Nannies would you leave your job if not getting a raise

[Rwgirl21]

What the title says really ... But a bit more complicated .
I've been with the family for the last three years , when I first started I was on 7.3£ net / h . I took a paycut from my previous position but really liked the family and loved my charge from the first moment I saw her . The day was much easier back then , with a 1y old toddler , but now I have 2 childrenand I also cook for the family everyday .
I am also qualified , gained my level 3 qualification at the beggining of last year and although I adore the children I feel like I am working for nothing . ( I now have 8 years experience as a nanny)
I got a 20 pence raise more than a year ago ( I asked for that one aswell )so I am now on 9.50£ gross / h in west London . All the nannies that I know take 10-11£ net and I feel like I am not worthy ...
I have decided to email mb this weekend and ask for a review but it keeps on crossing my mind , that if she refuses to give me a raise , will I be able to leave them ?! I adore the children and my employers are nice people but I feel like deserve more . I am not sure if they can afford to pay me more but would a 10% raise sound ridiculous? That would still not be close to 10£ net but at least I am not close to the minimum wage .

You started on £7.30 3y ago and now on £9.50. On my maths that's a 10% increase each year so 30% since start. Considering you finish your qualification that sounds very reasonable.

You have nothing to lose by asking and comparing other nannies pay. Least you will know their maximum level they want/can pay. It's always hard weighing up pay v a job where you are settled with the children. A wage isn't everything if it's a nightmare job!

Least it helps you make up your mind to start looking for a new job

Sorry, just to clarify . I don't know what 7.30 net was in gross . Now I am on 7.50£ Net/ h , the 9.50 is in gross .

So I only received a 20 pence increase in 3 years .( sorry , I pressed too early )

I know it's tricky to find a family you get on with and I really look forward coming to work each Monday but not getting paid enough is making me feel insecure and like They are taking advantage of me .
Being a nanny is not a job like any other jobs , I wouldn't want to leave the position just because of the money but that is why I come to work at the end of the day .

Are you sure you've understood correctly that your friends are on 10/11 £ph net?

My understanding was that the going rate in London was £10-12ph gross.

I woulnt bother about working out the net wage an hour. Most people think I earn £12 hour they don't work out how much their take home pay is (well I never did!) if that helps you feel like you are mentally on more an hour than you are.

but yes 20p hour in 3y isn't very generous. You have nothing to lose by asking go for 20% and May get 10! i would dig out some job adverts to show them the average. They may not be able to afford it or they may be able to offer you something else in return. You don't know till you ask. Be brave!

Yes , I understood correctly . I have a few nanny friends that I see regularly and none is qualified and they all earn more than I do .

Do you get a Christmas/birthday bonus? Nice presents? Are you live in or out? Guess out as you said you look forward to going to work on a Monday.

I really wouldn't take much notice of what other nannies say, a lot of them exaggerate, trust me!

There really isn't any harm in asking about a pay rise but unless you have a clause in your contract (mine states a yearly pay rise at least in line with inflation) then there's not a lot you can do about it. Can you afford to live on what they pay? You have to remember that a 10% pay rise for you will mean roughly a 15% rise with tax and NI. At the moment on £7.50 an hour based on a 50 hour week they are paying £26,679 pa. if they pay you £8.25 (10% increase) total cost to employer is £29,951. £3,300 extra to find a year, that's not a drop in the ocean.

I would think really hard about saying you might leave if they don't put up your wages. If you are really not happy, look for something else, if you get offered a job then you can go to your current employers and say that you have been offered a new job at £x.xx per hour and see if they will match it or something close.

I always say - better the devil you know!!

Callaird I am live out . I got a Christmas bonus and a present for my Birthday in the first two years but got no bonus this past Christmas . I was really disappointed but I am in no position to question them , we don't have anything written in the contract about bonus (or payrise) . It was strange not to get it after getting it two years in a row and maybe that's why I feel let down too . The only thing that I have as a perk is 30 days of paid holiday plus bank holidays .
I work 55 hours a week , 11 a day so as some of you may know it's not easy .
Can I afford to live on the wage ?! yes I can , barely . I am not able to save anything and not getting any younger .

I wouldn't tell them that I am leaving if they don't give me a payrise , that's not the way to do it . In a way I am probably too loyal as I wouldn't tell them I've been offered another job it feels like betrayal

I would hate to leave them and find another position with a higher wage but not so nice children and bosses .

Also I know that some nannies will add to their wage but everything that is advertised these days is 10£ net / h minimum , that is 25% more than what I am earning .( except the ones that want nannies but want to pay for au pair )

I think it is fine to ask for a payrise. Outline to them you have increased responsibilities, have got another qualification and also discuss market rates.

If they say no - then I would consider looking for something else.

Job hunting is a hassle. Are you seeing lots of other jobs on offer giving the salary you desire? There are lots of people looking for jobs so there is competition in the market... better to have a job than no job but that does not stop you looking for other jobs.

The net and gross thing is confusing. Stick to one or the other. So you went from £7.30net to 7.50 net and you know nannies in the area working similar hours getting £10-11net - is that right?

Yes Cindy that is right !

You are absolutely right to ask for a raise, especially now you are fully qualified. I pay my nanny over £11 net in the south of England. That's the going rate for experienced nannies.

So you can try to justify a rise due to similar jobs paying more, due to your responsibilities increasing and due to you being qualified now where as you were not in the past. They may consider it but they will have a max amount they can pay, so they may simply not be able to afford a rise. The lack of a Christmas bonus this year when you got them previously could be a sign that financially things are not that good... or they just forgot!

Apply for other jobs, see if anything happens. Then if you get a job offer, you can then make the final decision. It can be hard, I stayed in a low paid job for many years because it was local and easy but it did get to the point where I struggled to pay my bills, so I had to look for something better paid. Sometimes you just have to move on. Only you know what is right for you.

Applying for other jobs , especially trough agencies require a reference from my current employer .
Even prospective employers asked for written references and permission to contact them at interview stage .

Aren't references only taken at the very end? In other industries it works that way. So offers are made subject to references, which means the current employer finds out you are leaving from you, and then he/she gets contacted for a reference.

I left a position after three years as I didn't get a raise at all during the time and at the beginning it was only one child and later two. I didn't just leave from a financial point of view, but also because the mother did not understand that looking after two children is more exhausting than one and of course there a some evenings where you come home early and the house isn't spotless. I loved the family and the children were like my own, I am lucky enough to have known that there will always be a place for me in the family's life and that's why I left in the end for a better paying job overseas.

7.50 net per hour in West London is not much, I remember being a young unqualified nanny in West London and earning 10 net per hour for a full-time live out position.

I agree it depends how good your deal is.

We pay £9ph gross (not London), but our nanny, like you came to us originally with no qualifications and limited experience (she came straight from a nursery). She has sole charge of DS 4 days a week and shared care on my day off, plus she does approx. 1/2 of school runs for DD. She is contracted to do 50hpw usually 8-6, but DH often works flexibly when he isn't away so can often only work 10-2, so she often gets the odd afternoon off here and there.

She also helps with housework/laundry/cooking and babysitting, gets 25 days plus BH holidays, 3 weeks of which she can choose. She also gets the option of international travel which to her is a perk, plus the option to do overnights/live in for extra money on occasion. We also provide a car which we often let her borrow to go home in (as long as she doesn't do silly mileage in it) as she doesn't have one.

In contrast my friend gives £10ph gross, but nanny works 50hrs pw 8-6 each day looking after DC aged 8 months, 2 and 4 with 20 days hols plus BH. I know which deal I'd prefer!

Reference from current employer is useful but is not required to job hunt... as long as you have other references. You would provide a reference from current employer once you have handed in your notice.
Your difficulty might be that you have a lack of other people to provide a reference.

I agree, you do need to look at the overall picture. Whilst the headline pay figure may not be high, pay alone is not what makes a job one you stay in for many years. The grass is always greener elsewhere but you don't know what ugly troll is lurking.

I've never had to give agencies or families my current employers as references. They just take up previous families references. You could ask them for a reference for babysitting/weekend work?

From the perspective of a nanny you are on a very low wage, but you were happy with it at the time and a pay rise isn't essential, it is rather a luxury some nannies seem to have. In some jobs I received no pay rise, asked and was declined. This job I got a 2% after one year, presents, no Christmas bonus. I started out young on £8 gross but those were temporary jobs and for experience not as a nanny career job if that makes sense.

I am central London and every single nanny I know that is Live out is on a minimum of £10 net, some with no qualifications but solid nanny experience. I know a few foreign nannies who are paid cash in hand but that's another story. Some families in this area do pay £9 net but thats rare. It is true the going rate is £10-£12 net in this area, I know few nannies on the £12net, one is on £13net, gets a month Christmas Bonus, amazing presents, but she works her socks off and mum doesn't work (think micro managing). You just have to weigh up what sort of family you want to work for, your attitude to the job, how comfortable you feel starting afresh with new demands. Also factor in your commute cost and travel times.

What I would actually suggest you say to your employers is this: "I am struggling financially, and as I am getting older I see nannying as my career and need to make some serious decisions as to my financial future. I would like to save for a home etc" I would then say "I feel that at my current pay I cannot do any of these things and I wanted to let you know my concerns and was wondering if you and your DH could discuss what you can afford"

Ultimately this gives them the option to say ok we really value you and can stretch to this, or actually we cannot afford any pay increase. After a long time in the job you should be comfortable enough to have a grown up decision, they will also realise that you probably will leave if you don't get a raise.

Also after three years your current employers should happily give you a reference regardless of whether your leaving for more money or not. Being a nanny is a job and people move jobs for money reasons all the time!

No, nannies don't tend to exaggerate. Around here we earn about £10/£11 net per hour. Op if you are in London you're being insultingly underpaid, I'm not qualified and am on £10 NET and have been since I started nannying about 6 years ago.