Nannies and OFSTED

[CaramelWaferAndTea]

Hi, we are trying to recruit a nanny. Many nannies say they are not, and do not want to be, OFSTED registered. Obviously we can take this into account in our salary (just have to drop it by £4k!) but I wondered why this was?

Im a nanny and never have been ofsted registered. It costs to register (although I’d expect an employer to meet the fee if that’s what they wanted) but you’re subject to a load of ofsted regulations and inspections, plus, they want a level two in childcare- I’ve been a nanny for 12 years but I don’t have that. So in short, it would be a palaver.

I’m a Nanny and I will be registered if the parent requests it. However it’s up to them to pay the fee. Ofsted only benefits the parents not the nanny.

my biggest issue is vouchers need 48 hours to clear and so if parents pay those in late then pay is late etc so I have it written into my contract that they must be paid 48 hours before pay day.

Maybe they can get jobs without having to be registered.
I have been registered since 2007 and was on the Childcare Approval Scheme which was in 2005/06.
A lot of families I have worked for did need the registration.

Because it's a pain in the arse and only benefits the parents, not the nanny, I've been a nanny for years and have never needed or wanted it, there's plenty of families willing to employ nannies who don't have it!

Interesting. I would cover the cost as I do recognise it benefits us more than the nanny. I looked into it and the course wasn’t very expensive, the whole thing would pay for itself for me in less than two months which for me was definitely worth it. I work in a highly regulated profession where I fund a lot of my own development and registration, so it this probably framed my expectations.

I guess, especially in London, that many families employing nannies aren’t eligible for the subsidy (tax free childcare) so it may well be possible to get jobs without it. Probably not the right fit for us though so that helps to rule people out!

Hi, my last nanny was ofsted registered, but this one isn't as we don't qualify for TFC now.

I think it is quite common to have the qualifications if you have worked in a nursery before nannying, which is common from what I have seen in my town in SE (maybe not so much in London). First aid train was a must for me anyway.

I paid the registration fee (grossed up as it is taxed in hands of nanny), so around £160 total I think. Worth it for the TFC.

I’ll always have up to date first aid training but you don’t need ofsted for that!

We wanted registered and our nanny is. We pay the fee and it’s just over £100 a year. It benefitted us in the beginning and they did come and inspect once. It also means she needs to keep her first aid up to date, which I also pay for.

I would avoid a family who wanted ofsted registration just because I would worry about job security/affordability.

@Rosesandblossoms all professional Nannies refresh their first aid every 3 years. I don’t need ofsted to make me do it.

@CaramelWaferAndTea Most nannies have qualifications and first aid and so don’t need to do the course. its a common core skills course.

Nothing to write home about doesn’t make the ofsted nanny any more skilled or educated then an experienced nanny with years of professional training and experience under their belt.

@SherbetDips i didn’t think it did, looks like a bit of a pointless course tbh. I am extremely familiar with pointless courses sadly! I was imagining I would have to pay for this and registration (but not the DBS and first aid as these seem prerequisites for the job). I also completely understand about cleared payments; I’ve had a childminder for my first and I’ve been really careful with this.

I guess I’m just looking to spend a lot of money (almost my entire net income) so the resistance to this based on some very simple paperwork probably means the person isn’t a good fit for us, even if they are willing to accept slightly less money.

@thebabynanny that probably just enforces my understanding - thanks! We aren’t going to be eligible for that many more years, we are both not a million miles away from the threshold, but this is the only help I can get so it seems insane not to claim it as it will pay at least for the employer’s NI!

@CaramelWaferAndTea Yes a nanny should pay for their own DBS and first aid and insurance. Are you going through agencies? They may be more able to find you a registered nanny.

@SherbetDips currently using childcare.co.uk and local networks. Have no shortage really of interest/applicants despite this requirement - just it seems to stop some people who are initially interested in their tracks so was interested in why this was and whether it was something I needed to consider not requiring.

We paid for our nanny to be ofsted registered so we could use tfc. We are also hiring a new nanny at the moment and will want to do the same this time.

@CaramelWaferAndTea What I meant was an agency will advertise the job as ofsted Nannie required so you’ll only be matched with nannies either ofsted registered already or happy to be registered.

Best friend is a nanny and she can't find a job as she isn't ofsted qualified. Yet she has years of experience and degree qualified.
As the others have said, it benefits the parents but is a huge hassle for the nanny and certainly doesn't mean you are getting a better ' quality ' of nanny.

99 percent of nanny jobs don’t require a nanny to be Ofsted Registered.
if your friend can’t find a job there is other reasons.
Ofsted are a pain during registration process and when renewing . They are the most annoying agency with no common senses.
If you want an Ofsted nanny Op just be prepared to pay the. £103 and wait for the nanny to be registered. Ofsted faff about so can take months and months and months.

It must be area dependent then. As everyone wants ofsted registered and most nannies round here are.
She now feels she has no option but to just do it as she just wants a job and is having real problems finding one without the registration which is crazy going by her qualifications and experience.

Yes will be area dependant as high income families eg earning over 100k can’t use . I would be wary of families who can’t afford a nanny unless they use these childcare schemes .

As others said it’s not benefit for the nanny

all professional / career nannies should have imo qualifications dbs first aid and pli regardless

if a family needs an ofsted nanny they pay the £103 cost. Can take up to 12w

Other thing is the vouchers take a while to clear. Better to pay a month from own pocket and then use the previous voucher for next month so that the nanny gets paid in full once a month

and for the nanny who isn’t ofsted but can’t find a job then there are bigger issues imo

ive never been ofsted. No need and never had a problem finding a job in 20yrs of nannying

so if she can’t find a job there must be reasons

most jobs local to me don’t want ofsted nannies

As I said, maybe that is the case in your areas but definitely not ours where parents want to pay with vouchers because they cannot afford a nanny otherwise. Only a very small amount do not want ofsted registered in her experience.

I have a relative who Ofsted approved to be registered but failed to provide all required paperwork….she pointed out to them the error she had made in not sending all required documents and they still didn’t chase up or remove her from the database.

She also told me (like others here) it only benefited the families; in one situation the employers financial circumstances changed and they told her she could stay with them on the condition the Contract of Employment was amended to state that she herself as an employee paid for the first aid course & Ofsted registration fee.

I am only on the list as my employers used to use vouchers to part pay me, they no longer do but its more hassle to let it go and maybe one day go back on the list.
I was one of the few inspect if you could call it that complete waste of time my one seemed to know nothing rather still it makes me giggle that she tired to call me while i was inside a monkey habit in London Zoo.