Hiring a nanny - where do we start?

[Mamacado]

Hello, I'm returning to work slightly earlier than expected (mid-July) and currently investigating childcare options. A nanny seems to meet our needs but, as this is all new territory, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with where to start.

We live in Haywards Heath (West Sussex) and need someone to watch our 9month-old Mon-Thurs from about 8am-6pm, whilst we work from home. Someone who can prepare meals/snacks and feed the baby pre-expressed milk, put our baby down for naps, change nappies, play/read/take her outside. We don't require help with general chores or housekeeping but would like the nanny to pick after themselves and the baby.

It would be great to get any advice on:

1. How we are with timing - is this enough time or not to find someone for July?


2. What are the advantages/disadvantages of going through an agency?


3. If we don't go with an agency, then what's involved in finding a nanny ourselves?


4. Anything you wish someone would have told you when you were looking for a nanny?


5. Any other info or tips you think would be useful for us to know

Thanks in advance!

1.How we are with timing - is this enough time or not to find someone for July?

Should be ok, as some people are available immediately, others may need to give a month's notice. Probably do need to be reasonably quick getting adverts out. Make sure they are realistic in terms of what salary you will offer and advertise it with the Gross pay amount. As the employer you would pay the gross amount but run PAYE, deducting Income Tax and National Insurance plus employee pension from their pay and paying that to HMRC / Pension on their behalf. Nanny payroll providers can assist with that.

2.What are the advantages/disadvantages of going through an agency?

I've not had a job via an agency for a long time now. They should narrow down applicants and only provide you with the best of the best, who meet your requirements as perfectly as possible, but if that happens or not is another matter.

3.If we don't go with an agency, then what's involved in finding a nanny ourselves?
Use a nanny payroll company, they can help with contract of employment, setting up payroll and pension. NannyPaye, Nannytax, Taxing Nannies, PayeForNannies just to name a few.

Advertise on listing sites like Childcare.co.uk - have a photo (note they are small) and make your listing as detailed as possible. Pay for membership so people can contact you and you contact people you search for on the system who look possible candidates. Be very clear about salary and working hours, and that you are working from home as that will put off some applicants.
Local Facebook groups can be good for finding people, if the group allows ads. Ask around anyone you know at groups baby goes to, as other parents/nannies may know of nannies looking for work in the local area.

4.Anything you wish someone would have told you when you were looking for a nanny?
Tell people about car parking... I've been for some interviews recently where there was no thought given to where nanny would park their car and thus how nanny would get a baby and carseat and bags to the car for going out to toddler group, activity group etc.

5.Any other info or tips you think would be useful for us to know
Really know your numbers. Costs can be high and it is not just the salary of the nanny that you need to consider, but also the Employers NI, admin costs, activity costs and travel costs associated with that. Don't start with having a nanny work and then a month or so down the line decide that it is too expensive. If you need candidates who are already Ofsted registered and able to accept Tax Free Childcare scheme, then make that clear in adverts.

one key feature of your post - are you & DH both wfh all the time when the nanny is there? Do you have a home-office that is well out of the way of the baby? If baby can see/hear you in the day & nanny feels she is being watched, it makes life difficult for both of them. Lots of nannies don't like jobs where the parent is wfh. we did it but only DH was wfh in an office at the end of the garden.

we didn't bother with an agency (they are v expensive) but advertised on findababysitter.com (which now has a new name) and interviewed people ourselves.

Also, make sure you sign up to NannyTax.com or similar to have them do the payslips & tax stuff for you. it is a bit expensive but really worth it.

Thank you for the replies, everyone. They are all super helpful. We never considered WFH could be an issue. At the start, we'll both be WFH from two rooms on the first floor (with doors shut and on calls) - the ground, second floor and deck would be free for the nanny to use, so hopefully, that creates some separation. Both of us will also need to go into the office at least once a week (if not more) after a few months too. We'll be sure to add all this to the advert.

Whilst we are WFH though, would be OK if we had lunch together? It's a routine we've established that we'd like to keep, but also don't want to overstep any boundaries. I assume it's probably something to raise with candidates.

Lastly, a massive thank you for the nanny payroll company tip. That will go a long way to help reassure us that we are setting up and managing things correctly. On average, how much more than the net pay does the gross pay run? We expected this would be expensive, but want to get a better feel for what we are working with.

Many thanks again for taking the time to answer our questions!

If you have not employed a nanny before please use an agency .
An agency will vet your nanny and take up references, check she is eligible to work in Uk etc. A good agency will check all the nanny’s certificates, ensure she can produce a meal plan and daily activity plan suitable for the age of your child.
An agency will also advice you as an employer in what duties to expect , contracts and payrolls companies.
Im not an agency I’m an Ofsted Registered Nanny with many years experience, top qualifications and excellent references.
Im very wary of parents who contact me through sites other than agencies , they often have no idea about the responsibility in employing someone - eg not just paying the nanny’s tax and NI , but employers NI contributions, pension contributions, refunding mileage for transporting children etc. Patents from these sites usually confuse childminders and nannies. They often don’t want to pay minimum wage let alone the going rate for a nanny in your area.
Please use an agency as you will 100 percent get better candidates.
You want a nanny who will stay with you for several years, so it is important to get it right.
a professional nanny will be happy with parents working from home . Super easy with a baby to set boundaries. Eg office doors shut - parents are working .
Sometimes joining baby for lunch will upset them , babies naturally want to be with mum and you might find they cry and don’t eat . However given time and as they become used to the nanny , joining them for lunch can be a lovely thing to do.
I worked all through Covid and both parents were home and it was great .
Best of luck with your search .

We did the same considerations for a nanny too and salary is one that I would say is quite shocking for many on how much more net translate into gross and also all the additional taxes you have to pay as an employer on top of the gross salary. Nannytax has a net to gross calculator you can use to punch in some numbers but as an example: £14/hr net working 40 hours a week would mean a gross pay of £39,913 pa or total cost of £45,560 pa with employer's NI and employer's pension added in. Please always discuss gross with your prospective nannies!

It would still be feasible to start now for a July start date. Some nannies are available immediately while others have a notice period that they have to serve out. You also have to include some time on interviewing and trials before you find a nanny that fits with your family.