care, you arent prepared to do just that and they aren't prepared to pay over the odds for consistancy.

Say you aren't going to accept their suggestion, and understand they will have to make you redundant if they can't afford to pay for a full time nanny anymore.

wait, hang on, are you paid for 5 days a week, but only work 3, or are you paid for only 3, with a clause that means you can't work elsewhere on the other 2, and now they want to pay you even less while effectively keeping you free for them fulltime hours?

They are taking the piss and however nice to your face, are not good employers.

If they want the flexibilty of a full time dedicated nanny, they need to pay for it. If they want to have the cheaper option of only paying for care they need, then they lose the flexibility and dedicated nature and have to start using a childminder.

You need to be a little selfish, they aren't going to be the only employer you have for the next 30 years, sooner or later, those children wont need a nanny anymore and you'll go to another family. Sadly, they aren't prepared to pay for your services anymore so it'll have to be sooner.

The only other solution that could work for you would be to train as a childminder yourself. Set up a business, but they will have to bring the children to you and collect them, they accept you'll have other children and your flexibilty will be based round when you have available places, if they want to hold 5 days a week they'll have to pay for 5 days a week, if they want you to only be working during before and after school, then fine, but you'll have other children and so you might not be available in the holidays or inset days.

But it might just be better for you to say no, see if they want to make you redundant and look for a new family to work for.

OP - why not work out what you would be happy earning and tell them that's your bottom line?

Why wouldn't you leave? Because you love the kids? That isn't a reason. Also, one day they won't need a nanny and you will lose market value a lot if you are looking for a pre school /baby post and haven't done anything but after school care for years.

I think your personal feelings for the family are maybe stopping you seeing that the time has come to move on.

does the loyalty work both ways? Would they rather lose you than keep paying you full rates? Say no. You already have a bad deal from them, you might not want to work the other 2 days, but they are also stopping you if you needed to.

If they want to keep you on, they will. They can afford it, their income hasn't dropped, so the only difference is they now want to save some money at your expense.

Remember, you might take a financial hit for a couple of years, but while I know a lot of families who had a full time nanny when they had a DC at preschool age, and quite a few who kept the nanny for the first couple of years of school, I only know one who still had a nanny when the youngest was at junior school age, and that was just because they lived in a very isolated place where they couldn't use childminders, they tried.

It is unlikely you'll still be working fr this family in 5 years time no matter what you do now. Why not cut your losses now, say no, you need to be paid for the full days or made redundant. If they chose to let you go, find a new family, there will be others who will snap up an experienced nanny who's prepared to be flexible about working less than 5 days a week.

socks I know it's hard to contemplate leaving a family you feel a part of and children you love, but it will happen at some stage and to be honest, I think now might be that time. You are already sacrificing working hours for them and it feels like you are already being taken advantage of, but that you can't quite see it. Now they want you to work 5 full weeks, 3 wrap arounds and pay you for less than 3 days, but be available to them, for 5. It is really not on.

You say you can't afford to take a pay cut, that's hardly surprising because you are only being paid for 3 days (whilst on call for 5). They really are taking the P asking you to accept less money :( Of course they want to keep you on - not only because you sound lovely, but because they know they wouldn't get anyone else to do the hours you do, with the flexibility you give them, for such a small finanacial outlay.

IMO you need to say 'No, sorry, I cannot afford to take a pay cut. I am already only paid for 3 days, yet need to be available to you for 5 (and indeed work full time for 5 weeks ) days so I can't get another job'

Or really, tbh, you need to face the fact that sooner or later you will have to leave this job and it might as well be sooner and then you can get a proper paycheck and a new family to become a part of.

If they don't want to lose you they need to pay you.

What does it matter if 60% is fair, if you can't afford to take a 40% wage drop?

'Fair' is subjective.

Any deal is 'fair' if both parties are happy with it.

I think getting paid 60% of your wages is only fair if you are NOT available during the school day (i.e. if a child is ill, you don't come) - so they are just getting you for the wrap-around hours. It's not fair if you have to drop everything and run at immediate notice at any time in the day.

You can't really look after another child - what happens if one of their kids is sick? Do you take the other child with you to their house? Would the other parent be happy with you dragging their child to be around a sick one, instead of doing that child's usual activities etc.? I can't imagine they would. What if both children are sick and not well enough to leave their own houses? Who gets preference? Far too complicated.

The point of a nanny is to be completely fitted around your own convenience - and that comes at a certain cost, IMO.

My last DC starts school next year, and I will still pay my nanny the same rate (in fact a bit more since she'll get a small rise by then). She will take on a lot more household jobs - more laundry, ironing, cooking, etc. Sickness/holidays etc. etc. she'll have the kids.