Overnight Care

[childcarequestions]

Can I just ask, how do you work out overnight care with a live-in nanny?
Looking to hear about how much people pay and also what you do in a time-off-in-lieu situation. Do you count overnight hours or not?

For me it depends on what day. If it's Monday to Thursday, I don't charge for an overnight as I have one night babysitting in my contract.

For weekends, I charge from 7:30 on Friday until 11pm at my babysitting rate £10 nph and then an over night fee of £40. If the child/ren wake then it goes back to £10 per hour or part there of. I then charge £12:50 per hour for Saturday and Sunday waking hours.

All money should be paid in gross!

I have 28 years sole charge nanny experience and do not do it very often!!

I don't do in lieu. It gets too complicated as I would want time and a half off and most bosses cannot do three days in one week so it gets spread over months and someone has to keep tabs.

Thanks Calliard, that's helpful. So the thing I'm finding difficult is, if the children sleep through and the nanny lives in the home, is it technically classed as 'work' during the sleeping hours?
So, for example, in a TOIL situation, if the nanny has been given 10 hours off elsewhere, can those 10 hours be used for awake hours only, and therefore spread it over two days with an overnight in between? Or should the overnight hours 'count' as work as well, and therefore be deducted from the TOIL tally and any extra hours paid?
Not sure if this makes sense...

If your nanny will be responsible for the children overnight, not able to go out, not able to have friends over and have a few glasses of wine because she is in charge, then surely it must be classed as work.

(I'm not a nanny and nor do I have one but I know that when I was an au pair looking after the children over night certainly felt like work to me.)

So, if you're a live in nanny but one night you're expected to have sole charge of the children overnight, even though they sleep through, that surely should be paid for or given as TOIL.

If the nanny wasn't available then someone else would have to be there for the children.

TOIL should be taken at the nannies preferred time and usually within 4-6 weeks, otherwise it all gets messy.

Are you the nanny?

"So the thing I'm finding difficult is, if the children sleep through and the nanny lives in the home, is it technically classed as 'work' during the sleeping hours?"

Well can she go to the pub or clubbing until five? No, she HAS TO stay home and be in charge if something happens. She is working, you have to pay her. A reduced fee, but you have to pay her. You don't really expect her not to be paid at all??

So the thing I'm finding difficult is, if the children sleep through and the nanny lives in the home, is it technically classed as 'work' during the sleeping hours?

^

Yes, of course it is classed as 'work'

The live in nanny is responsible, and chances are (if you hire a good one, who takes pride in their work), they will not sleep well (not sleep 'deeply/properly') as they will be semi alert / very aware that they are on overnight duty - be that putting a dummy back in their charges mouth, or similar...

Even IF the children 'sleep through' - you are still asking the nanny to be available and on duty - it is 'work' as you pay for the nannies time / nannies responsibility/experience / availability.

In the UK, it is standard, (for most) live in nannies to do two evening babysits - by evening babysits - - this generally means babysitting duty until mid night or similar - this is very different to 'overnight' care / monitor duty - whichever you wish to call it.

Experienced Live in Nannies often charge a standard overnight fee of £50 per overnight...

Or should the overnight hours 'count' as work as well, and therefore be deducted from the TOIL tally and any extra hours paid?
Not sure if this makes sense...

^

Yes - the overnight hours definitely count as 'work'

The standard and fairest way to deal with overnights, is it a standard flat overnight fee - if you ask nanny agencies (and many a nanny who regularly does this...) , you will see this is standard.

If you try to cut corners, ie, piling up loads of TOIL and not paying for the overnights fairly, chances are the nanny will resent doing the overnights / not stick around in the role

I never pay back time off!

If my employer decides to take a day or few hours off and gives me the time off, then that is bonus time off.

If you don't want to give your nanny time off because you/daddy/granny are spending time with the children, ask her to do other jobs, batch cooking for the freezer, sorting out clothes/toys/cupboards, washing/ironing/mending, striping mattress/pillow protectors, wash and remake beds (childrens only).

If she has taken time off over and above her holiday and has agreed to making up the hours then that's ok. But if you have gone over you holiday hours, it is wrong to get them to repay the hours.