Getting nanny for first time some ?s

[Tumblemum]

Planning to employ nanny (live out) from September. Two dc's ages nearly 4 and 1. I have read a lot of the archive threads but still got some remaining questions.

Is it best to use an agency or will gumtree and nannyjob be ok?
Starting to look end of next week will that be enough time for a September start?
We live in London (not upmarket area grotty inner city), hoping to pay £65 - £70 net for eight hours, is this realistic?
Would consider nanny with a dc, anyone done this, did it work out?
Need nanny to accept childcare vouchers, are most of them accredited?
How much does pocket money work out on average?
Any advice appreciated.
Thanks

we looked at this recently 2 points I found were that most nannies wanted to start work 'next week'!!!!!!!
Whereas I had a fixed date to return to work and needed to have childcare in place nurseries (our alternative) all wanted to offer places generally in September! or at best 4-6 weeks time. Ended up not being able to get the dates to gel.
You might struggle to get someone with experience/quals etc at that price although you do only want 8 hours might be doable if 9-5
Good luck!
We ended up not involving agencies I chickened out (after a lot of research) at paying an agency loads with no guarantee of replacement after only 8 weeks and couldn't see what they do for money that I couldn't (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong)

How much do the agencies typically charge?

1. imho - I signed up for agencies and every nanny they sent me I had found for myself on nannyjob. agencies charge a fortune and, assuming you want to do all the interviews and speak to the referees yourself anyway I don;t really see what they provide that's worth several hundred pounds

2. yes - if anything could be too early, but maybe not given summer holidays are between now and then. most nannies seem to have 4-6 weeks notice on their contracts and they don;t want to be out of work between jobs.

3. yes I think you'll be ok on that - but I shouldn;t think you'll get qualified and long experience - you might have to choose between the two, or maybe newly qualified with small amount of experience, or maybe (as for me) you'll get experience and qualification if it's a nanny with their own child.

4. yes and yes. depending on ages it can be fab. our nanny had a dd same age as dd2. it fell apart when they hit school age because of logistics but until them it worked great - need to set clear expectations (eg providing food; paying for play groups); you might need to invest in a double buggy and a few bits and pieces. It also might let you get a slightly better nanny for that money (see above)

5. nannies need to be registered - from now they can register on the ofsted voluntary register - it used to be something else, can;t remember what. and it costs £100 and they have to agree to be "inspected" - I have a feeling a lot aren;t registered(mine isn;t - my employers only just introduced vouchers, need to sort it out..) they need some form of qualification and upto date first aid. if they're NNEB that's fine. If they're not they need to have done just a small course (I think maybe even a day course is enough, but not sure)

6. pocket money? do you mean stuff they spend on your dcs? that's up to you - there's no real reason why it should be any different from what you spend on them - unless you agree to pay for their dc to do activities. It's a good idea to set a budget though as otherwise a nanny can overspend and/or promise the kids things you don;t really want to pay for, or go the other way and spend every day at the playground because they're worried about asking you for £10 to go to the soft play area

finally - good luck. If you get a good nanny it's a fantastic form of childcare - they can build a close relationship, they don;t have to be ferried around, they can spend time in their own home.

and an interview tip - which I discovered by accident. when one interviewee came dds were in the sitting room and I was cooking so I introduced her then left her with dds while I went to turn the hob off. I lingered in the kitchen a bit longer than necessary - it turned out to be a really good way of seeing how someone is when faced with kids. by the time I came back she had dds in stiches. she'd already got the job !

and btw I do hope you've done your net and gross sums because they are terrifying!

lol hatwoman (about the agency sending you all the nannyjob people)

me again - as you are in London you could try simply childcare - costs about £40 iirc but pretty good (google it). their info pack is excellent too and in general they can be really helpful

Yes to the net and gross, what is scary is that it seems to exponentially increase, paradoxically for tax reasons it is cheaper/day to have a two day a week nanny than a full time nanny.

Thanks for all of this everyone, wish I had done this years ago. I just cannot stomach dragging my children out of their beds, into the car by quarter to eight in the morning anymore. I am paying eighty pounds a day for this and would rather go without and leave them happy in their pj's in their own home and in addition not spend an hour a day ferrying them to and from their CM.

More often than not ds cries and says he wants to stay at home with me, and dd cries when I collect her as she wants a feed. I am so exhausted by it.

Sorry rant over, anymore advice?, oh and would you interview on your own or have someone else with you?

yes about the tax - i work 3 days a week and I was thinking of upping my hours to 4 days - but I can;t afford to. your reasons are just like mine. You'll get such a lift the first day- strolling out to work on your own - it's great! I interviewed on my own - with the kids around - and then invited them back to meet dh and then had a trial day together.

Thanks for the simply childcare suggestion, brilliant, extremely useful... Mumsnet is fantastic.

Tumblemum, I'm also in the process of employing a nanny for the first time. If you google "childcare approval scheme" it should take you to some info about registration.
I understand they need a recognised qualification (NNEB/CACHE) , current CRB check and first aid course ( Surestart do them , not too expensive). Registration costs £99 to register ( which we will pay) . This means the nanny can be paid partly in vouchers.

Childcare Approval Scheme - If anyone is interested, I've located a figure. As of 31 March 2007, the scheme had approved over 4,200 carers. Source: DWP Report 2007, see page 44)

Tumblemum, I would suggest using agencies and internet sites... give the job as much exposure as possible, so you get a selection of candidates. Also agree with hatwoman that Simply Childcare is worth a try, it does cost, but it is well targeted for those inside the M25.

Make it very clear that you need someone who is Approved by Surestart CAS/Ofsted - if indeed this is VITAL to you, which by the sounds of it, it is. This I feel will drop your potential applicants significantly - there are over 4,200 approved carers in England, but I can find no know figures for how many of those are currently seeking work.

CAS = Childcare Approval Scheme
OCR = Ofsted Childcare Register

Childcare Approval Scheme
Info from SureStart about the changes from CAS to OCR
Factsheet: Voluntary part of OCR
Ofsted: How we register - includes link to Online Application form for Voluntary OCR.

I have found most of my jobs on nannyjob...
agencies dont work well for me though i always try them:
most good nannies put themselves on nannyjob etc.... but then so do lots of people who (as my old boss put it) 'she wouldnt leave her dogs with, and nO way the children ' Its a case of sorting out candidtaes and checking refs yourself

I started my job in september 2006.... and was looking from may 2006 and had my job sorted by the end of june 2006. Its a good time to start looking as many nanies whose 4 year old are starting in school in spetmeber will be changing jobs in september

£70 net for a nanny with own chidl sounds perfectly reaosnable to me

By no means are most of us accredited.... nor do we have to be.... I am.... I expect my bosses to pay the £100 / year fee as they benefit not me

Pocket money needs to be discussd in adavance... expect to pay a bit more in school holiday times, as toddler groups that cost a couple of £ a time generally dont run so thre may be a few more days out!

another point have you thought about paying mileage if nanny uses her own car (40p per mile is recommended?) or providing a car for her to use while on duty?
Mileage can add up VERY quickly so its worth discussing that in advance too

Alas I can not locate any detail for the figures, it is purely the number declared in the DWP annual report.

Childminders would fall under the Ofsted Childcare Places number, so the Home Childcarer figures should not include them... though if a childminder provided care in the child's own home, then they could fall under both sets of figures.

I agree, I would expect that an approved nanny/home childcarer is rare. The number is meaningless really as there is no figure available for the number of childcare providers caring for children in a private home (at least I can't any figures). So you can't calculate a percentage of approved v unapproved.

Thanks all, well I have been very industrious today as a result of all of your advice and I have started to advertise. Here is hoping that I can find the right person to look after my lovely dc's. Do you think that a shorter day will keep the cost down? I am hoping to manage with eight hours as opposed to the usual ten.

Less hours can help keep the cost down, but may also limit applicants, as if the pay isn't high enough, the applicant may not be able to pay their own bills.

Good luck with the advertising, do keep asking us lot on here for advice, we can help you though most things I expect.