Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Paid childcare

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

Advice for a beginner hiring a nanny

16 replies

bubblepie · 17/05/2023 09:14

Hello,
Due to being unable to find a nursery or childminder for my child to start next spring, I'm now considering a nanny. I've got some questions if anyone experienced in this area can help.

  • which site is best for all the payroll stuff? Would want to completely outsource this
  • would be looking at 3 days a week for 2 children but one mostly in preschool. Is 3 days enough to attract good people?
  • if I need childcare from March next year, when is best to start the process of registering as an employer and start interviewing?
  • if they are ofsted registered then does that make any difference in terms of using tax free childcare or the government funded hours?

Thanks for any advice. This is literally last resort as we can't find a nursery space anywhere!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
nannynick · 17/05/2023 11:57

My employers have used NannyPaye and PayeForNannies. I have had no issues with either, and the parents did not report any issues either. So either of those are fine. They will be a very similar cost.
Opt for the pension scheme management if it is an optional extra. They can often integrate their payroll system to some of the pension providers, typically using NEST Pensions.

Yes, 3 days per week will attract some people and may put others off. Make it clear if the position is term time only or all year round. If you intend to limit when holiday can be taken, make that clear, as some nannies like to take holiday in term time as it is often lower cost.

I would start advertising from September, and increase ads in December. Sometimes people know when they are likely to be available but plans change. So get a feel for who is a likely candidate so you can make a decision in January/early Feb.

Setting up payroll can take a few weeks, so if first pay is end of March I would start that process end of February. Contact payroll for an initial chat before then, so you have some cost calculations so know what gross salary you can offer.

Ofsted - in England. Tax Free Childcare scheme can be used with a registered nanny. If you need someone who is registered, make that clear in adverts and see their registration certificate at interview. The registration process can take many months, so I would avoid recruiting someone who is not already registered.

You CANNOT use funded education hours with a nanny. Use that for the pre-school.

Do your cost calculations carefully.
Think about how your nanny will transport your children, if they need their car then you will need to cover costs, typically 45p per mile (maintenance, insurance, wear & tear, the fuel itself) and provide somewhere they can park (if in a parking controlled zone it can be very hard to get a permit for a nanny from some councils).

bubblepie · 17/05/2023 13:56

Thank you so much @nannynick that's so helpful!

OP posts:
cyncope · 17/05/2023 14:05

Ofsted registration for tax free childcare only applies if you earn under £100k. Obviously lots of nanny employers are above the threshold for this as nanny salaries are high.

bubblepie · 17/05/2023 14:11

@cyncope yup, we definitely aren't in the same world as many nanny employers with >£100k salaries so it would be a massive financial burden to go down that route but we are literally stuck as there is nothing else available:-(

OP posts:
BodegaSushi · 17/05/2023 14:14

You've gotten some excellent advice, but this statement jumped out at me: This is literally last resort as we can't find a nursery space anywhere!

A nanny is a luxury form of childcare, not a 'last resort'. Are you sure that you can comfortably afford a nanny? As a nanny myself, there would be nothing worse than working for an employer who was a penny-pincher and said no to every extra activity due to costs adding up, especially if you WFH and the nanny would like to get out of the house and do fun activities with your children. Especially in school holidays.

BodegaSushi · 17/05/2023 14:17

bubblepie · 17/05/2023 14:11

@cyncope yup, we definitely aren't in the same world as many nanny employers with >£100k salaries so it would be a massive financial burden to go down that route but we are literally stuck as there is nothing else available:-(

What area are you in? In London, nannies are charging minimum £18 gross an hour. A few I know are on £20. You could be looking at paying around £30k for 3 full days.

Rates obviously vary across the country, but London rates are the hugest.

bubblepie · 17/05/2023 14:26

@BodegaSushi
Could comfortably afford if it was a short term post (1 year) until we could get into a nursery as we have savings we could use to help with costs. But not as a long term solution. There are more options once our child turns 2 as lots more preschools locally than nurseries.

I looked up lots of other ads for local nannies which were offering on average £15/hour gross so based costs on this but very aware that would be for a less experienced nanny and is at the much lower end of the scale. We could stretch to £18/hour as with the savings

OP posts:
BodegaSushi · 17/05/2023 14:29

bubblepie · 17/05/2023 14:26

@BodegaSushi
Could comfortably afford if it was a short term post (1 year) until we could get into a nursery as we have savings we could use to help with costs. But not as a long term solution. There are more options once our child turns 2 as lots more preschools locally than nurseries.

I looked up lots of other ads for local nannies which were offering on average £15/hour gross so based costs on this but very aware that would be for a less experienced nanny and is at the much lower end of the scale. We could stretch to £18/hour as with the savings

Ok this sounds doable. Many nannies take on jobs knowing they aren't long-term, and as long as you're happy with the person and experience, the fingers crossed it works out for you!

I'd say that if you want someone foe spring, then January would be a good time to start looking. December/January and August/September tend to be busy times for nanny hunting/job-searching.

cyncope · 17/05/2023 14:47

bubblepie · 17/05/2023 14:26

@BodegaSushi
Could comfortably afford if it was a short term post (1 year) until we could get into a nursery as we have savings we could use to help with costs. But not as a long term solution. There are more options once our child turns 2 as lots more preschools locally than nurseries.

I looked up lots of other ads for local nannies which were offering on average £15/hour gross so based costs on this but very aware that would be for a less experienced nanny and is at the much lower end of the scale. We could stretch to £18/hour as with the savings

If you're paying £15-£18 gross an hour in salary, just keep in mind that this isn't the total cost to you. You are also paying your own NI costs, pension contributions, payroll costs, mileage, activities and food for the nanny.

bubblepie · 17/05/2023 14:50

@cyncope could you explain that a bit more for me please? Would the NI and pension not come out of the gross salary too or is that on top? If the latter then I hadn't realised that.

Would definitely use an agency for payroll and have looked up costs for these and happy to pay expenses on top.

OP posts:
parietal · 17/05/2023 14:51

you could look for a nannyshare to save on costs - we did this & it worked out well.

bubblepie · 17/05/2023 14:57

@parietal how did you find your other family? And do you mind me asking what the gross salary per hour was that you paid? I'm guessing a bit more than a sole charge but then split in 2 so cheaper overall?

OP posts:
BodegaSushi · 17/05/2023 15:46

bubblepie · 17/05/2023 14:50

@cyncope could you explain that a bit more for me please? Would the NI and pension not come out of the gross salary too or is that on top? If the latter then I hadn't realised that.

Would definitely use an agency for payroll and have looked up costs for these and happy to pay expenses on top.

Nanny tax has this really helpful tool

cyncope · 17/05/2023 15:47

bubblepie · 17/05/2023 14:50

@cyncope could you explain that a bit more for me please? Would the NI and pension not come out of the gross salary too or is that on top? If the latter then I hadn't realised that.

Would definitely use an agency for payroll and have looked up costs for these and happy to pay expenses on top.

Nanny's gross salary includes her tax, NI and pension contribution. You then pay employer's NI and pension contribution on top.

So if you pay the nanny say £500 a week gross, you then pay £45 NI and £11 pension contribution on top.

cyncope · 17/05/2023 15:48

bubblepie · 17/05/2023 14:57

@parietal how did you find your other family? And do you mind me asking what the gross salary per hour was that you paid? I'm guessing a bit more than a sole charge but then split in 2 so cheaper overall?

Each employer in a share needs to pay at least minimum wage, which I think is around £10.50 now.

bubblepie · 17/05/2023 16:38

@cyncope oh gosh I didn't even realise that 🤦🏻‍♀️ thanks for the info

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page