Can part time nannies find other roles easily?

[Landladymews2]

Hi

I’m looking to employ a nanny on a 2day week basis however I know ideally she would like a 3-4 day job. My worry is that if she can’t find a 1-2 day job she might leave us for one that’s 3-4 days. What’s it like finding a 1-2 job and how’s the job market at the moment? We are in the London suburbs. Thanks

I've been able to in Surrey in the past. Am now at the point of looking again (1-3 days per week, West Surrey/Berkshire border area, ideally with a baby/twins/baby & toddler), the job market is patchy at the moment, quite a lot of before/after school, some just a few hours a day, some 50+ hour per week full time. So it's about the same as it has been for the last decade. I am wondering what will happen come September as I expect at that point some of the large companies may be wanting staff to return to offices, though who knows what will happen - working from home more may be something that stays.

If you are flexible on days it helps

But I know several nannies who do a

2 and 2.

3 and 1

3 and 2

I do part time jobs, I think it is becoming more normal for parents to work part time / condensed hours so often only need childcare 2/3 days a week. Works well for me. It also means I get to be in different areas/ homes throughout the week and can spread activities out as I can plan crafts etc... to do for all the families.

If you can be flexible it will be easier for them. We had a 2 day a week nanny for two years or so, but about halfway through we changed our days to help her secure a replacement 3 day a week job. But she found it increasingly hard to find the mix she needed. But it was definitely her preference to have two jobs and families. So they won’t necessarily have taken your job as a stop gap while looking for something with more days. Hopefully they can be honest about it.

Yes, it's possible & IMO likely to become more in demand. But as others have said, it'll be easier if you're able to be flexible about which days and also understand that they have loyalty to both families - so can't just swap days, or do extra days, at the drop of a hat etc

Of course, in the current climate you'll need to discuss what happens if they or the other family need to isolate etc.

It can work if both families need flexibility and the nanny can cope with it and 'shared care' on occasion too. It's all about communication.

Good luck.