How much notice to give the family I nanny for?

[needtomanup]

Advice needed. I am leaving my nanny job for several reasons plus I hope to return to Montessori teaching in September.

How much notice would you recommend? The mum is due a baby in June so I want to be fair to them as I know it will be a busy time. I am working for them 5 years and know it will be unexpected.

Does your contract say anything about notice period?

When do you want to leave - End of August or before then?

With baby due in June if they knew you were leaving they may want to start with someone new in June, as then baby gets to know the new nanny, not the nanny who is leaving.

Hope to return to teaching - so you don't have a confirmed job yet? Would it be wise to hold off telling anyone until you have a confirmed job to go to?

Thanks for your response, there are loads of jobs available in teaching so while I do not currently have a new job I am not worried at all re finding one. I got an offer recently to return to a previous place of work.

I don't have a contract though have asked several times. End of August is the plan though I do have holidays to take too.

Baby not due until the end of June. Baby will only be 2 months when I plan on leaving so too young to be making strange with someone new anyway. The older children 6 & 4 will find it harder with a new nanny so I think the mum will be unlikely to replace me earlier however I cannot be certain as I don't think she will take me quitting well at all.

I just feel if I leave it too late then they'll be so busy with the new baby, they will find it hard to interview and replace me. I just don't want to make things more difficult than they have to be but I also want to ensure I have a job until the August as new job will definitely not begin until September.

If you don't have a contract I don't think you should feel obliged to give more than a month's notice. Why not give notice in early July for early August, and then if you want to be nice you can offer to be a bit flexible about exact finish date?

I just worry if you give notice before they will start interviewing pre-baby, and if they then meet the perfect nanny who wants to start soon they will be tempted to go for it.

Don't feel too bad. If they wanted a longer notice period they should have given you a contract, and Mum will presumably be on mat leave so it really could be worse? Plus there should be loads of nannies looking for a September start...

Been there 5yrs and no contract how/why the hell did you let it go on for so long

I will never start a job without contract in place

8 weeks notice would be nice as mum is preg but legally think 4 is minimum

I think if you want to leave in August and not risk being replaced early, and possibly also losing out on leave, you need to give the minimum notice. As others have said, it is not as if the family will be thrown into turmoil as Mum will be home anyway. Notice periods are often a strain, so why make it longer than it has to be. If they needed extended notice they could have put that in your contract.

Really appreciate the advice from everyone.

Re the contract, I don't know. I asked a lot at the start then just dropped it. I'm regret it now of course. First time I've ever been without one.

I know the mum will be on Maternity leave but she struggles with the other two children and will not mind them by herself so I know she will definitely want a nanny despite not working. She is also getting a night nanny to help out when I finish for the evening, not every night as the dad will also be there but a few nights a week.

Will definitely go with a shorter notice period than I originally planned. Thank you all.

Seriously after five years this seems pretty mean to the children and family - it is your right especially as you don't have a contract, but I know if I were in your employer's place I would be hurt and distressed at you leaving me in the lurch with an 8 week old baby. It would be pretty hard to recruit at that point and very upsetting for the children at a disrupted time. You don't sound overly find of the family so I suspect there are issues you have not mentioned. But be prepared for her to be cross and this might reflect in her reference for you, that's all.

*fond not find

Actually, September is probably the easiest time to find a nanny, because a lot of families stop needing them when their children start school.

Given that you will be leaving nannying to go to teaching, rather than another nannying job, it isn't likely to be as hurtful to the parents.

To make it easier for them, and to safeguard your own position, you could offer to do all of the initial legwork for hiring the new nanny. Would you be willing to?

How am I being mean Working? I am actually really hurt by what you wrote. I adore the children I care for and was planning on leaving this September as they are beginning school and preschool. The baby I only recently found out about, which has complicated this, though I am delighted for them obviously.

Contract or no contract I am still planning on giving my notice at the start of May and then like a poster suggested offering to be flexible regarding the finishing date in August. I am happy to help out with extra hours, cooking and housework when the baby is born, even when I have a new job. What do you suggest I do? I need to get back to teaching and further my career. I love the children to bits which is why I was asking on here for some help and advice.

Sorry if I misread your posts but I thought you were agreeing with the advice to give 4 weeks notice after 5 years from your last post. I thought that was a bit of a challenge for a woman with a new baby who had no idea it was coming!

May sounds perfect and am sure they will appreciate it.

Oh thanks for clearing that up. No chance, I do have more respect for them than that.

I was just asking for advice to make things as easy as possible. I posted originally as I was actually thinking of saying it now as I feel like I'm lying to them when they talk about the future so wanted to hear other's view points. I will take your advice yackity great idea.

5 years or not, you need to do what is best for you. As much as you may love your nanny family, they will, no doubt, put their needs first.

When I found out I was pregnant, I told my nanny family asap because I had a strong suspicion that mum was pregnant, too and even if she wasn't, I wanted to give them plenty of notice to find my replacement.

They found my replacement and she wanted to start far earlier than I had planned to leave so I was out and she was in. It was all very amicable and maybe I should have negotiated harder but ultimately, they did what suited them best. I had been with them four years.

I have looked after children, privately, for 19 years and I am yet to meet a family who would put the childcarer's needs before their own. Might sound harsh but it's true.

I would give notice sometime in July and agree with pp that There will be plenty of nannies looking for jobs to start in September. Also, are you in London? If I remember correctly, summertime could be a great time to recruit because many families are away so there will be less competition for your family

Sorry, very slow posting and missed the last two posts.

If giving notice in May, be prepared to possibly be out of a job at the beginning of June.

I suggest you phone ACAS and get their advice. It really is a tricky one because you have no contract. ACAS will definitely give you the best advice and it is FREE. I believe once you've given your notice they can pay you in lieu of working out your notice, should they find another nanny. Check though. You still have bills to pay.

I understand where your coming from hiccup and I know they will put themselves first however I would feel too guilty if I only gave a month. If they replace me sooner then I'll accept it and find a temporary nanny job or something. I prefer to keep it amicable.

My last nanny job I gave 3 months notice and they respected that and didn't replace me until our agreed date however not all families are like that. It was pretty harsh they replaced you when you were pregnant, it's not as if you were in a position to take another job. No I'm not in London.

Great advice Tapestry. I'm really glad I posted.

You sound lovely, I really hope they treat you with the consideration you deserve. Good luck!!

ACAS could well be useful to call to clarify things.

If the employer wanted to terminate the job they have to give Statutory Notice. Statutory Notice - which in your case would be 1 week for each year you have been employed.

In this case though you are giving the Employer notice, so would the same apply, or is it different? What if you gave more notice that is legally required, could they ask you to leave before the end of that notice and not pay in lieu of notice, or would they have to pay till end of the notice you had given?

As an employer if you'd been with my family for 5 yrs I would really appreciate at least 8 weeks notice.
Firstly, I would request the last two weeks of August off to take holidays. Once you go back to work as a teacher, you won't have a lot of flexibility. If you decide for any reason not to go away, you can always offer some flexibility then.

Alternatively try to take paid holiday before the baby is born to use up your leave in case you think the situation might turn nasty

Local word of mouth - keep your ears to the ground for other nannies [particularly FT nannies who may be in the position of only being offered an after-school job come September] with whom you could potentially do a "job swap" with. Assuming you will stay locally obviously which it sounds like you intend to do.

You don't have a contract so you are vulnerable. I certainly wouldn't offer more than 8 weeks notice regardless and financially you should be prepared in case they find another nanny quickly and only offer you 4 weeks notice.
With a new baby, I'd be eternally grateful if you'd taken the time to write down a job description and some bio's of the kids, directions to the school that a temp nanny could rely on if required.

I'm not sure nick I'll check it out.

Financially I am fine thanks. There is the option of temping or night nursing where I live.

I know of no one thinking of leaving their nanny jobs at present but will of course keep an ear out. I would definitely help with a routine etc for the new nanny. I do want to make things as easy as possible for everyone. August/ September is a perfect time to hire a new nanny so it shouldn't be difficult for them to find a replacement.

If you've been employed for 5 years then they can only give you notice if they make you redundant, and if they are going to employ another nanny then they won't be able to do that.