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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

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Original poster

Do all parents just want Ofsted registered nannies now?

27 replies

SequinsAndGlitter · 05/09/2021 12:58

Trying to look for work but parents either don't want to pay tax or national insurance or they want ofsted registered.
I am experienced, qualified and only started nannying despite working in other forms of childcare for years. I don't want the expense of it as it seems it benefits parents more than the actual nanny? I know the argument would be that I would also get more work if I was to be ofsted registered but am surprised at how many are asking for it now.

OP posts:

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lughnasadh · 05/09/2021 13:01

I've heard of Ofsted registered childminders, but not nannies.

I can't imagine many parents wanting Ofsted intruding into their homes. Is that even a legal thing?

MattyGroves · 05/09/2021 13:03

Isn't that the only way to use tax free childcare to pay your nanny? If they are Ofsted registered. So basically it costs them an extra 2k a year or so to employ you if you don't have it

DazzlePaintedBattlePants · 05/09/2021 13:04

I thought Ofsted registration was a requirement for using childcare vouchers/tax free childcare, which might explain parents’ requirements.

Gloschick · 05/09/2021 13:04

Presumably they want nannies to be Ofsted registered so they can use their childcare vouchers to help pay for them.

Original poster

SequinsAndGlitter · 05/09/2021 13:05

I don't think the inspections are as rigorous as say a childminder.
I always think it benefits the parents more and not sure I can justify the expense. Yet if this is the only way I will find a nanny job then maybe it is my only option....

OP posts:

RedMarauder · 05/09/2021 13:05

@lughnasadh

I've heard of Ofsted registered childminders, but not nannies.

I can't imagine many parents wanting Ofsted intruding into their homes. Is that even a legal thing?

Yes it is a legal thing.

After some friends and colleagues experiences with nannies - they be ended up sending their children to nurseries and changing working hours - I can understand why parents demand it.

MattyGroves · 05/09/2021 13:08

@SequinsAndGlitter

I don't think the inspections are as rigorous as say a childminder. I always think it benefits the parents more and not sure I can justify the expense. Yet if this is the only way I will find a nanny job then maybe it is my only option....

Well, yeah, it benefits the parents but the whole point of a nanny is a service which benefits the parents!

alphabetspagetti · 05/09/2021 13:08

It will be for GX. I think many families offer to pay some or all of the associated costs as it still benefits them financially but obviously you still have to do the admin

AlexaShutUp · 05/09/2021 13:12

Well, if you're prepared to reduce your charges to make up the difference, some may be happy enough without the ofsted registration. However, few parents will willingly lose out on the tax relief if there are other equally good nannies who they can employ for less. Ultimately, I suppose it comes down to whether you are can offer a competitive price without it.

Original poster

SequinsAndGlitter · 05/09/2021 13:13

I charge £10-11 an hour.

OP posts:

m0therofdragons · 05/09/2021 13:13

Yes because I can claim tax relief of childcare is ofsted registered.

worrybutterfly · 05/09/2021 13:21

As others have said Ofsted registered means you can use the tax free childcare scheme. Saving families a decent amount of money.

If you're earning enough to not be entitled to tax free childcare then you're likely willing to pay the extra to go through an agency. Then you get all the admin of tax, pension, etc dealt with for you, plus more reliability.

So depending on the demographic of where you work it might be worth considering either going through an agency or getting ofsted registered.

SE13Mummy · 05/09/2021 13:24

We wanted an Ofsted registered nanny solely so we could use childcare vouchers. We went halves with our nanny as we employed her part-time and her being registered was to her advantage too.

NannyR · 05/09/2021 13:30

I've been Ofsted registered for years and always have an agreement with the parents that, if they are benefiting from me being registered then they pay the annual fee. Amongst my nanny friends, this is the norm.

TrinidadQueen · 05/09/2021 13:31

I have employed a nanny but we only had her for 10 hours a week. The cost of getting her ofsted registered wasn't worth it in that case.

nannynick · 05/09/2021 15:11

Tax Free Childcare scheme is available to working parents with an income of under £100,000 each. Therefore many parents are going to qualify for that, so yes in England they will be looking for a nanny who is Ofsted registered.

chocchipbrioche · 05/09/2021 17:54

As a nanny I paid for the initial sign up years ago and each year whoever I'm employed with pays for the yearly cover. They are benefitting from childcare vouchers so it makes sense for them to pay it.
Also though if they employ an OFSTED registered nanny it comes with some reassurances as to be registered you have to have a qualification, a dbs check, first aid and nanny insurance all of which you can show to a future employer. I think most parents would prefer this option rather than just employing someone who says she's a nanny but hasn't got any backing.

Original poster

SequinsAndGlitter · 05/09/2021 18:32

I agree it helps the parents financially but I wouldn't say it makes someone a better nanny.
I have the insurance, first aid, up to level 6 in childcare, qualifications and experience etc.
I also don't agree that just anyone could say they had all that if they didn't. Most parents would surely check.

So the general consensus seems to think I need to be registered which is going to be financially difficult for me to pay for but seems I won't find a job otherwise. I also can't see many parents volunteering to pay that as well as NI. Maybe I need to look into other forms of childcare work.

OP posts:

NothingIsWrong · 05/09/2021 18:35

I wouldn't employ a nanny without it as I need to claim the tax free childcare. How much is it per year?

IveGotASongThatllGetOnYNerves · 05/09/2021 18:37

You say you can't justify the cost but surely the justification is that without it you're unemployed.

OddBoots · 05/09/2021 18:45

How much would it cost you to register?

worrybutterfly · 05/09/2021 18:46

@NothingIsWrong

I wouldn't employ a nanny without it as I need to claim the tax free childcare. How much is it per year?

If you already have the insurance and DBS (which as a nanny you should be), then it's around £100 a year.

Tax free childcare saves you £2k a year per child. So in a lot of cases, where a nanny is looking after two siblings, it saves the employer £4K a year.

So as a nanny employer it's well worth paying for the registration fee. But usually the nanny will need to foot the bill for the first year in order to find the initial job.

If there is any way the OP can find or borrow £100 until their first pay check it's well worth doing.

MattyGroves · 05/09/2021 19:10

It's only £100 a year - you could earn that with with a couple of evenings babysitting work

nannynick · 05/09/2021 20:36

It is £103 and has been the same amount for many years... I've been paying it since 2007 and had a renewal come through in August.

nannynick · 05/09/2021 20:48

Before Ofsted, we had the Childcare Approval Scheme (April 2003). Before then we did not have anything. These schemes are mostly beneficial to the parents but I view it as being something that is needed for getting work. It is like a DBS check (previously CRB check, previously Police check & social services check), and like having suitable First Aid training. They have become essential things to have for a nanny to work and they cost money to keep updated.

I have spent several hours today doing Safeguarding training, something that is not essential for a nanny but is certainly something the childcare regulator would encourage. I had to do it as part of my work with children within my local Church, and it is fairly frequently repeated just like a lot of other training that children's workers do.

The number of registered nannies in England has been fairly constant over the past decade at around 10,000 - Today (5/9/21, Ofsted says 9697 active registered nannies). I do wonder why the number has not significantly increased over time. Government (HMRC, Ofsted) do not know how many nannies there are in England... I hope the 2021 Census will answer that question but I suspect it will not as there is no clear definition of 'nanny'. Though I do recall it asking a question about if someone was caring for children in a paid capacity... so there is some hope (or maybe I misremember what the question was in the Census).

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