Paying nanny while DC is at pre school

[Sallycinnamum]

We have a wonderful nanny who takes my DS to school and looks after my pre-school DD.

DD will be starting pre school in September five mornings/ afternoons a week and when I spoke to my nanny about it she said she would still be charging her day rate even though she won't be working 2.5 hrs a day four days a week during term time while my DD is at nursery.

I don't have a problem with this per se but I just wanted to check this was the norm as I was planning to pay her a retainer during the hours she wasn't working instead of her hourly rate.

Thanks in advance.

I would expect to be paid my normal rate on this instance tbh. She can't go and do anything else in those 2.5 hours and it means she's there when/if the children are ill and in school holidays and training days.

Seems reasonable to me.
I would expect her to do some child-related jobs while Dc was at preschool.

I think paying is reasonable and means you are covered if children are sick etc. Also, most people I know in this situation ask the nanny to take on other tasks for at least some of that time eg batch cooking, additional chores related to the children such as shopping, spring cleaning etc.

Yes it would be the norm in that case, and reasonably so. She can't very well do much else with that time.

Thanks for your replies.

to be honest, it will take her 3/4 hour of travel anyway so in reality she'll probably only have an hour and a bit free anyway. I can probably get her to do some shopping and a few minor chores although she doesn't do any housework at the moment apart from clearing up after the children etc.

Yes, this is normal. She can't really get another job for those 2.5 hours so you are still employing her all day.

You could ask your nanny to do some tasks during this time eg batch cooking and laundry for the DCs, toy sorting, some errands etc (your DD may not be napping by September so this may be the only time your nanny gets to do these things)

Longer term some people choose to switch to an afternoons/holidays only nanny, but they are much harder to find and means you have to be able to do school and nursery drop off in the morning.

oops cross posted!

Many thanks.

Nanny has less than an hour and half without children. Normal for her to use the time for a tea break. Most jobs have tea breaks and nannies don't get these when children are there. The hour left would be used to clean children's rooms, batch cook etc.
When children are ill , holidays you will need the nanny. A retainer for that time is silly and you wouldn't find many nannies willing to do this. She wouldn't be able to do anything else in that time.

That's normal. My son is at preschool for 3 hours a day in term times, my nanny does some ironing and has a break.

perfectly normal,as others have said she cant find work in those hours,plus is on call for bumped heads/sickness etc

Normal. I would add children's laundry onto the task list. Could include bedding washing at whatever frequency you do it.

As children get older the role changes from being solely about care of the children to being about care of them, their things and whre they live. That may just be my view though.

Is your nanny not paid an annual salary under terms of employment? Seems a bit strange that you said your nanny will charge you, rather than you still pay all the contracted hours. Your nanny works for you, does as you tell them - don't they?

As a nanny in that position I would be sticking dishwasher on, putting a load of washing on, having a cup of coffee. Some days I would go to the gym, go shopping for things the family needed.

What your nanny does during that time is up to you, so normal to pay and normal to increase the domestic tasks.

Again, thanks for your replies. Very helpful and I don't begrudge her having an hour off anyway as she works quite a long day as it is.

I personally have never been in this position however all my nanny friends who are, are paid full pay. They get the kids rooms cleaned and laundry done or just get dinner ready for the evening and take a break. It's not much time to fill tbh.

My nanny does ironing, laundry, cooking, errands (goes into town to post office / pick up stuff for kids etc.), tidies up, etc. etc. in the pre-school time. I don't think anyone docks a nanny's pay for pre-school time (or if they do, the nanny tends to leave soon afterwards!)