Can you have a nanny if you're not on a fortune ?

[jnl0612]

I'm going back to work full time in Dec, full time shifts (2 earlies, 2 lates, 2 nights) 4 days off.
I have 3 kids 13,7,2
I see my only option is a nanny, the night shifts and weekends are covered so they wouldn't be expected to do those but I'm going to need someone to mirror my shifts.

I don't earn a fortune, neither does my husband so until my little one starts school I foresee childcare taking up 80% of my salary.
Quitting isn't an option as I've worked hard to get where I am so I figured I'd suck it up for a few years.
Is this doable ? Can you have a nanny and not be a super high earner!?
I don't really know anything else that could work, they currently do after school clubs and nursery but I'd need a 10pm finish so that's not going to work.
I have 2 months to sort it out and not a clue where to start.

I had a nanny and earned 24k. But that was topped up with tax credits which paid approx half my costs of £1200 a month.
So it is do-able. I didn't find a nanny who would do those kind of moving shifts though. I worked 2 set long days per week with agreement from my employer (NHS). So she worked 7am-8.30pm on a monday and on a Friday.

Have you looked into a registered nanny?

I'm a registered nanny and I believe parents can get help towards the costs of up 70%

If your not a high earner I'm sure you'd be eligible.

I've worked for plenty of families who weren't high earners including single parents.

It will be cheaper for you as well as you have three children so won't be paying for each individual child like you would in a nursery or with a childminder

Just bear in mind though, most nannies prefer to have set days so you may need to pay a bit extra since you would need the nanny to be quite flexible with different shifts as it would be unlikely she'd be able to take on any other work with another family.

Also there is the matter of having to employ the nanny and pay for payroll, tax and NI, holidays, sick pay etc. Have a look online, there is plenty of helpful information.

Also check out childcare.co.uk or nanny job. There's plenty of registered nannies around.

Good luck x

Certainly when you look at the costs of nurseries these days . A nanny works out cheaper with more children as you don't pay per child and get much more flexibility than a nursery can give you.

It’s a long time since I had one but found it far more economical and convenient. I’m still in touch with my nanny 25 years later.