Getting a nanny for the first time

[1dilemma]

OK wise mumsnetters we may be doing this and I would appreciate advice about the things I have to take into account.
I know we need a contract is there any thing people wished they had included that isn't standard?
I know we will need to contact our insurer about employers liability insurance
I know we need to discuss a float/kitty and what it can be spent on
I know we need to discuss holidays (I think it is usual to do half hers and half ours) She will want (I think) different weeks from us if we could cope with this would it be unreasonable to pay her for hers and suggest she takes ours as unpaid? (oh and I was working on 20 days a year is this reasonable? plus BH of course)
What is protocol about us coming home late or needing her to start a bit early (this would be very occasional and of the order of 10/15 minutes) do we have to pay more?
We would prob use a nanny tax type service any one know any good ones?
Thanks for any advice

Genidef - I'm sure you would be able to find someone who'd suit term-time only, it just might take a bit longer to find them! I'd definitely consider it, because I like to travel and having 6 weeks off in the summer to go backpacking somewhere would really suit me. I had an interview once with a family where the mum was a teacher, and iirc they were offering to pay a retainer through school holidays.

Thanks for that RahRahRachel, it's good to know. My husband has suggested we consider this, but I didn't think we'd find many people who were keen. You're right they're might well be people who want time to travel (for example).

you could try dividing the years pay by 12 months and paying them the same rate every month . i did this for a job it was better for me as I got a regular wage . Put a notice in your local school newsletter . They all have one . If you ask I am sure you would find a suitable nanny .

In my last job i worked for teachers and had all the school holidays off paid. They knew they couldn't quite pay the going rate so the holidays made up for it and the short hours (7 - 4.30) were great. In my contract it just said that all my holidays were in the school holidays and that was fine. Wish i had all that holiday now

All of my positions have been different.

In one I had all school holidays & was paid for all, working for a school teacher.

In most of my other positions I've had 20days + bank holidays & we've sat down & discussed when the holidays are convenient to be taken.

If I needed a week off to go on holiday with friends for example I'd give at least 2mths notice so my Employer could make other arrangements for childcare.

Sometimes I offer to do a half day on a Saturday or a couple of nights free babysitting for an extra days holiday.

I think it's a bad idea to use all paid annual leave within several months, she'll need holidays around Christmas for example...Very important to discuss holidays at length otherwise you could end up with a very unhappy Nanny.

May not be relevant to you, but I wish I'd put something in my contract about travel / holidays with the parents.

I was on maternity leave (with DD2 and DS1) and therefore had lots of extra time off. I really wanted to go away with the children, but found it difficult to cope with them on my own.

I would have liked my nanny to agree to come with me and work her normal hours (or even just a few hours a day.) I would have paid all expenses etc. However she always said no (despite saying it was okay at the interview), because it meant that she had extra paid holidays that she could take as she wished.

She ended up with 15 paid weeks holiday in both years where I was on maternity leave(instead of contractual of 4 weeks.) as well as a significantly shorter day. It would have been nice if I could have had some additional concession for all this extra time off (e.g working a weekend or something.)

Also my job involved some overnight travel when she may be requested to stay overnight (say twice a year.) We never agreed how this would be paid at the contract stage. She would only do it for her overtime rate of £7 per hour before midnight and double time of £14 per hour after midnight until her contractual day started at 8am.

If there are to be any variations to the standard day (e.g. weekends, late nights - be clear in the contract on how they will be paid.

Geegee, do you mean that you asked her travel with you as part of her normal work and she said no?

I've never asked the nanny to travel with me, but if I did, I would expect her to do it. If she turned around and said "no" I think I'd tell her that if she was unable to report for work then she'd have to take the time unpaid.

I also travel for work very ocassionally (a couple times a year), and my nanny looks after the kids. No way would I pay £14/hour... is that net? We agree a flat rate which covers an overnight stay. It starts when one work day ends and the follwing work day begins. Weekends are different. I pay a set hourly rate for babysitting and I don't pay more for "unsociable hours".

Id your nanny live-out or live-in? If she is live-in than I can't understand a rate increase to sit in her own room/house.

GeeGee your Nanny said at interview it was fine & then said no when you asked her!?!...She's very lucky you didn't let her go & seek a more versatile Nanny!

I don't enjoy travelling with the family as much as I used to as I'm not required as much now my charge is a bit older but I still do one week in the summer.

If I'm on duty overnight I charge my Employer a fixed rate of £35 per night (I'm live-in), for an overnighter on the weekend I charge my normal rate babysitting until midnight then £35 on top.

Nanny was live out. I have now let her go, partly so that when I do go back to work I can learn from my mistakes and get a more flexible nanny and get things agreed up front in the contract!

Being a first time nanny employer and not knowing anyone else who hired a nanny, I didn't know what market practice was and let myself be guided by my nanny - big mistake. I wish I'd known about Mumsnet 7 years ago!!!! I also fell into the trap of being so pathetically grateful that she didn't abuse the children I would probably have agreed to anything.

GeeGee, the nannyjob website is also a good place to go for an idea of the going rate etc!...Sadly you will always find the odd girl who takes the Mickey!