New nanny

[Debi4444]

Hi everyone.
Please could I ask some advice.
I've just started as a nanny last week. I'm a mum of 4 grown up children and have moved to an area where it's been hard to get work. Out of the blue I've been offered a job as nanny to 3 children age 3,6 and 8. I work 2 days mon and Tuesday 8am to 6 pm. Take 2 kids to school at 9am then one to nursery at 12. In between 9 and 12 I'm asked to tidy house and if time do a it of ironing. Collect one child at 2pm then one child at 2.45 then next child at 3.10. Come home and do homework with them and have playtime with them. At 5.15 pm I put dinner on for family. Parents home at 6pm.
I get paid £7 an hour , no extra. I don't get petrol money .
I get £140 for the 2 days.
Should I be asking for more money or is this the right amount . I've no contract or anything like that.
Many thanks

Per hour that is extremely low. It would help to know where you were, if London for example you could earn £12 per hour. Get the contract sorted asap!

Why did you start when you don't have a contract and your pay is disgustingly low? I wouldn't have taken the job! £7 an hour is a ridiculous amount. Depending on where you live the going rate is £9-£13 an hour.
Find something else and until then, insist on a contract.

Location affects pay so hard to know what is reasonable salary.
At that pay amount there is national insurance due, so are you getting payslips? Are patents aware that they are responsible for deducting taxes and paying taxes (there may be a small amount of employers NI due).
Suggest they use a payroll service like Payefornannies.co.uk, nannymatters, way2paye to do the admin if they don't want to do themselves.

Where are you? Do you have a contract?

I am in N London and the going rate is £10 per hour net (after tax), I also have a two day nanny and with her having no other job and a standard tax code it's about £10.75 per hour gross. Obviously may be less if out of London. You should get petrol at 45p per mile which isn't taxed (if you're using your own car).

Your employers aren't (I assume) currently paying tax or NI so you'll get no credit for your own state pension. You need to sit down and have a proper conversation with them and be prepared to leave. You'll be in demand elsewhere.

Good luck with it

tbh its a fair wage, as long as thats take hom so they are paying tax and ni from your gross salary .....

you are not a nanny with years exp or qualified, so you wont get the top rate of £12/13 gross £9/10nett

you do need a contract to cover both of you with basic in it with hours salary duties holiday sick pay etc

Nanny pay usually at least £9-11.gross - London more.
You can not be self employed - the boss should be registered with HMRC and paying tax and NI for you.
You are entitled to a 5.6 weeks paid holiday per year.
You should have nanny insurance see Morton Michel. Paediatric First Aid is also advisable .
Make sure you get parents to do a review after 3 months a year and get comments in writing you can then use as a reference of they fail to give you one of leaving. Because after a year if they don't pay you more I would look for a better paying nanny job.

It depends where you are. Nanny rates around me are £8-£12/hour, but that's in the SE. So if you don't have any nanny experience you would be on the £8 wage bracket.
I would go onto nanny job.co.uk or ring a couple of agencies and find out what the going rate is for your area

You should ask for petrol to be paid for, although 45p/mile is the maximum rate payable and many employers offer less than that (and depending on your car your costs may be less than that).

I would work out how much petrol you are using and then ask for a rate based on that.

You could always just stay in the job for a short period of time and use it as a stepping stone to a better paid job.

5 weeks paid holiday for working 20 hrs a week? Where, where???

UmizoomiThis It's 5.6 weeks pro rata obviously. So if it's a two days a week job, it's 5.6 weeks x 2 days of holiday instead of 5.6 weeks x 5 days

Umizoom it's known as Statutory Holiday Entitlement which applies to jobs in the UK. Gov.uk: Holiday Entitlement

Debi - it could be useful as a stepping stone to other nanny work as it is experience of other people's children. I've had jobs paying £7 in the past, suited me at the time as it was very local so my costs were minimal. Gave me more baby experience, which in itself probably then led on to the next job.

I'm in the northeast where nanny salaries vary £7 to £10 GROSS per hour. As far as I understand, whether or not you have raised your own children , you are a newly starting nanny and therefore in this region can expect to be paid at the lower end of the salary scale - so £7 per hour would be entirely reasonable.

However you should not be expected to pay mileage. 45p per mile is the legal maximum before it is taxable, but your employer may pay less than this (eg the NHS gives 24p-33p per mile depending on what the miles are done for!).

Obviously as you gain experience of nannying you will hopefully be able to get a higher wage, either as you stay in this job (but that depends on what your employers can afford) or when you move to your next job.

I don't mean to be harsh but you say you are in an area where employment prospects are low but you have a job paying above national minimum wage. I would be pretty unimpressed if you came to me a week after you started wanting a payrise - if jobs are that hard to come by then it's probably an employers market for nanny employers and you would have to like it or lump it. But you shouldn't be forking out for mileage.

I work in the Midlands as a Nanny and my hourly salary is £9.50 net (about £11 gross) and in London I charge £11 net (about £14 gross)
I currently get £160 for 24 hours cover overnight

But it's about more than the money. If it turns out they are sorting out payroll, the £7 is net and they just didn't know about paying mileage and are happy to, all well and good and maybe appropriate for the experience. If they're paying cash, no contract, no security, no paid leave - then not so good.

Even if the £7is gross it is still above nmw and as I said a fair wage for someone with no nanny exp - just talk to them About nett and gross and tax and ni and payslips and contracts

Obv yes you should be paid petrol costs

I think it's bit on the stingy side - I presume during holidays you're going to have three kids all day?
You should get paid petrol for activities but not going to and fro work.
You definitely need a contract and I would recommend being on a payroll if it's your only job. Will affect your NI, pension and you won't be entitled to any sick/maternity pay if not.
But having said that, you signed up to the deal and I dont think I'd take too well to someone asking me for more cash having accepted the original deal. - Although contract and payroll should be standard but it will mean your employers have to pay more towards HMRC which won't go down well.

I think the best way to play this would be to act innocent. At the end of the first month, when they pay you, ask when you are going to get your payslip. That'll tell you whether they are paying tax or not. If they say it's cash in hand, you can then say that you have researched it on the HMRC website and the job doesn't fit with being self employed and you are concerned that they will be liable for penalties if HMRC find out. Their reaction will tell you all you need to know.