1st Time Mum Employing Nanny

[hrc]

Hi to all, am guessing that there must be someone out there with a lot of experience in this space...

Going back to work (yuk) mid June, just found great nanny.

? Can anyone recommend text for a contract or special terms that I should consider putting in
? Any thoughts on what is an appropriate amount of 'pocket money' each day (we are London based)

All other suggestions really welcome, I am pretty apprehensive about this. Have been SAHM for last 12 months.

Thanks all

If you cat me I can send you a sample contract, or you can find one on nannyjob.co.uk.

Things I would suggest:

1- put SSP only in the contract.
2- Pay her in gross
3- Be clear on who is choosing which holidays and how much notice is required
4- Have a probationary period where you can terminate the contract (and so can he/she) with say a week's notice.

Regardin 'pocket money' I think it depends on what you already pay for and what the nanny's hours are. For example if you sign them up for a music class that is 10 miles away, you would have to expect to pay for the travel to get there. I have a full time live in nanny. I pay for any classes (i.e. ballet, gymnastics, swimming, etc.) which I sign them up for. I give her a bus pass which is good for Greater London, and I give her a mobile phone, a pay as you go sim, and £30 per month towards her phone costs. Then I give her £70 to cover any miscellaneous expenses. I don't keep track of the £70. She can do as she likes with it (within reason).

Thanks ladies, any strong reason why you are pushing the SSP route. Was thinking of paying bank hols & first 5 days off sick on full pay. I might be missing something though?

Thanks for the help

There's a contract on the nannyjob website which may be useful to you.

Sorry can't be any help re SSP, I live-in & we don't get that sick we can't work!

It's been the norm for me to have a kitty box which is replenished when empty.

If you make it known to a job applicant that they will get x number of paid sick days per year, then the chance is that they will take of that number of sick days per year, regardless if they are really sick or not. With nannies, it can be hard for parents to take time off from their own work at short notice, thus parents don't really want their nanny to be sick - unless they really are too sick to come to work. Thus, only SSP is mentioned in contracts, though in reality on those rare occasions that the nanny is truly sick, their employer may decide to provide full pay.

Does that help? You don't want an employee taking advantage... but on the other hand when they are truly sick, you want to come across as being a compassionate employer and thus you still pay them. So fine for you to budget for paying 5 days sick pay per year, but avoid telling the nanny.

I agree with Nick, pay her when she's truly sick as a good will gesture only.

If you let it be known there are x amount of sick days they're more likely to use them (on a rainy Monday morning!)

If my nanny is genuinely ill, I take an unplanned holiday from work, look after the kids myself, and don't adjust her pay. But, I put SSP only in the contract just to cover me in the event:
1- I think she is pulling a sicky.
2- She is ill for so many days that I simply can't pay her and another nanny so I can go to work.

In reality I have never not paid the nanny for a sick day.

I also have a kitty system, topping it up when needed. I pay myself for classes where you pay by term. My nanny (live-out) has a pay-as-you-go Oyster card which is kept topped up. She also has a diary which I ask her to write in each day with what she has been up to.

Oh, and I pay gym membership - she takes my boys swimming there and goes to classes etc herself outside of work.

"I know of no employers who do that...not even Eleusis !"

There's something you don't know about me, Jura.

I am sure to be slaughtered for this admission on here. But, oh well. I'm haveing a bad day alread. I might as well get beat up on MN too.

Currently you do not have to pay bank holidays, unless your employee actually works that day. However there is some discussion at the moment about having 4 days holiday entitlement being added in Oct 2007, and another 4 days in Oct 2008, which is intended to cover the bank holidays. DTI - Holiday Entitlement

You must give them bank holidays off. It is illegal to require them to work. But, it is perfectly legal to not pay them. I pay for the bank holiday and then those days count as part of the annual holiday entitlement.

I did ponder not doing this for incoming nanny. But, I have to take two weeks of hols between current nanny leaving and new nanny arriving. So, that makes giving her bank hols plus four more weeks impossible.

To join beside Eleusis, bank holidays are especially something to consider if you are taking on a part-time nanny, as they fall disproportionately on Mondays and Fridays. It is normal to therefore consider bank holidays simply as part of overall annual leave. Personally I still add them on, so when calcualting annual leave for my nanny I look at 20 annual leave days plus 8 bank holidays =28 days and then pro-rata it for the number of days per week that the nanny usually works for me. If the nanny works Mondays then at least 4 bank holidays fall on Mondays so she will be usuing annual leave for them. Thats said in general I find that nanny's get a fairly generous time with hoidays as I usually am away with the children fro more than 2 weeks per year, so he/she will have weeks off which aren't part of their leave entitlement. You may have to explain this up front to your nanny, but I've never had one complain about lack of leave.

If I had one piece of advice for a 1st timer - you have to choose someone on the basis that they might be with you for years, but in practice there can be a fairly high turnover rate. Having the same nanny for longer than a couple of years is a bonus, not the norm ime. Make sure that you are happy with the notice period, because it will be used!

Thanks a million everyone. I am leaning towards paying 20 days leave plus the 8 days of stats given the law is changing anyhow!

Any tips on settling in a new nanny anyone - from nannies to parents alike.... I know there are nannies out there. Nanny starts Monday and I am very worried but fingers crossed have picked the right one. 2 weeks to go before I start work.

My friend referred me to a website b/c I'm thinking of employing a nanny when I have my first child. It's layout's okay, but it's LOADED with information about employing nannies in the UK, contracts, salaries etc. nanny-nanny.co.uk

Made me feel like an expert! I hope this helps.

I know websites can be helpful, but are there any Mum's out there who have actually employed a nanny first hand that could lend me a bit of insight.

I've heard horror stories of nannies pushing the limits and really being greedy.

We're a London-based family and will be looking to employ a full-time nanny (as we both work in corporate jobs), but I was wondering how other families have 'drawn the line' and yet incentivized their nannies.

Any advice?

Such vague questions Mary. They are difficult to address. Can you be a bit more specific.

I employ a nanny and I am a lovely person -- don't believe a word that Jura poster says about me!

What do you mean by pushing the limits and being greedy? Do you mean regarding the pay she expects? The benefits? Or do you mean she takes advantage of things in the house?

I think you need to set limits and you should put a full job description in the contract.

We can give you loads of advice here. Feel free to ask away.