Can I ask nanny to let us know in the New Year when she would like to take her summer holiday?

[Ychyfi]

Our new nanny is lovely, DD thinks she is the bees' knees, and I really don't want to annoy her. However, I've just realised that before we employed her, we didn't consider the need for a bit if advance notice of her holidays so that we could book ours to coincide. I am an idiot. Would I be unreasonable to ask her to have a think over Christmas about when she would like to take her summer holiday next year and let us know so that we can book a holiday to coincide? DD is only 1 so we can fit in with whenever she wants. It's just that it would be great to know when that is. Is this a normal request or might she think I am being difficult? Thanks very much.

It is not unreasonable or unusual to agree holiday dates in advance. Though you would normally specify in the contract how holidays would be agreed and booked. We had school age children and specified that holidays could only be booked during normal school holiday periods. We chose 2 weeks and nanny could choose dates of the other 2 weeks, plus she got all bank holidays. This worked well for us and we would sit down at the beginning of the year and pencil in dates then firm up dates when bookings actually made.

Just sit down and ask for an indication of when she might think of taking holiday. If you have not agreed who can choose dates then you might want to consider agreeing with her how to do this and adding it as an addendum to the contract.

I have in my contract when employed that I will give at least 4 weeks notice of any holiday

I love the sun but even I dont know when I'm going away next year so she may not

But def sit down and have a chat and suggest x no of weeks notice for a holiday

Normally nannies /employers do 50/50 choice so you can plan your holiday whenever you want and doesn't have to be in her choice

Unless you have said she gets to chose hokidays

To be honest as a nanny that's a bit to far in advance being asked to know my summer dates. In my contract I have that anything longer then two days holiday I need to tell my boss at least 4 weeks before. But realistically its usually been around the 2/3months mark. I could understand if you had school age children so you would need the nanny to take her holiday during the school holidays for example. But I personally wouldn't know my holiday plans 7months before but suppose everyone's different.

Well legally you can specify holiday dates as an employer. So it won't harm to ask her at all.

I think you should just talk to her, she'll probably be fine with it.
When I worked in a nursery we had to book all our annual leave on the 1st October. Everyone was fine with it.

I don't have anything in my contract that states how much notice I should give for holidays and I certainly wouldn't know now what I want to do come the summer but my employer and I sat down at the weekend and pencilled in a couple of dates (Christmas, Easter....) that we'l confirm a few weeks beforehand. Definitely chat to her, though because it's not unreasonable to want to know in advance.

And also agree with her (and add to the contract) whether you want to reserve the right to choose some of her holiday. My employers choose 2 weeks and I choose 2 weeks and I get bank holidays.

You sound a lovely employer trying to book a holiday to coincide with nanny. Agree its a long way off. Usually nanny chooses some weeks and you choose the rest. I would be happy to know long way in advance as husband more likely to get same weeks off too.

Most nanny contracts state 4 weeks notice of holidays on both sides, you'll need to check to see what is in yours.

I think, at best, you can ask her to let you know as soon as she knows what holiday she wants to take. Not everyone wants to book their holidays so far in advance, I certainly don't.