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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

What to offer nanny whilst I go on maternity leave?

20 replies

Uwila · 30/11/2004 18:08

I am due to have no. 2 at the end of May. We have a live in nanny who currently works about 50 hours per week. When I go on maternity leave (which will probably be for about 3 months, which isn't a lot but my work will only pay 6 weeks at 90% and I am not financially prepared to go a lot longer without pay). And, I can;t pay my nanny what I pay her now if I am not getting paid. So I was wondering what other working mums have done with their nanny arrangements whilst on maternity leave.

I thin I have decided that I could offer her half of what I pay her now (for half of the hours). I really don't want to lose her becaue she is very good. But, I think if she expects me to continue to pay her full time I either can't afford it or would have to return to work full time at the end of the 6 weeks (and I really don't want to return that fast).

OP posts:

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joash · 30/11/2004 18:11

Your decsion re; 1/2 of wages for 1/2 of work sounds good to me. I suppose it will depend on what other commitments she has (financially and otherwise). Just explain the situation to her and see where you go from there. Other than that - can't think of any other way.

bakedpotato · 30/11/2004 19:00

IMO, the impetus is on you to arrange a solution that will keep her on the same pay. you can't expect tohold onto her unless you keep paying her the same, can you? no matter what her hours. it wouldn't really be fair to her.

perhaps you need to find another local mum who needs temp help during the hours you don't need the nanny?

i don't think this should be up to the nanny to arrange, either. you're the one who is breaking the terms of the contract (unless you addressed this issue in it)

Joanna3 · 30/11/2004 19:11

You could ask her to get a temporary position with someone else until you go back to work?

Stilltrue · 30/11/2004 19:20

If she's very good and you want to keep her you may have to compromise a bit on what you are prepared to pay,ie. at least take up some of the financial slack in order to keep her. That said, she may value the continuity of staying with you doing half a job and getting to know the new baby while you're around. Do you have friends with, eg, school age children who could have her "on secondment" for the 3 months when she'll be doing half a job for you? I'm thinking after school care, or morning school runs or something . In your position i wouldn't advise asking her to find a ft temp job, simply because she might not come back!

acnebride · 30/11/2004 19:35

Hope you find a solution to this. I'm sure you will make clear to her that you really want to keep her - i say this simply because a friend of mine had her nanny resign over exactly this issue.

I have to say I'm with bakedpotato - it is probably up to you to arrange something she can accept. But involving her might give you a way out - maybe she fancies going travelling for 3 months!

I have just started with a nannyshare I saw advertised in my residents' association newsletter - am really happy with it. I would have jumped at a 3 month placement as that is the minimum work I must do to 'pay back' my maternity leave. So well worth advertising through local routes/putting the word out?

Original poster

Uwila · 01/12/2004 15:11

anyone else?

OP posts:

vivat · 01/12/2004 15:16

My nanny stayed on while I was on full pay, then she had two months unpaid leave when she didn't work, but I paid her rent of £500 per month (her main outgoing)and she was free to get temp work.

I had originally given her notice to leave 6 weeks after the baby was born as I was planning to be off work for some time, then I decided to go back to work earlier than planned and she really wanted to come back to work for us, so worked out well for us both in the end.

Original poster

Uwila · 01/12/2004 15:55

bump

OP posts:

CountessDracula · 01/12/2004 16:09

Uwila you could try calling all the nanny agencies in your area and asking if any of them had temp vacancies?

Don't forget you will also get money from the state, about £125 a week I think it is, after your 6 weeks at 90% runs out. That may help matters. And also, one thing I didn't realise when I went on mat. leave was that I had been paying tax all year as if I was going to earn that amount all year, so I got a big tax rebate each month from work, about £800 a month if I remember correctly.

sponge · 01/12/2004 16:13

Try looking on gumtree.com and see if anyone is looking for temporary nanny/ childminder help in your area.
I found my childminder this way.

sinclair · 01/12/2004 16:39

Sorry, my only advice is start saving! Unless you don't mind losing her I think you have to pay her the money - whether or not you are using her. It sounds as if you are only going to have to find money to fund 6 weeks - and the agency fees to find a replacement could well be 4 weeks. Have you asked her how she envisages it working?

snowmeltsonthebeach · 01/12/2004 17:12

My nanny (who was four days a week) looked for a 2 day a week job while I was on maternity leave, but I had accepted that if she hadn't found one, I would either have to give her up completely or pay her in full.

She did find one and it worked out fine (but then in the middle of my leave her spotty boyfriend made her go back to Australia). Still worked for the first four months!!!!!

Original poster

Uwila · 01/12/2004 17:31

Whilst I do not wish to lose her, I am not prepared to pay her in full. I simply can not afford it. So, if it comes to that, I will have to let her go.

I am also not going to pay any agency fees to replace her, so that really doesn;t come into the equation.

No, I haven't told her yet. I still have some things to sort out first. Like if this delivery will be by cesarean (which will affect what date I go on Maternity and how much helo I need after birth), how much maternity leave I am going to take from my work, etc. So, when I have my leave dates sorted out,I can better give her some options.

Thanks again everyone.

OP posts:

elliott · 01/12/2004 17:43

Uliwa, how much do you pay her? You are only talking about covering her pay for 6 weeks when you will be on reduced income,and the baby isn't due till May - do you think you could save enough to cover her pay over the next 5/6 months? What about dh/dp - he'll still be earning won't he? Is it really so impossible?
tbh you'd probably be glad of her help over that time, its hard work getting used to looking after a newborn and a toddler!

Original poster

Uwila · 01/12/2004 17:49

elliot our outcome is equal to our income. I don't pay her a lot. Well below the agency recommended salary for a greater london nanny. But,it's what I can afford. Our problem is really that we have racked up enormous debt. And we have to somehow struggle to pay that off.

Don't really want to go into my debt issue here though. I'm just looking for some experience from working mums who employ nannies and what they have done when they went on maternity leave.

OP posts:

posyhairdresser · 01/12/2004 17:52

Unless she is desperately keen to work for your family in particular I would think you will probably lose her unless you pay her a reasonable retainer whilst you are on mat leave and she is free to temp as well.

Otherwise, what's in it for her when a good nanny finds it easy to get another job on full pay.

Maybe there are non-financial ways in which you could persuade make it worth her while to stay?

Original poster

Uwila · 01/12/2004 18:03

posyhairdresser, yes, I am aware that losing her is a posibility. Although, she has a Gentleman friend in Wales. So I think that if I offered her say a month off with no pay, she might actually be just as glad to go visit him.

Also, he calls and drives to our house to see her a lot. So, I'm afraid she may leave us one day soon anyway to be closer to him. So, that is another reason I'm not prepared to shell out full salary: because I fear I may soon lose her anyway.

And another thing (so much to consider here!), if she did decide just to leave, the money I saved on not paying her at all I could take at least another month or two off of work and stay home with my kiddies -- a luxury that I do not often get to enjoy. I'd need some help with a toddler and new born, but I could hire in a cleaner / helper for a lot less than I pay a nanny.

I think I'm just sorting all of this out as I type. I have a while to decide. I just like to have all my plans in order before the end of the second trimester. Thanks again everyone for listening to me ramble and for providing your insight.

OP posts:

lisalisa · 02/12/2004 13:12

Message withdrawn

Kaz33 · 02/12/2004 13:51

Our nanny refused to sanction any arrangement where we did not retain her full time, even though she adored our DS1. Obviously as her salary was more than all our other outgoings put together we could not afford that.

Good luck Uwila, I think you have to be honest with your nanny - tell her how fab she is and how you really don't want to lose her.

Blu · 02/12/2004 14:02

Uwila - could you have a frank and constructive discussion with her? It may be possible to find a local 'fill-in' job for her - help is constantly being sought and recommended amongst the group of working Mums I meet with. Another consideration might be that your DD may well feel her nose is a bit out of joint by the birth of no 2, and the security of her familiar nanny might be a source of stability for her - especially as, if I remember rightly - your DH is away during the week? Lots of older DDs seem to attach themselves to daddy for a while when the baby arrives.
Hope you can get something sorted - if you DO discover that your nanny is thinking of moving to Wales, it might be better to find someone else before the birth of the new baby, for reasons of continuity for your DD?

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