How much does a live-in nanny earn if she works full time? Is it cheaper than live-out?

[streetwise]

I'm just considering going back to work. My children are going to be at school in the mornings. Do you think any nanny would consider just working for us in the afternoons?

My daughter is nearly 4 and will be at school every morning. My son is just about to be two and will be at pre-school three mornings.

What's the best child care option if I'm working full time?

it depends where you live as in London the rates can be higher. Also afternoon only nannies are very sought after because most parents need help after school.

Full-time live in nannies in London get anywhere from 250 - 350. live-out cost more but I think there are more people eager to do live-out so you might get a better response.

Do you think that I will need to pay for a full time nanny even though I won't need her most mornings/

It depends on whether you would still need the nanny to be available if either child was sick, and what would happen in the school hols? Personally I would pay full time and have the nanny do nursery duties on those three mornings a week that she's childless: cooking meals from scratch, laundry, cleaning/sorting of toys and bedrooms, etc. It would then free up her time to do more fun stuff with the children when she has them. The salary depends on where you are, ut a ballpark figure would be 250-350 a week for a typical 7am-7pm day.

How about an au pair?
Standard au pair works 25 hours per week for a standard going rate of £55 per week, and you set her hours. Au pair plus is usually 40 hours work per week for £70. (some families pay more) In addition be prepared for bus pass (oyster card) so she can pick the kids up from school, and a mobile phone with at least some credit to start her off (important you can stay in touch). With au pairs they also do light housework such as tidy after meals, fold/iron laundry. And if you go for au pair plus she can look after your youngest a bit when you work. You just have to work out how many hours you need her to work per week.

My children are only two and three (nearly four) so I'm not sure that I'd feel confident about leaving them alone with an au pair.

But au pairs cannot have sole charge of children 2 and under, and it isn't advisable to leave an au pair with a child for long periods of time. It's fine if the child is asleep and she is a babysitter, but effectively au pairs are rarely qualified or experienced in this area and only work as au pairs so they can travel to the country. Au pairs are a good option if someone else will always be around.

As for live in being cheaper: it is certainly cheaper in terms of wage. A live out NANNY should be getting upwards (and usually a lot more) of 250 NET a week. A live in will get quite a lot less than this (my friend is on 180 net and she is live in), but they also get all their food, bills and a room, plus usually sky tv and at least broadband, often a laptop.

Oh and the 250 net is what I would say for the 50 hour week (8-6x5), which is what I do, but I get 280 net.

I have had two au pairs so far. Both experienced and sensible girls, in their twenties, I have had no problems leaving them in charge with my kids. These days you find au pairs with both certificates, including first aid, and experience as they have been au pairs before, looking after various ages and upto three kids. For some being an au pair is a lifestyle choice, they like the jobs, some even are graduates, but need a year with childcare and english to progress. You just have to look carefully and vet them properly.

To make a generalizing and extremely sweeping statement, Scandinavian girls are usually 18, have a gap year before they start uni, and want some fun and a different culture for 6-12 months. I would never dream of welcoming a scandinavian girl to my house for this reason. Also, the level of english they learn in school is so high they dont need to go abroad to learn english in order to take further education. I especially look for Polish girls. Looking for one to start September, think I have found one, if her references and police check checks out.

Where abouts are you based streetwise? As this will make a difference to what you pay for a nanny. My job involves having children at school part of the day and i have plenty to do with laundry and cooking etc and of course there are school holidays. A live in nanny usually works at least 10 hours a day so you would get cover at the beginning and end of the day. Sometimes looking for a nursery assistant who is looking for a change of career would be a cheaper option as they need to gain experience. I've only got experience of working in London and salaries can be on the higher side.

You could always advertise for a live out part time nanny, i had a friend a number of years ago who worked part time in term time and full time in holidays but she didn't earn any less than a full time nanny so it certainly wasn't a cheap option but she had lots of experience.

School holidays you would need full time care. Au apirs aren't meant to have sole charge of children.

Something to think about is what happens if:

Pre-school is closed one morning - no water perhaps.
School is closed one morning - heating broken down for example.
In Service Training Day at School, so no school for the children.
A child is sick (but not major illness, just a cold)
A child refuses to go to school/pre-school

Also, if youngest is at pre-school 3 mornings a week, what happens on the other two mornings?

If you had a nanny who only worked afternoons, could you cover the two mornings yourself, plus ad-hoc mornings that may arise?

Live-in nannies salary as far as I am aware is less than live-out. However, there are additional associated costs involved, which may close the salary gap - for example, providing a room, heat/light, additional food, also there is the inconvenience factor of having someone else in your family home, someone hanging around at weekends, someone watching your TV watching things you don't want to watch. Read some of the messages about au-pairs to get a better idea of some of the possible issues of having someone else live in your home.